Power Scrubber

The subject matter described herein relates to power tools, and more particularly relates to a power scrubber.

Driven by the advancement of industrialization, a growing variety of power tools have emerged to implement various tasks, e.g., a power scrubber. An existing power scrubber generally comprises a housing, an electric motor, and a brush head, where the electric motor actuates the brush head to spin, so that the spinning brush head scrubs a to-be-cleaned object or surface. The power scrubber significantly facilitates a user's cleaning work, for example, washing a car, or cleaning a kitchen item, a floor surface, or a wall surface. An existing power scrubber is usually provided with only one scrubbing side, i.e., its lower surface where bristles are set, a consequence of which is that a user has to readjust the orientation of the power scrubber in the course of floor cleaning in order to clean a wall surface around a corner, which hampers the cleaning work.

To overcome the above and other drawbacks in conventional technologies, the present disclosure provides a power scrubber; by setting third bristle bundles on an outer peripheral surface of an outer disc body, an additional scrubbing side is formed for a disc brush, which enhances scrubbing efficiency and scrubbing effect of the disc brush.

A power scrubber described herein comprises: a housing, an electric motor, a drive assembly, and a disc brush, the electric motor and the drive assembly being disposed inside the housing, the disc brush being disposed outside the housing, the electric motor driving, via the drive assembly, the disc brush to spin, the disc brush comprising an inner disc body and an outer disc body, the outer disc body being disposed surrounding an outer periphery of the inner disc body, a first bristle bundle being set on a lower surface of the inner disc body, a second bristle bundle being set on a lower surface of the outer disc body, wherein a plurality of third bristle bundles distributed circumferentially at even intervals are set on an outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, the third bristle bundles extending outward from the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body in a direction away from the center of the disc brush.

In some implementations, the third bristle bundles are arranged in circles along the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body.

In some implementations, the third bristle bundles extend outward along radial directions of the outer disc body.

In some implementations, the third bristle bundles have a length L ranging from 10 mm to 40 mm.

In some implementations, the first bristle bundle has a hardness different from that of the second bristle bundle.

In some implementations, the electric motor actuates, via the drive assembly, the inner disc body and the outer disc body to rotate in opposite directions; and the drive assembly comprises an inner shaft and an outer shaft, the outer shaft being sleeved outside the inner shaft, the outer disc body being connected to a lower end of the outer shaft, the inner disc body being connected to a lower end of the inner shaft.

In some implementations, a latch configured to lock the outer shaft and a spring acting on the latch are provided on the housing, the latch compressed to lock the outer shaft causes the spring elastically deformed, and the spring recovering from deformation drives the released latch to be disengaged from the outer shaft.

In some implementations, a plurality of slots for inserting the latch distributed circumferentially at intervals are set on an outer peripheral surface of the outer shaft.

In some implementations, the lower end of the outer shaft projects out of the housing and is set with a male thread, a connecting hole extending axially is provided in the center of the outer disc body, a female thread is set on a hole wall of the connecting hole, the outer disc body is connected to the lower end of the outer shaft via fitting between the female thread and the male thread; and/or, the lower end of the inner shaft projects out of the housing and is provided with a snap connector, a fit-in hole is provided in the center of the inner disc body, and the inner disc body is connected to the lower end of the inner shaft via fitting between the fit-in hole and the snap connector.

In some implementations, a plurality of finger grooves inwardly recessed towards the center of the inner disc body are set at intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the inner disc body; and/or, the outer disc body is provided with a recessed cavity configured to receive the inner disc body, the recessed cavity being inwardly recessed upward from the lower surface of the inner disc body.

With the technical solutions noted supra, the present disclosure offers the following advantages:

1. The power scrubber described herein has a disc brush structure including an inner disc body and an outer disc body, and the electric motor may drive, via the drive assembly, the two disc bodies to rotate in a same direction or in opposite directions. By setting the first bristle bundles on the lower surface of the inner disc body and setting the second bristle bundles on the lower surface of the outer disc body, the first bristle bundles and the second bristle bundles may be combined to form one scrubbing side of the disc brush. By setting the third bristle bundles on the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, another scrubbing side is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body. With rational setup of the bristle bundles, the disc brush is contributed two scrubbing sides; the two scrubbing sides may be applied alternatively or simultaneously for scrubbing. Especially when the power scrubber is applied to clean a floor surface, the first bristle bundles and the second bristle bundles may serve to scrub the floor surface, while the third bristle bundles may serve to scrub a wall surface around a wall corner. With this rational improvement of the scrubber structure, the dirt scrubbing efficiency of the tool is enhanced and user experience is improved.

