CN118303799A - Base station device for surface cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a base station apparatus for a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus including a housing defining a roller chamber and a brush roller rotatably supported at the roller chamber, the brush roller including an exposed portion exposed from the roller chamber, the base station apparatus including a housing, a recess formed in an upper portion of the housing and capable of receiving at least a portion of the brush roller when the surface cleaning apparatus is parked in the base station apparatus, and a power supply unit; the housing includes at least one heat generating wall defining at least a portion of the recess, the at least one heat generating wall being configured to circumferentially wrap around and contact the exposed portion during parking of the surface cleaning apparatus in the base station apparatus. The base station device of this case can realize the stoving to the brush roll of surface cleaning device fast.

Description

Base station device for surface cleaning device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of cleaning devices, in particular base station arrangements for surface cleaning devices.

Background

Surface cleaning machines that perform cleaning operations using a cleaning liquid, such as clear water or the like, have been widely used in everyday life. For example, wet floor cleaning devices capable of scrubbing floors with water or a water/detergent mixture are provided with floor-contacting brush rolls that pick up used and soiled cleaning liquid entrained with debris on the floor and are carried into the recovery tank by a suction motor, and carry the recovered cleaning liquid.

In the working process of the surface cleaning machine, the brush roller is continuously contacted with the sewage; this would require cleaning the brush roll after the end of the operation of such machines and actively drying the brush roll after cleaning to prevent off-flavors and mold growth on the brush roll.

In the prior art, the method for drying the brush roller mainly comprises the following steps: first, see the scheme disclosed in chinese patent publication No. CN216495155U, in which a heating body is provided on a charging seat of the floor washer, and the cleaning roller is directly dried by heating the heating body; second, see the solution disclosed in chinese patent publication No. CN115245291a, which is to dry or air-dry the roll brush by using hot air generated by a fan and a heating assembly by providing the fan and the heating assembly on a base.

In the two schemes, although the cleaning roller or the rolling brush can be dried, in the first scheme, the drying speed is lower due to the flow speed of air around the heating element; in the second solution, limited by the temperature of the hot air generated by the fan and the heating assembly, it is slow to dry, and it usually takes several hours to dry a brush roll of conventional size, which will increase the time the user takes to look at the machine and reduce the user's willingness to use.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned technical problem that the brush roller is too long to dry after the surface cleaning machine is operated, an object of the present invention is to provide a base station apparatus for a surface cleaning apparatus capable of rapidly drying the brush roller.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a base station apparatus for a surface cleaning apparatus, said surface cleaning apparatus comprising a housing defining a roller chamber and a brush roller rotatably supported at said roller chamber, said brush roller having an exposed portion exposed from said roller chamber, said base station apparatus comprising a housing, a recess formed in an upper portion of said housing and capable of receiving at least a portion of said brush roller during parking of said surface cleaning apparatus in said base station apparatus, and a power supply unit; the housing includes at least one heat generating wall defining at least a portion of the recess, the at least one heat generating wall being configured to circumferentially wrap around and contact the exposed portion during parking of the surface cleaning apparatus on the base station apparatus.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one heat generating wall defines at least a portion of the front portion of the recess and at least a portion of the lower portion of the recess.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one heat generating wall has an upper surface facing the exposed portion, the upper surface being arcuate.

In some preferred embodiments, the upper surface has an array of bumps disposed thereon; the bump array is capable of extending into the brushroll during parking of the surface cleaning apparatus in the base station apparatus.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one heat generating wall comprises an aluminum member.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one heat generating wall includes at least one set of heat generating cores, the at least one set of heat generating cores being electrically connected to the power supply unit, the power supply unit providing power required for heating the at least one set of heat generating cores.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one set of heat generating cores is embedded in the aluminum member.

In some preferred embodiments, the housing comprises a bottom wall facing the surface to be cleaned, at least part of the bottom wall being made of an insulating material.

In some preferred embodiments, the housing includes a tray portion and a boss portion at a rear side of the tray portion, and the recess is at a front of the tray portion.

In some preferred embodiments, the base station apparatus further comprises a controller, wherein the at least one heat generating wall is in signal connection with the controller, and the controller controls the at least one heat generating wall to be activated and deactivated.

