CN218606477U

CN218606477U - Surface cleaning apparatus and surface cleaning system

Info

Publication number: CN218606477U
Application number: CN202222781999.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谢明健; 徐振轩; 邢永超; 唐成; 段飞; 罗吉成
Original assignee: Beijing Shunzao Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Shunzao Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-10-21
Filing date: 2022-10-21
Publication date: 2023-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-21

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus comprising: a flow generator for forming a flow gas path; and a filter located in the flow gas path; wherein, the filter includes: a seal ring having an edge defining an open area through which a flowing gas can pass; the sealing ring is made of a material capable of releasing perfume; the frame assembly is connected with the sealing ring and forms an accommodating space together with the sealing ring; the filter element is arranged in the accommodating space and comprises a flowing gas inlet side and a flowing gas outlet side, and when the filter element is arranged in the accommodating space, the sealing ring is closer to the flowing gas outlet side; wherein the flow gas path is in fluid exchange relationship with at least a portion of the sealing ring to accelerate volatilization of the flavorant in the spent sealing ring by fluid transfer of the flow gas. The present disclosure also provides a surface cleaning system.

Description

Surface cleaning apparatus and surface cleaning system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a surface cleaning apparatus and a surface cleaning system.

Background

For better cleaning of surfaces such as floors, carpets and the like, wet surface cleaning devices are currently emerging which are suitable not only for cleaning hard surfaces such as tiles and hardwoods, but also for cleaning soft surfaces such as carpets and the like. Typically wet surface cleaning apparatuses include a fluid delivery system that delivers a cleaning liquid to the cleaning surface and a recovery system that extracts the cleaned liquid and debris, which may include dirt, dust, stains, soil, hair and other debris.

It is considered that there is a contamination in the recovery system, and when the contamination is not cleaned in time, the contamination may contaminate the entire recovery system. Even if the recovery system is cleaned again in the later stage, when cleaning operation is performed again, the blown air has peculiar smell. This clearly affects the user experience.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In order to solve one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus and a surface cleaning system.

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

a flow generator for drawing an airflow from a surface to be cleaned to a sump for collecting dirt entrained with the airflow and discharging the airflow through the flow generator to the exterior of the surface cleaning apparatus to form a flow air path; and

a filter located in the flow gas path;

wherein the filter comprises:

a seal ring having an edge defining an open area through which a flowing gas can pass; the sealing ring is made of a material capable of releasing spice;

the frame assembly is connected with the sealing ring and forms an accommodating space together with the sealing ring; and

a filter element disposed in the receiving space and including a flowing gas inlet side and a flowing gas outlet side, the seal ring being closer to the flowing gas outlet side when the filter element is disposed in the receiving space;

wherein the flowing gas path is in fluid exchange relationship with at least a portion of the sealing ring to accelerate volatilization of a flavorant consuming the sealing ring by fluid transfer of the flowing gas.

According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the frame assembly includes a first side wall and a second side wall, the outer walls of the first side wall and the second side wall being located within the projection of the outer edge of the sealing ring.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the frame assembly includes a support bracket disposed between the first and second side walls.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the support bracket is pivotally connected to the first and second side walls and is capable of holding the filter cartridge when the support bracket is in a first position and is capable of being removed when the support bracket is in a second position.

According to the surface cleaning equipment of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first matching portion is arranged on the first side wall and/or the second side wall, the second matching portion is arranged on the supporting frame, and the supporting frame is kept at the first position through matching of the first matching portion and the second matching portion.

According to the surface cleaning apparatus of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a concave hole, and the other of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a groove.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the support frame includes a mesh support surface configured to enable airflow through the support frame.

According to the surface cleaning device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the filter element is detachably arranged in the accommodating space of the filter.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the seal ring has a flavor volatilization period, and the flow of the air stream generated by the flow generator has a flavor volatilization period greater than the life cycle of the filter element.

According to this surface cleaning equipment of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, still include the sewage case, the sewage case includes the gas outlet, and the filter can set up in the gas outlet detachably, the sealing washer can encircle the periphery that sets up in the gas outlet.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sump tank includes an upper cover assembly, and the air outlet is located at the upper cover assembly.

According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sump is configured to be removable from the surface cleaning apparatus, and the filter is removable from the surface cleaning apparatus when the sump is removed from the surface cleaning apparatus.

According to the surface cleaning apparatus of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fluid generator is configured to generate a negative pressure, and by applying the negative pressure to the wastewater tank, the inside of the wastewater tank is formed as a part of the flowing gas path.

A surface cleaning apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further comprises a clean water tank arranged to be non-removable from the surface cleaning apparatus.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a surface cleaning system comprising a surface cleaning apparatus as described above.