2. By setting the third bristle bundles in circles along the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, the third bristle bundles are distributed circumferentially over the entire outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body; in this way, the third bristle bundles can effectively scrub a to-be-cleaned object or surface irrespective of how the disc brush spins.

3. The third bristle bundles extend outward along the radial directions of the disc brush; by rationally setting the extending directions of the third bristle bundles, the scrubbing force of the third bristle bundles against a to-be-cleaned object or surface is enhanced, which improves the cleaning effect.

4. By rationally setting the length L of the third bristle bundles, the scrubbing force and service life of the third bristle bundles are both ensured. If the third bristle bundles had a length less than 10 mm, the third bristle bundles would have a shorter service life due to abrasion. If the third bristle bundles had a length greater than 40 mm, the tips of the third bristle bundles are easily deformed under stress, which cannot ensure the scrubbing force of the third bristle bundles against the to-be-cleaned object or surface and thusly cannot guarantee the cleaning effect.

5. By setting different hardnesses for the first bristle bundles and the second bristle bundles, the lower surface of the disc brush features a bristle setup that is harder inside and softer outside or a bristle setup that is softer inside and harder outside, whereby the first bristle bundles and the second bristle bundles impose different scrubbing forces against the dirt; the harder bristles may serve to scrub more stubborn dirt, which enhances scrubbing effect of the power scrubber.

6. The drive assembly comprises an inner shaft and an outer shaft sleeved outside the inner shaft; the outer disc body being connected to the lower end of the outer shaft, the inner disc body being connected to the lower end of the inner shaft; the electric motor drives, via the drive assembly, the two disc bodies to rotate in opposite directions; opposite rotation between the inner disc body and the outer disc body may offset a movement tendency of the spinning disc brush, thereby reducing the force needed for the user to hold the tool, which improves user experience.

7. A latch and a spring are arranged on the housing; to remove the outer disc body, the user may press down the latch, causing the latch to abut against the outer shaft to block the latter from rotation, which facilitates the user's removal operation. When the latch abuts against the outer shaft, the spring is deformed under stress; when the latch is released, the spring recovering from deformation can drive the latch to automatically release the outer shaft.

8. A plurality of slots distributed circumferentially at intervals are set on the outer peripheral surface of the outer shaft, so that the latch abutting against the outer shaft can be inserted in a corresponding slot; fitting between the latch and the slot retains the outer shaft circumferentially; the abutment between the latch and the outer shaft enhances the effect of blocking the outer shaft from rotating in a case of removing the outer disc body.

9. A male thread is set at the lower end of the outer shaft, a connecting hole with a female thread is provided in the center of the outer disc body, and the outer disc body is removably connected to the lower end of the outer shaft via thread-fitting, which contributes the outer disc body a simple setup structure and thusly facilitates the user to remove and replace the outer disc body. Additionally, the connecting hole may avoid the connection between the inner disc body and the inner shaft, which can facilitate connecting the inner disc body to the inner shaft.

A snap connector is provided at the lower end of the inner shaft, and a fit-in hole is provided in the center of the inner disc body; the inner disc body is removably connected to the lower end of the inner shaft via fitting between the fit-in hole and the snap connector; the simple setup structure of the inner disc body facilitates the user to remove and replace the inner disc body.

10. A plurality of finger grooves distributed at intervals are set on the outer peripheral surface of the inner disc body, the finger grooves being recessed inwardly towards the center of the inner disc body; the finger grooves allow for the user to hold the inner disc body firmly, so that the user can easily remove the inner disc body in a case that the outer disc body has been connected to the outer shaft.

The outer disc body is provided with a recessed cavity recessed inwardly upward from its lower surface; when the outer disc body is connected to the outer shaft and the inner disc body is connected to the inner shaft, the inner disc body can be received in the recessed cavity, so that the lower surface of the inner disc body can be substantially flush with the lower surface of the outer disc body, in which case the first bristle bundles on the inner disc body and the second bristle bundles on the outer disc body can be flush with each other; this ensures that the first bristle bundles and the second bristle bundles can effectively scrub a to-be-cleaned object or surface when the disc brush is spinning.