In some preferred embodiments, the base station apparatus further comprises a status indicator light, the controller is in signal connection with the status indicator light, and the controller controls the status indicator light to be in an on state during the start of the at least one heat generating wall.

In some preferred embodiments, the base station apparatus further includes a temperature indication module and a temperature detection unit, the temperature detection unit is connected to the at least one heating wall, and the temperature indication module is capable of indicating a temperature result detected by the temperature detection unit to a user.

Compared with the prior art, the base station device provided by the invention can quickly realize the drying of the brush roller of the surface cleaning device, reduces the working time of a user looking after the system, and is more convenient to use.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning system according to the present invention; wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is parked on the base station apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of a surface cleaning apparatus provided by the present invention; wherein the dirty liquid recovery box is removed, and the handle is omitted;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of a base station apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is an exploded view of a base station apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a docking of a cleaning base with a base station device during parking of the surface cleaning device in the base station device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a control schematic of a surface cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of various processes provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a phase diagram of a self-cleaning process provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to describe the technical content, constructional features, objects and effects of the application in detail, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the application, not all embodiments of the application. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a detailed description of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the application. However, various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. Furthermore, the various exemplary embodiments may be different, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, the specific shapes, configurations, and characteristics of the exemplary embodiments may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from the inventive concept.

For the purposes of the description in connection with the drawings, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and derivatives thereof are used from a defined positional relationship with respect to the direction in which a user is standing on the surface to be cleaned to push the surface cleaning device 10 (i.e., the back-to-front push direction). As used herein, the term "rear side" refers to a location that is rearward of at least another component, but does not necessarily mean rearward of all other components. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary.

Fig. 1 shows a surface cleaning system provided by the present invention, which includes a surface cleaning apparatus 10, a base station apparatus 20 capable of docking the surface cleaning apparatus 10, and a control unit 30 (see fig. 7). In the surface cleaning system, the surface cleaning apparatus 10 can be detached from the base station apparatus 20 to individually perform a cleaning operation of a surface to be cleaned; the surface cleaning apparatus 10 may be placed on the base station apparatus 20 for self-cleaning, sterilization, and drying, which are mainly directed to the brush roller and other members in the surface cleaning apparatus.

As shown in fig. 2 to 3, the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is a straight upright type cleaning apparatus including a cleaning base 1 and a handle body portion 2 located on an upper side of the cleaning base 1. The lower part of the handle body part 2 is pivotally connected to the cleaning base 1, the handle body part 2 having a storage position standing upright relative to the cleaning base 1 for storage and an operating position inclined rearwardly relative to the cleaning base 1 for a user to push the surface cleaning apparatus 10.

The cleaning base 1 comprises a base body 11 forming the outer contour of itself, a roller chamber 13 located at the front of the base body 11, a brush roller 14 rotatably arranged at the roller chamber 13, a suction nozzle 19 located inside the cleaning base 1 and adjacent to the rear side of the roller chamber 13, and a liquid distributor 15 partly protruding into the roller chamber 13. The base 11 is provided with a swivel joint 17 to which swivel joint 17 the lower part of the handle body part 2 is fixedly connected, whereby the handle body part 2 is made to swivel back and forth between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined working position.

The liquid dispenser 15 is directed towards the brush roller 14 and is configured to dispense water from a water delivery path (not shown) onto the brush roller 14. The brush roller 14 defines a rotational axis X extending in the left-right direction, and the cleaning base 1 is further provided with a brush roller motor (not shown) in driving connection with the brush roller 14 to rotate the brush roller 14 about the rotational axis. Wherein the outside surface of the brush roll 14 is covered with cleaning elements which may have bristles, fabric or other cleaning elements which are configured to be wettable by a cleaning liquid such as water or the like.

In this case, the front and lower portions of the roller chamber 13 have openings 12 therethrough, and a portion of the brush roller 14 is exposed from the openings 12 to form an exposed portion 141 of the brush roller 14, the exposed portion 141 being capable of contacting the surface to be cleaned.