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 portion of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a filter of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another angle of construction of a filter of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a support frame of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the structure of a waste tank of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The reference numbers in the figures are in particular:

100 handle part

110 handle part

120 connecting rod

130 control part

200 main body

300 clear water tank

400 sewage tank

410 case body part

420 Upper cover Assembly

500 connecting part

600 base

610 cleaning part

700 fluid generator

800 filter

810 sealing ring

821 first side wall

822 second side wall

823 support frame

8231 reticular supporting surface

824 first fitting part

825 second mating portion

830 filter element.

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. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, the features of the various embodiments/examples 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 specified, 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 among 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 "under 8230; \8230;,"' under 8230; \8230; below 8230; under 8230; above, on, above 8230; higher "and" side (e.g., as in "side wall)", etc., to describe the relationship of one component to another (other) component as shown 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 "at 8230 \8230;" below "may encompass both an orientation of" above "and" below ". Moreover, 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 stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof are stated to be present but do 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 portion of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the surface cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure may include a handle portion 100, a body 200, a clean water tank 300, a dirty water tank 400, a link 500, and a base 600.

The handle portion 100 may include a handle portion 110 and a connecting rod 120. The handle portion 110 is held by a user to operate the surface cleaning apparatus.

A control portion 130 may be provided on the handle portion 110, wherein a user may control the surface cleaning apparatus through the control portion 130, the control portion 130 may be in the form of a control button, a touch button, or the like, and a plurality of control portions 130 may be provided on the handle portion 110 to perform various controls on the surface cleaning apparatus.

The control part 130 may be disposed in the accommodation space provided by the handle part 110, and in the case of a control button or the like, for example, the control part 130 may move relative to the surface of the handle part 110 to turn on or off the corresponding operation. The surface of the control part 130 may be disposed to be recessed with respect to the outer contour surface of the handle part 110, that is, the surface of the control part 130 may be disposed to be lower than the outer contour surface of the handle part 110. With such an arrangement, a user can be prevented from operating the surface cleaning apparatus by mistake or unintentionally. For example, in the case where the surface cleaning apparatus uses a cleaning liquid having a relatively high temperature, it is possible to ensure the operation related to the high-temperature cleaning liquid, and for example, in the case where the high-temperature cleaning liquid is replenished from a base station or cleaning is performed by the high-temperature cleaning liquid, if the related control portion 130 is erroneously triggered, a safety hazard may be caused. For safety, the control unit 130 in the form of a thumb switch or the like may be used.

The connection rod 120 may be disposed between the handle part 110 and the body 200 to connect the handle part 100 and the body 200. Wherein the connecting rod 120 may be in the form of a hollow tube, for example it may be a hollow circular tube. The connecting rod 120 may be fixedly connected to or integrally provided with the handle portion 110. The connection end of the connection rod 120 is connected with the main body 200.

In the present disclosure, the main body 200 is formed in a frame structure, and in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the main body 200 includes a frame body to support the clean water tank 300 and the foul water tank 400 therethrough. Of course, the body 200 can also be used to support other components, such as the flow generator 700 and a rechargeable battery, etc., which can power the base 600 of the surface cleaning apparatus and the components of the flow generator 700, etc., that require energy.

In one embodiment, the sump 400 is provided to be detachable from the surface cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, the sump 400 can be mounted to or detached from a frame body; on the other hand, the clean water tank 300 times is arranged to be not detachable from the surface cleaning apparatus; accordingly, the clean water tank 300 is disposed inside the frame body of the surface cleaning apparatus.

In one embodiment, the sump 400 may be formed as at least a portion of an outer surface of the surface cleaning apparatus, for example, the sump 400 may be located at a front of the surface cleaning apparatus and at a lower position of the main body 200.

The clean water tank 300 is positioned above the dirty water tank 400, and in one embodiment, the clean water tank 300 may be formed as a substantially cylindrical container in which clean liquid is stored in the clean water tank 300. In a preferred embodiment, the clean water tank 300 has a volume of approximately 500ml and may be formed in a heat-insulating structure, whereby a cleaning liquid having a high temperature may be stored in the clean water tank 300, for example, the temperature of the cleaning liquid may be higher than 80 ℃.

The base 600 is coupled with the body 200; at least a portion of the base 600 is always in contact with the surface to be cleaned and the surface to be cleaned is cleaned by the cleaning part 610 of the base 600 while the surface cleaning apparatus cleans the surface to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the cleaning portion 610 may be formed in the form of a roller brush type cleaning member, and in another embodiment, the cleaning portion 610 can be formed in the form of a crawler type cleaning member.