In the drawings:—housing;—main housing;—bottom housing;

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be further explained through example implementations with reference to the accompanying drawings. It would be understood that the orientational or positional relationships indicated by the terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “longitudinal,” “transverse,” “inner,” “outer,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” and “bottom,” etc. are orientational and positional relationships based on the drawings, which are intended only for facilitating description of the disclosure and simplifying relevant illustrations, not for indicating or implying that the devices or elements compulsorily possess those specific orientations and are compulsorily configured and operated with those specific orientations; therefore, such terms should not be construed as limitations to the disclosure.

illustrate a power scrubber according to a first implementation of the disclosure, comprising a housing, an electric motor, a drive assembly, and a disc brush, the electric motorand the drive assemblybeing disposed inside the housing, the disc brushbeing disposed outside the housing, the electric motoractuating, via the drive assembly, the disc brushto spin. The disc brushcomprises an inner disc bodyand an outer disc body, the outer disc bodybeing disposed surrounding an outer periphery of the inner disc body. A first bristle bundleis set on a lower surface of the inner disc body. A second bristle bundleis set on a lower surface of the outer disc body. A plurality of third bristle bundlescircumferentially distributed at even intervals are set on an outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, the third bristle bundlesextending outward from an outer peripheral surface of the outer disc bodyin a direction away from the center of the disc brush.

By setting the first bristle bundleson the lower surface of the inner disc bodyand setting the second bristle bundleson the lower surface of the outer disc body, the first bristle bundlesand the second bristle bundlesmay be combined to form one scrubbing side of the disc brush. By setting the third bristle bundleson the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, another scrubbing side is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body. With rational setup of the bristle bundles, the disc brushis contributed two scrubbing sides; the two scrubbing sides may be applied alternatively or simultaneously for scrubbing. Especially when the power scrubber is applied to clean a floor surface, the first bristle bundlesand the second bristle bundlesmay serve to scrub the floor surface, while the third bristle bundlesmay serve to scrub a wall surface around a wall corner. With this rational improvement of the scrubber structure, the dirt scrubbing efficiency of the tool is enhanced and user experience is improved.

Referring to, in this implementation, a recessed cavityrecessed inwardly upward from the lower surface is provided in the center of the outer disc body, the recessed cavitybeing adapted to the inner disc body. When the inner disc bodyand the outer disc bodyare combined to form the disc brush, the inner disc bodyis received in the recessed cavity. The lower surface of the inner disc bodyis substantially of a round shape, and the lower surface of the outer disc bodyis substantially of a ring shape; moreover, the lower surface of the inner disc bodyis substantially flush with the lower surface of the outer disc body.

Referring to, a plurality of first insertion holesfor setting the first bristle bundlesare distributed at even intervals on the lower surface of the inner disc body, upper ends of the first bristle bundlesbeing fixedly inserted in the first insertion holes, the first bristle bundlesextending a certain distance downward from the lower surface of the inner disc body. As an alternative solution of this implementation, the first bristle bundlesmay extend vertically downward from the lower surface of the inner disc bodyor extend inclinedly downward from the lower surface of the inner disc body.

Referring to, a plurality of second insertion holesfor setting the second bristle bundlesare distributed at even intervals on the lower surface of the outer disc body, upper ends of the second bristle bundlesbeing fixedly inserted in the second insertion holes. The second bristle bundlesextend inclinedly downward from the lower surface of the outer disc bodyso that the second bristle bundlesare disposed inclinedly outward relative to the central axis of the outer disc body. In this implementation, the second bristle bundlesare arranged into a plurality of circles from the inside to the outside, the outward inclining angles of the second bristle bundlesrelative to the central axis of the outer disc bodybeing enlarged gradually from the inside to the outside. As an alternative solution of this implementation, the second bristle bundlemay also extend vertically downward from the lower surface of the outer disc body.

Referring to, a plurality of third insertion holesfor setting the third bristle bundlesare circumferentially distributed at even intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body, inner ends of the third bristle bundlesproximal to the center of the outer disc bodybeing fixedly inserted in the third insertion holes, respective third bristle bundlessubstantially protruding outward along different radial directions of the outer disc body. In this implementation, the third bristle bundlesare arranged in circles along the peripheral direction of the outer disc bodyso that the third bristle bundlesare distributed over the entire outer peripheral surface of the outer disc bodyalong the circumferential direction of the disc brush; in this way, the third bristle bundlescan effectively scrub a to-be-cleaned object or surface irrespective of how the disc brushspins. As an alternative solution of this implementation, the third bristlesmay be arranged in two circles, three circles, or other rational number of circles based on the axial height of the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc body.

To enhance scrubbing effect of the disc brush, in this implementation, the first bristle bundleand the second bristle bundleare set with different hardnesses. Specifically, the hardness of the first bristle bundleis exemplarily higher than that of the second bristle bundle, i.e., the disc brushadopts a bristle setup that is harder inside and softer outside, so that the first bristle bundleof higher hardness can serve to scrub stubborn dirt. As an optional solution of this implementation, the first bristle bundleand the second bristle bundlemay be made of plastics or nylon with different hardnesses, each first bristle bundleand each second bristle bundleincluding a plurality of bristles. The first bristle bundleand the second bristle bundlehave their lower ends substantially flush with each other, so that while the disc brushis spinning, the first bristle bundleand the second bristle bundlemay simultaneously scrub the to-be-cleaned object or surface effectively. As an alternative solution of this implementation, the first bristle bundlemay have a hardness lower than that of the second bristle bundle, i.e., the disc brushadopts a bristle setup that is softer inside and harder outside; of course, the first bristle bundleand the second bristle bundlemay have a substantially same hardness.