The handle body part 2 includes a handle 21 and a body 22 provided at an upper portion. The handle 21 is fixedly attached to the top of the body 22 and is configured to be held by a user, who can hold the surface cleaning device 10 with one hand by means of the handle 21 and thereby push the cleaning base 1 of the surface cleaning device 10 back and forth over the surface to be cleaned in a rearwardly inclined working position. The handle 21 is further provided with an operation part 211 in signal connection with the control unit 30 for a user to control the operation of the surface cleaning apparatus 10, and the specific form of the operation part 211 is not limited to a button, a trigger, a switch, etc. In other embodiments, the operating portion may be provided elsewhere on the surface cleaning apparatus, such as on a top wall or side wall of the handle body portion of the lower portion of the handle, and the operating portion may be a portable remote control or may be provided on a hand-held terminal capable of information interaction with the surface cleaning apparatus.

The body 22 is capable of receiving and carrying a plurality of working components on the handle body portion 2. These various working parts include a water tank 31 capable of storing and providing fresh water to the outside. Wherein the water tank 31 is preferably detachably mounted to the body 22 to facilitate the user's addition of fresh water thereto.

The water tank 31 is in fluid communication with the liquid dispenser 15 on the cleaning base 1 and forms a water delivery path (not shown) for the flow of water, and a selectively activatable pump 33 is provided in the water delivery path, the pump 33 being controlled to be turned on and off to selectively deliver liquid to the liquid dispenser 15 or to block fluid communication between the water tank 31 and the liquid dispenser 15. In this example, the pump 33 is arranged inside the body 22; in other embodiments, the pump may also be arranged within the housing 11 of the cleaning base 1.

The working parts provided on the machine body 22 further include a dirty liquid recovery tank 41 that can receive and store the dirty liquid, and a suction motor 42 provided on the upper side of the dirty liquid recovery tank 41. The suction nozzle 19, the contaminated liquid recovery tank 41 and the suction motor 42 in the cleaning base 1 are in fluid communication in this order, a recovery flow path 43 is provided between the suction nozzle 19 and the contaminated liquid recovery tank 41, and the suction motor 42 is configured to be capable of pushing fluid flow along the recovery flow path 43. The contaminated liquid recycling tank 41 is detachably mounted to the body 22 so as to facilitate the user to pour the contaminated liquid.

When the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is in operation, the pump 33 is started, water in the water tank 31 reaches the liquid distributor 15 through the water delivery path and is distributed to the brush roller 14 by the liquid distributor 15, and the rotating brush roller 14 cleans the surface to be cleaned contacted by the water; at the same time as the suction motor 42 is activated and creates a suction air flow, the brush roll 14 will carry the dirt liquid and entrain the debris picked up from the surface to be cleaned along with the suction air flow into the recovery flow path 43, which dirt liquid and debris will eventually be stored in the dirt liquid recovery tank 41.

Referring to fig. 4 to 5, the base station apparatus 20 of the surface cleaning system includes a housing 5, a recess 6 formed at an upper portion of the housing 5 and capable of receiving the brush roller 14 when the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is parked at the base station apparatus 10, and a power supply unit 7. The power supply unit 7 comprises an electrical plug 71 which can be electrically connected to a household electrical outlet. In the base station apparatus 20, a charging member (not shown in the drawing) for charging the surface cleaning apparatus 10 may also be arranged, the charging member being electrically connected to the power supply unit.

The housing 5 forms an outer contour of the base station apparatus 20, and includes a tray portion 51 for supporting the surface cleaning apparatus 10, and a boss portion 52 located at a rear side of the tray portion 51 and protruding upward with respect to the tray portion 51. The tray part 51 is configured to abut against the bottom portion of the cleaning base 1, and the recess 6 is located at the front portion of the tray part 51 and is recessed downward. The boss portion 52 generally abuts the handle body portion 2.