In one embodiment, the base 600 may be coupled to the body 200 by a connection 500; in one embodiment, the connection part 500 is formed as a separate member and fixed to the lower end of the main body 200; in another embodiment, the connection part 500 may also be a part integrally formed with the main body 200 and located at the lower end of the main body 200.

In the present disclosure, 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 200 and the 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 200 and the base 600 via wires and/or pipes passing through the connection part 500. In addition, a flexible hose for sucking dust and recovering liquid may pass through the connection part 500.

That is, the cleaning liquid stored in the clean water tank 300 can be supplied to the base 600 through the pipe provided inside the connection part 500, for example, to the cleaning part 610 of the base 600 or to the surface to be cleaned near the cleaning part 610 of the base 600, when the base 600 performs wet cleaning of the surface to be cleaned based on the cleaning liquid supplied from the clean water tank 300.

When the surface to be cleaned is cleaned by the base 600, a mixture of dirty water and solid garbage, etc. is generated, and at this time, the solid-liquid mixture needs to be collected into the soil tank 400, and accordingly, a recovery pipe from the base 600 to the soil tank 400 also passes through the connection part 500.

To achieve the recycling of the solid-liquid mixture, the surface cleaning apparatus further comprises a flow generator 700 for generating a flow gas path from the surface to be cleaned to the main body 200 and discharging the gas to the outside of the surface cleaning apparatus.

Specifically, the fluid generator 700 serves to generate a negative pressure, and the inside of the sump 400 is formed as a part of the flow gas path by applying the negative pressure to the sump 400.

As a specific implementation form, the fluid generator 700 may be a suction assembly, and a negative pressure can be generated by the suction assembly, and the suction of the solid-liquid mixture is realized by the negative pressure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a filter of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another angle of construction of a filter of a surface cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the present disclosure, in order to prevent a part of solid or liquid after solid-liquid separation in the sump 400 from entering the flow generator 700, the surface cleaning apparatus may further include a filter 800, the filter 800 being located in the flow gas path; to filter the above-mentioned portion of the solid and liquid through the filter 800 and discharge the filtered gas.

At this time, in order to prevent the odor from being given to the wind discharged from the surface cleaning apparatus, the filter 800 can release the fragrance to the outside, thereby solving the above-mentioned technical problems.

In a specific embodiment, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the filter 800 includes: seal ring 810, frame assembly, and filter element 830.

Wherein the sealing ring 810 has an edge defining an open area through which a flowing gas can pass; such that, in use, the sealing ring 810 is capable of sealing contact with the inlet port of the flow generator 700.

The sealing ring 810 is formed by mixing spice and polymer and injection molding; as a result, the fragrance of the sealing ring 810 can be volatilized and a fragrance can be generated, and at this time, the fragrance can directly enter the fluid generator 700, thereby maximally preventing the waste of the fragrance.

The polymer is made of polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane or other materials, and when the polymer is used in parts of a general dry dust collector or the like, the polyurethane can be used, so that the cost is saved. In wet surface cleaning equipment such as scrubber, the polymer can be polyvinyl chloride and other materials, and polyvinyl chloride has stronger corrosion resistance, can improve the life of sealing washer 810.

The frame assembly is connected with the sealing ring 810, and forms an accommodating space together with the sealing ring 810; in a specific embodiment, the frame assembly includes a first sidewall 821 and a second sidewall 822, and outer walls of the first sidewall 821 and the second sidewall 822 are located within a projection of an outer edge of the sealing ring 810.

In one embodiment, the upper ends of the first and

second sidewalls

821 and 822 are inserted into the sealing ring 810, so that the sealing ring 810, the first and

second sidewalls

821 and 822 can be stably connected to each other.

The first and

second sidewalls

821, 822 are spaced apart from each other, such that the filter element 830 can be disposed between the first and

second sidewalls

821, 822, i.e., the filter element 830 is disposed in the receiving space.

The ends of the first and

second sidewalls

821, 822 remote from the sealing ring 810 are formed in an open shape, and the ends of the first and

second sidewalls

821, 822 remote from the sealing ring 810 are opened or closed by the support 823.

In one embodiment, a support 823 is disposed between the first and

second sidewalls

821, 822; for example, the support 823 may be pivotally connected to the first side wall 821 and the second side wall 822, and when the support 823 is in a first position (i.e., a closed position), the support 823 may close an end of the first side wall 821 and the second side wall 822 away from the sealing ring 810 and hold the filter element 830; accordingly, when the support shelf 823 is in the second position (i.e., the open position), the filter cartridge 830 can be disassembled, i.e., removed from the filter 800.