To ensure the effect of the third bristle bundlesin scrubbing a to-be-cleaned object, the third bristle bundlesare set with certain hardness, which should not be too soft. In this implementation, the third bristle bundlesmay be made of plastics or nylon, and each third bristle bundlecomprises a plurality of bristles. To ensure the scrubbing force of the third bristle bundleswhile ensuring the service life of the third bristle bundles, the third bristle bundlesneed to be set with a rational length. Referring to, in this implementation, length L of the third bristle bundlesprotruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the outer disc bodyis set to 10 mm˜40 mm; exemplarily, length L of the third bristle bundlesis about 30 mm. It may be understood that the length L of the third bristle bundlesmay be set to other rational values such as 10 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm, 17 mm, 20 mm, 22 mm, 25 mm, 27 mm, 29 mm, 31 mm, 35 mm, 37 mm, or 40 mm.

Referring to, in this implementation, the drive assemblycomprises an inner shaftand an outer shaft, the outer shaftbeing sleeved outside the inner shaft, the outer disc bodybeing connected to a lower end of the outer shaft, the inner disc bodybeing connected to a lower end of the inner shaft. Exemplarily, the electric motordrives, via the drive assembly, the inner disc bodyand the outer disc bodyto rotate in opposite directions; opposite rotation of the inner disc bodyand the outer disc bodymay offset a movement tendency generated by the spinning disc brush, thereby mitigating the force needed for the user to hold the scrubber body, which improves user experience.

Referring to, the housingcomprises a main housingand a bottom housingthat are fixed together; the power scrubber further comprises a speed reducer, the speed reducercomprising an input shaft, an output shaft, and a planetary gear reduction construction, the planetary gear reduction construction being arranged between the input shaft and the output shaft, a rotary shaft of the electric motorbeing drivingly connected to the input shaft of the speed reducer, an upper end of the inner shaftbeing drivingly connected directly to the output shaftof the speed reducervia a coupling sleeve. The output shaftis set axially hollow. The inner shaftis rotatably supported inside the outer shaftby a first bearing set. The outer shaftis rotatably supported on the bottom housingby a second bearing set. An upper end of the inner shaftis provided with a gear sectionthat is located above the outer shaft. The drive assemblyfurther comprises a rack, a planetary gear, an upper planetary carrier, and a lower planetary carrier, the rackbeing fixed to a bottom portion of the speed reducer, a lower portion of the rackbeing provided with an outer ring gear, the upper planetary carrierbeing disposed at a bottom portion of the rack, the lower planetary carrierbeing located under the upper planetary carrier, the planetary gearbeing supported between the upper planetary carrierand the lower planetary carrierby a supporting shaft, an upper end of the supporting shaftbeing securely connected to the upper planetary carrier, a lower end of the supporting shaftbeing securely connected to the lower planetary carrier, an upper end of the outer shaftbeing securely connected to the upper planetary carrier. The outer ring gearon the rackis arranged vertically above the gear sectionon the inner shaft. Two or three planetary gearsare arranged circumferentially at even intervals, each planetary gearcomprising an upper toothed portionmeshing with the outer ring gearand a lower toothed portionmeshing with the gear section. When the electric motoris operating, power is output via the output shaftof the speed reducer, the output shaftdrives, via the coupling sleeve, the inner shaftto rotate synchronously, the rotating inner shaftdrives, via engagement between the gear sectionand the planetary gears, the upper planetary carrierand the lower planetary carrierto rotate, and the rotating lower planetary carrierdrives the outer shaftto rotate synchronously. Since the gear sectionand the planetary gearsmesh with each other, they rotate in opposite directions, so that the inner shaftand the outer shaftalso rotate in opposite directions, whereby the electric motorcan drive, via the drive assembly, the inner shaftand the outer shaftto rotate in opposite directions.