The housing 5 comprises a heat generating wall 8, which heat generating wall 8 defines a part of the front part of the recess and a part of the lower part of the recess. The heat generating wall 8 includes an aluminum member 81 excellent in heat conduction, and a heat generating core 82 buried in the aluminum member 81, the heat generating core 82 being electrically connected to the power supply unit 7 and supplied with electric power required for heat generation by the power supply unit 7. The surface temperature of the heating wall 8 is more than or equal to 72 ℃ when in work; in some possible embodiments, the temperature may be increased to 100 ℃, even more than 100 degrees, in order to provide the heat generating wall 8 with a more excellent heating capacity.

In order to ensure a controllable heating, a temperature controller 83 is also provided at the heating wall 8, which temperature controller 83 is in signal connection with the control unit 30. The control unit 30 can control the heating wall 8 to raise or lower the temperature as required with the aid of the temperature controller 83.

In this example, the heat generating wall 8 has an upper surface 801 having an arc shape. The upper side surface 801 of the heat generating wall 8 directly contacts the exposed portion 141 of the brush roller 14 at the position where the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is parked at the base station apparatus 20.

In some embodiments, an array of bumps (not shown) may also be disposed on the upper surface 801 of the heat-generating wall 8. The bump array, which on the one hand enables heat transfer into the brush roller 14 and on the other hand also enables carding of the brush roller 14, can extend into the interior of the brush roller 14 where the surface cleaning device 10 rests on the base station device 20.

For the safety of the surface cleaning system, a temperature indication module (not shown in the figure) and a temperature detection component may also be provided on the base station device 20, the temperature detection component is connected with the heating wall 8, and the temperature indication module can indicate the temperature result detected by the temperature detection component to a user, that is, indicate the temperature of the heating wall 8 to the user; this ensures that the user touches the base station device 20 at a safe temperature. The temperature indication module can comprise a temperature indication lamp, a temperature indication strip or a temperature display panel; which facilitates user observation as a preference. Of course, the temperature indication module may be omitted in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, a status display lamp (not shown in the figure) is further disposed on the base station apparatus 20, and the control unit 30 is in signal connection with the status display lamp, and controls the status display lamp to be in a lighting state during the starting of the heating wall 8, which can remind the user that the current heating wall 8 is starting to operate.

The tray portion 51 includes a bottom wall 511 facing the ground, and the bottom wall 511 is at least partially made of a heat insulating material, and the bottom wall 511 made of such a heat insulating material can reduce heat loss and effectively prevent heat of the heat generating wall 8 from being conducted to the ground to burn the ground.

As shown in fig. 6, the heat generating wall 8 is dimensioned so as to satisfy: during the parking of the surface cleaning apparatus 10 in the base station apparatus 20, the heat generating wall 8 is circumferentially wrapped around the periphery of the exposed portion 141 (hatched portion of the brush roller in the drawing) and contacts the exposed portion 141 of the brush roller 14.

The heating wall 8 of this example heats both the water flowing into the recess 6 and the air flowing through the recess 6. Which is controlled to operate during parking of the surface cleaning apparatus 10 in the base station apparatus 20. The heat generating wall 8 is circumferentially wrapped around the periphery of the exposed portion 141 of the brush roller 14 during the parking of the surface cleaning apparatus 10 on the base station apparatus 20, and the upper side surface 801 of the heat generating wall 8 contacts the brush roller 14, which structure enables the heat generated by the heat generating wall 8 to be rapidly transferred to the brush roller 14.

Referring to fig. 7, the control unit 30 of the surface cleaning system of the present application comprises two parts, one part being located within the surface cleaning apparatus 10, i.e. a first controller 301 located within the surface cleaning apparatus 10; a second controller 302, a part of which is located in the base station apparatus 20, that is, in the base station apparatus 20; the two controllers will effect control of the operation of the various controllable components on the surface cleaning system; in this example, the first controller 301 within the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is capable of controlling whether the suction motor 42, the pump 33, and the brushroll motor 16 are engaged in operation; the second controller 302 in the base station apparatus 20 can control whether or not the heat generating core 82 is involved in operation, and control the operation of the temperature indicating module (if any) and the status display lamp (if any). In other embodiments, the control unit of the surface cleaning system may be integrated in the surface cleaning apparatus, and according to this solution, the heating core in the base station apparatus also controls the control unit in the surface cleaning apparatus; for this purpose, the surface cleaning apparatus and the base station apparatus, after docking, are constructed to route the instruction transmission.