The first and/or

second sidewalls

821, 822 are provided with first fitting portions 824, the supporting frame 823 is provided with second fitting portions 825, and the supporting frame 823 is maintained at the first position by the fitting of the first and second

fitting portions

824 and 825.

Specifically, one of the first mating portion 824 and the second mating portion 825 is a concave hole, and the other of the first mating portion 824 and the second mating portion 825 is a concave groove.

As shown in fig. 5, the support 823 comprises a mesh support surface 8231, wherein the mesh support surface 8231 enables airflow to pass through the support 823; in one embodiment, the support 823 comprises an outer frame with an opening, a through hole is formed on the outer frame, and the mesh support surface 8231 can cover the through hole to enable gas to flow through the support 823.

The filter element 830 is detachably disposed in the receiving space of the filter 800, and in one embodiment, the filter element 830 includes a flowing gas inlet side and a flowing gas outlet side, and when the filter element 830 is disposed in the receiving space, the sealing ring 810 is closer to the flowing gas outlet side, so that the perfume released by the sealing ring 810 does not pass through the filter element 830, thereby preventing the filter element 830 from reducing the content of the perfume in the gas.

In the present disclosure, the flowing gas path is in fluid exchange relationship with at least a portion of the sealing ring 810 to accelerate volatilization of the flavorant consuming the sealing ring 810 by fluid transfer of the flowing gas.

In one embodiment, the seal 810 has a flavor volatilization period, wherein the flavor volatilization period of the seal 810 under the flow of the air stream generated by the flow generator 700 is greater than the service period of the filter element 830.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the waste water tank 400 includes a tank body portion 410 and a lid assembly 420.

The tank portion 410 has a containing space for storing the liquid after solid-liquid separation in the containing space of the tank portion 410; the lid assembly 420 may be formed as part of a solid-liquid separator, which is disposed inside the tank portion 410; the lid assembly 420 is located outside the tank portion 410.

The upper cover assembly 420 is formed with a vent hole, the filter 800 is detachably disposed at the vent hole, and the sealing ring 810 may be disposed around the periphery of the vent hole.

Thus, in the present disclosure, the sump 400 and the filter 800 can be formed as one integrated assembly, and the filter 800 is detached from the surface cleaning apparatus when the sump 400 is detached from the surface cleaning apparatus.

The surface cleaning system also includes a base station that is capable of providing hot water to, or charging, etc. the surface cleaning apparatus when docked with the base station. Of course, the base station can also perform self-cleaning, drying, etc. of the cleaning portion 610 of the base 600.

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/modes or examples and features of the various embodiments/modes or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without being mutually inconsistent.

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 be made to those skilled in the art, based on the above disclosure, and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a flow generator for drawing a flow of air from a surface to be cleaned to a sump tank for collecting dirt carried by the flow of air and discharging the dirt through the flow generator to the exterior of the surface cleaning apparatus to form a flow air path; and

a filter located in the flow gas path;

wherein the filter comprises:

2. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the frame assembly comprises first and second side walls, the outer walls of which lie within the projection of the outer edge of the sealing ring.

3. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the frame assembly comprises a support bracket disposed between the first and second side walls.

4. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the support bracket is pivotally connected to the first and second side walls and is capable of holding the filter element when the support bracket is in the first position and of being removed when the support bracket is in the second position.

5. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the first and/or second side walls are provided with first engagement means and the support frame is provided with second engagement means, the support frame being retained in the first position by engagement of the first and second engagement means.

6. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that one of the first and second cooperating parts is a female bore and the other of the first and second cooperating parts is a recess.

7. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the support frame comprises a mesh support surface which enables airflow through the support frame.

8. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a filter cartridge is removably disposed in the housing space of the filter.

9. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the sealing ring has a fragrance evaporation period, the fragrance evaporation period of the sealing ring being greater than the life of the filter element under the flow of the air stream generated by the flow generator.

10. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a waste tank, the waste tank including an outlet, the filter being removably located at the outlet, and the gasket being located around the periphery of the outlet.

11. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that the sump comprises a lid assembly and the air outlet is located in the lid assembly.

12. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the sump is arranged to be removable from the surface cleaning apparatus, the filter being removable from the surface cleaning apparatus when the sump is removed from the surface cleaning apparatus.

13. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the flow generator is adapted to generate a negative pressure and the interior of the sump is formed as part of the flow air path by applying this negative pressure to the sump.

14. A surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a clean water tank arranged to be non-removable from the surface cleaning apparatus.

15. A surface cleaning system comprising a surface cleaning apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14.