To facilitate removal and replacement of the disc brush, in this implementation, the outer disc bodyis removably thread-fitted to the lower end of the outer shaft; and the inner disc bodyis removably snap-fitted to the lower end of the inner shaft. The lower end of the outer shaftprojects downward from the bottom housingout of the housing, and a male threadis set on an outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the outer shaft. Referring to, a connecting holedisposed on top of the recessed cavityand communicating with the recessed cavityis set in the center of the outer disc body; a female threadis set on an inner wall of the connecting hole; the outer disc bodyis removably connected to the lower end of the outer shaftvia fitting between the female threadand the male thread. The lower end of the inner shaftprojects downward out of the housing; referring to, a snap connectorprojecting out of the outer shaftis secured to the lower end of the inner shaft, and a plurality of snap-fitting blocksdistributed circumferentially at intervals are provided on an outer peripheral surface of the snap connector. Referring to, a fit-in holefitted with the snap connectoris set in the center of the inner disc body, a turnbucklecorresponding to the snap-fitting blockis arranged on an inner wall of the fit-in hole, and the inner disc bodyis removably connected to the lower end of the inner shaftvia fitting between the turnbuckleon the inner wall of the fit-in holeand the snap-fitting blockon the snap connector.

To ensure connection secureness of the outer disc body, a thread direction of the thread fitting is exemplarily set opposite the rotating direction of the outer shaft, so that the thread fitting becomes increasingly tighter while the outer shaftdrives the outer disc bodyto rotate, preventing the outer disc bodyfrom being loosened or released relative to the outer shaft. To ensure connection secureness of the inner disc body, the snap-fitting direction between the turnbuckleand the snap-fitting blockis exemplarily set opposite the rotating direction of the inner shaft, preventing the turnbuckleand the snap-fitting blockfrom being loosened or released while the inner disc bodyis rotating.

To facilitate the user to remove and replace the inner disc body, a plurality of finger groovesrecessed inwardly towards the center of the inner disc bodyare distributed at intervals on an outer peripheral surface of the inner disc body; the finger groovesallow for the user to effectively hold the inner disc body, whereby the user may effectively screw the inner disc body, causing the inner disc bodyto be snap-fitted with the inner shaftin place or to be disengaged therefrom.

Referring to, to facilitate the user to remove and replace the outer disc body, a latchconfigured to lock the outer shaftand a springacting on the latchare arranged on the housing, one end of the springabutting against the latch, an opposite end thereof abutting against the housing; the latchthat is pressed to lock the outer shaftdrives the springto be elastically deformed; the springrecovering from deformation drives the released latchto disengage from the outer shaft. During the process of removing the outer disc body, the user may press down the latch, causing the latchto abut against the outer shaft, blocking the outer shaftfrom rotating during the process of removing the outer disc body, which facilitates the user to remove and replace the outer disc body. When the latchabuts against the outer shaft, the springis compressed and deformed; after the latchis released, the springrecovering from deformation can drive the latchto automatically release the outer shaft.

To enhance the effect of the latchlocking the outer shaft, a plurality of slotsfor inserting the latchare distributed circumferentially at intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the outer shaft, so that the latchabutting against the outer shaftcan be inserted in the corresponding slotto retain the outer shaftcircumferentially; the abutment between the latchand the outer shaftenhances the effect of locking the outer shaftfrom rotating during the process of removing the outer disc body.

Referring to, to enhance the effect of the disc brushscrubbing the to-be-cleaned object, a water discharge channelmay be provided on a top wall of the recessed cavity; a specific structure of the water discharge channelmay refer to the disclosure in CN216876248U, which would not be detailed here.

To use the power scrubber described herein, the outer disc bodyis first thread-fitted to the lower end of the outer shaft, and then the inner disc bodyis snap-fitted to the lower end of the inner shaft. The electric motoris started by activating the button on the housing, the running electric motordrives, via the speed reducerand the drive assembly, the inner disc bodyand the outer disc bodyto rotate in opposite directions, and the rotating inner disc bodyand outer disc bodydrive the first bristle bundlesand the second bristle bundlesto scrub a to-be-cleaned object or surface. When the power scrubber according to this implementation is applied to scrub a floor surface, the first bristle bundlesand the second bristle bundlesserve to scrub the floor surface, and the third bristle bundlesmay scrub the wall surface nearby the floor surface, so that the user can effectively scrub the wall surface around the wall corner without a need of readjusting the orientation of the disc brush, whereby user experience is enhanced.

It would be understood that the power scrubber according to this implementation may be powered by batteries or powered by mains electricity via a wire.

It would be understood that the power scrubber according to this implementation may have an appearance generally resembling a pistol structure, a linear structure, or an elongated rod structure.

In addition to the example implementation described above, the disclosure also has other implementations; those skilled in the art may make various modifications and transformations to the disclosure, and such modifications and transformations shall all fall within the scope defined in the appended claims without departing from the spirits of the disclosure.