During parking of the surface cleaning apparatus 10 in the base station apparatus 20, the brush roll 14 is located at the recess 6. At this time, the surface cleaning system is capable of performing self-cleaning sterilization drying treatment for the surface cleaning apparatus under the control of the control unit 30, specifically: a self-cleaning process of cleaning the brush roller with water, a sterilization process of sterilizing the brush roller with steam, and a drying process of drying the brush roller with hot air while the surface cleaning apparatus 10 is parked in the base station apparatus 20; of course, the self-cleaning treatment, the sterilization treatment and the drying treatment are also directed to the recovery flow path of the surface cleaning apparatus.

As shown in fig. 8, the self-cleaning process, the sterilization process, and the drying process of this example are configured to be sequentially performed in order; thus, the user only needs to interact with the surface cleaning system once, and the program containing the processes is triggered, so that the self-cleaning process, the sterilization process and the drying process are sequentially carried out; user interaction with the surface cleaning system may be achieved by triggering a certain program switch arranged on the surface cleaning apparatus or the base station apparatus; in other embodiments, the interaction between the user and the surface cleaning system may be omitted, and instead, a monitoring device is used to monitor whether the surface cleaning device is parked at the base station device, and when the surface cleaning device is parked at the base station device, the self-cleaning process, the sterilization process and the drying process are automatically started.

In other possible embodiments, the sterilization process or the drying process may be set as a program for the user to individually select to execute.

As shown in fig. 9, the self-cleaning process of this example includes the following stages, which are performed in order:

Immersion cleaning: first, water is continuously supplied to the brush roller 14 via the water tank 31 for a long period of time, at which time the suction motor 42 is not started; in this step, the water not absorbed by the brush roller 14 falls into the groove 6, and the water supply continues until a sufficient amount of water is collected in the groove 6, and at this time, the heating wall 8 in the groove 6 continuously heats the water in the groove 6 to become hot water with temperature; secondly, stopping the water supply, and continuously rotating the brush roll 14 for a period of time, wherein in the step, the brush roll 14 is at least partially immersed in the hot water in the groove 6, and the continuous rotation of the brush roll 14 can realize the immersed cleaning of the brush roll 14; again, the suction motor 42 is turned on and the brush roller 14 is kept continuously rotated to effect transfer of the submerged cleaned water from the recess 6 to the dirty liquid recovery tank 41 via the recovery flow path 43.

Spray type cleaning stage: supplying water to the brush roller 14 again through the water tank 31, turning on the suction motor 42 and driving the brush roller 14 to rotate, and transferring the liquid falling from the brush roller 14 to the dirty liquid recovery tank 41 through the recovery flow path 43; in this step, the "new" water is constantly distributed to the brush roller 14, and at the same time, the "old" water falling from the brush roller 14 is transferred to the contaminated liquid recovery tank 41 via the recovery flow path 43; continued rotation of brushroll 14 may effect a shower-type cleaning of brushroll 14.

And (3) a spin-drying stage: the water supply is stopped, the suction motor 42 is turned on and the brushroll 14 is driven to rotate for a period of time to spin-dry the water on the brushroll 14 as much as possible.

After the above-mentioned stages are successively completed, the whole self-cleaning treatment process is completed.

In an embodiment, in the self-cleaning treatment, the submerged cleaning stage and the spray cleaning stage of the brush roller may be performed alternatively, for example, the spray cleaning stage is performed only once; in other embodiments, the heating element in the groove can be used for carrying out immersion cleaning or spray cleaning on the brush roller by adopting the warm water without starting heating; in addition, in some possible embodiments, the water used in the self-cleaning process may also come from outside the tank, such as from a water reservoir on the base unit, or even from a mains water pipe that interfaces with the base unit. The purpose of the self-cleaning process is to clean the brush roll, and any scheme that facilitates cleaning the brush roll can be used herein.

The sterilization treatment of this example is performed after the self-cleaning treatment is completed, and the purpose of the sterilization treatment is to sterilize the brush roller after cleaning by using steam. In the sterilization process, the steam used is generated by heating the water flowing into the grooves 6 by the heat generating wall 8, and the water may be supplied to the brush roller 14 via the water tank 31 or may be from another place. In the sterilization process, in order to instantaneously generate a large amount of steam and to raise the temperature of the steam, the amount of water supplied to the brush roller during this process should be reduced relative to the amount of water of the self-cleaning process.

In embodiments thereof, the sterilization process may also be eliminated or incorporated into the self-cleaning process simultaneously.

The drying treatment of this example, which is performed after the self-cleaning treatment or the sterilization treatment (if any), is completed, is aimed at further drying the brush roller to prevent generation of odor or mold at a later stage. In the drying process, the suction motor 42 is started, the heating wall 8 works to generate heat, and the brush roller 14 rotates at a constant speed; under the action of the heating wall 8 and the suction motor 42, the air flowing through the groove 6 is heated by the heating wall 8 into hot air, and the hot air flowing towards the recovery flow path 43 quickly takes away moisture on the brush roller 14 when passing through the brush roller 14, so that the effect of quickly drying the brush roller is achieved, and meanwhile, the hot air also quickly takes away the residual moisture in the heat recovery flow path 43 when flowing through the recovery flow path 43.

In the drying process of the present application, the hot air used for drying is generated by the heating of the air flowing through the recess 6 by the heat generating wall 8, and the flowing power of the hot air is from the suction motor 42. Compared with the traditional method that the brush roll is dried by hot air generated by a fan or a fan combined heating assembly, the scheme has the advantages that the temperature of the hot air can be higher, the flowing speed of the hot air can be higher, so that heat exchange at the groove is more intense, more heat can be transferred to the brush roll by convection heat exchange between the flowing hot air and the brush roll 14, and radiation heat exchange between the heating wall 8 and the brush roll 14 can be realized faster.

The above embodiments are provided to illustrate the technical concept and features of the present application and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present application and implement the same, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit of the present application should be construed to be included in the scope of the present application.

Claims (12)

1. A base station apparatus for a surface cleaning apparatus, said surface cleaning apparatus comprising a housing defining a roller chamber and a brushroll rotatably supported at said roller chamber, said brushroll having an exposed portion exposed from said roller chamber, said base station apparatus comprising a housing, a recess formed in said housing and capable of receiving at least a portion of said brushroll during parking of said surface cleaning apparatus in said base station apparatus, and a power supply unit; wherein said housing includes at least one heat generating wall defining at least a portion of said recess, said at least one heat generating wall being configured to circumferentially wrap around and contact an outer periphery of said exposed portion during parking of said surface cleaning apparatus in said base station apparatus.

2. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat generating wall defines at least a portion of the front portion of the recess and at least a portion of the lower portion of the recess.

3. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one heat generating wall has an upper surface facing said exposed portion, said upper surface being arcuate.

4. A base station device according to claim 3, wherein said upper surface is provided with an array of bumps, said array of bumps being capable of extending into said brush roll during parking of said surface cleaning device in said base station device.

5. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat generating wall comprises an aluminum member.

6. The base station apparatus of claim 5, wherein said at least one heat generating wall comprises at least one set of heat generating cores, said at least one set of heat generating cores being electrically connected to said power supply unit, said power supply unit providing power required to heat said at least one set of heat generating cores.

7. The base station apparatus of claim 6, wherein said at least one set of heat generating cores is embedded in said aluminum member.

8. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a bottom wall facing the surface to be cleaned, at least a portion of the bottom wall being made of a thermally insulating material.

9. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a tray portion and a boss portion at a rear side of the tray portion, and the recess is at a front of the tray portion.

10. The base station apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller, wherein said at least one heat generating wall is in signal communication with said controller, and wherein said controller controls activation and deactivation of said at least one heat generating wall.

11. The base station apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a status indicator light, said controller in signal communication with said status indicator light, said controller controlling said status indicator light to be in an on state during activation of said at least one heat generating wall.

12. The base station apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a temperature indication module and a temperature detection unit, wherein the temperature detection unit is connected to the at least one heat generating wall, and wherein the temperature indication module is capable of indicating a temperature result detected by the temperature detection unit to a user.