Cleaning Apparatus and Driving Device

This application claims priorities to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210675992.2, titled “CLEANING APPARATUS”, filed on June. 15, 2022, Chinese Patent Application No. 202210675816.9, titled “CLEANING APPARATUS AND DRIVING DEVICE”, filed on Jun. 15, 2022, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202210710723.5, titled “CLEANING APPARATUS AND QUICK DISASSEMBLY STRUCTURE”, filed on Jun. 22, 2022, with the National Intellectual Property Administration, PRC, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of cleaning, and in particular to a cleaning apparatus, and further to a driving device in the above cleaning apparatus.

With the development of social productivity, living standards of people have been improved. Under the premise of the material base has been guaranteed, people began to reduce labor load by using a variety of tools to improve the quality of life, thereby household cleaning apparatuses have been developed. For a scrubber which generally uses water as a cleaning medium, water is sprayed to the cleaning area, with rapid friction between a high-speed rotated roller and the cleaning area, stains on the ground as well as dirt on the roller are sucked into a sewage bucket, achieving the purpose of cleaning.

In order to reasonably utilize the space, the floor brush motor is installed in a cavity of the roller. However, in a case that the user disassembles the roller for cleaning, the floor brush motor is exposed, and water may enter into the floor brush motor, causing short circuit of the floor brush motor.

A cleaning apparatus and a driving device are provided according to the present disclosure, to solve the problems in the conventional art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning apparatus is provided, which includes: a body, a rolling brush and a driving device. The rolling brush is configured to rotate about an axis thereof, the rolling brush has an inner cavity. The driving device is connected to the body and has a heat dissipation duct, where the driving device is configured to extend into the inner cavity of the rolling brush and to cooperate with a transmission seat in the inner cavity, the driving device is provided with an air inlet and a sealing member for sealing the air inlet. The sealing member is configured to open the air inlet under extrusion of the transmission seat in a case that the driving device is assembled with the rolling brush to connect the heat dissipation duct with the inner cavity; and to seal the air inlet under an elastic restoring force in a case that the driving device is disassembled with the rolling brush.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving device includes a reduction gearbox, an output end of the reduction gearbox is provided with a coupling, the coupling is configured to move along an axial direction of the reduction gearbox between a first position and a second position; the sealing member is fixed to the coupling and is configured to seal the air inlet in a case that the coupling is in the first position and to open the air inlet in a case that the coupling is in the second position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reduction gearbox includes a box and an output shaft penetrating the box, the coupling is connected to the output shaft and is configured to move between the first position and the second position; an installing cavity is provided at an output end of the box, the air inlet is provided on an inner wall of the installing cavity; the sealing member is configured to seal an open end of the installing cavity in a case that the coupling is in the first position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the installing cavity includes a side wall extending in an axial direction, the sealing member is configured to seal with the side wall.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the box includes a side wall extending in an axial direction, and a flange extending radially inwardly from an end of the side wall; the sealing member abuts against an end surface of the flange in a case that the coupling is in the first position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a gap is provided between the sealing member and the side wall.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an elastic device is provided between the output shaft of the reduction gearbox and the coupling, and the elastic device is configured to pre-press the coupling in the first position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the coupling is configured to have an outer contour adapted with the transmission seat and is configured to move from the first position to the second position under the extrusion of the transmission seat.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving device includes a reduction gearbox, a coupling is provided at an output end of the reduction gearbox, the sealing member is fixed to the coupling, and the sealing member is configured to be deformed under the extrusion of the rolling brush in a case that the driving device is assembled with the rolling brush, to open the air inlet.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmission seat is provided with a press-fit part, the press-fit part is configured to press the sealing member to be deformed in a case that the driving device is assembled with the rolling brush.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving device includes a drive motor, the reduction gearbox is fixed to an end of the drive motor; airflow in the inner cavity of the rolling brush passes through the air inlet and flows into the inside of the drive motor.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving device includes a housing, the housing is sleeved on the drive motor and the reduction gearbox; the airflow in the inner cavity of the rolling brush passes through the air inlet and flows into a gap between the housing and the reduction gearbox.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reduction gearbox includes a box, and an installing cavity provided at an open end of the box; the air inlet penetrates through an inner wall of the installing cavity; an axially extending deflector cavity is further provided on an outer wall of the box; the airflow from the air inlet passes through the deflector cavity and flows into the inside of the drive motor.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a sealing ring is provided between the housing and the drive motor, and the airflow flowing through the gap between the housing and the reduction gearbox enters the inside of the drive motor through a through-hole provided in the drive motor.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a driving device is further provided. The driving device is configured to extend into an inner cavity of a rolling brush in a cleaning apparatus and to cooperate with a transmission seat in the inner cavity; and the driving device has a heat dissipation duct, the driving device is provided with an air inlet and a sealing member for sealing the air inlet; the sealing member is configured to open the air inlet under extrusion of the transmission seat in a case that the driving device is assembled with the rolling brush, to connect the heat dissipation duct with the inner cavity; and seal the air inlet under an elastic restoring force in a case that the driving device is disassembled with the rolling brush.

A beneficial effect of the present disclosure is that the cleaning apparatus can open the air inlet by the sealing member to dissipate heat of the driving device in a case that the cleaning apparatus is cooperated with the rolling brush, and seals the air inlet by the sealing member in a case that the cleaning apparatus is disassembled with the rolling brush, avoiding water from entering into the driving device through the air inlet and the heat dissipation duct.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clear by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings.

The one-to-one correspondence between the names of the components and the reference signs inis listed as follows:

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangements, numerical expressions and values of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is in fact merely illustrative and in no way serves as any limitation on the present disclosure and its application or use.

Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods, and devices should be considered as a portion of the specification.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Thus, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be noted that, similar symbols and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, no further discussion is required in the subsequent drawings.

Herein, the terms “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right” and the like are used only to indicate relative positional relationship between related parts, rather than defining the absolute positions of such related parts.

Herein, the terms “first”, “second” and the like are used only for distinguishing each other, rather than indicating the importance and order, or the premise of mutual existence.

Herein, the terms “equal”, “same” and the like are not limitations in a strict mathematical and/or geometrical sense, but also encompass errors that are understandable to those skilled in the art and are permitted by manufacture or use, etc.

A cleaning apparatus is provided according to the present disclosure, which may be a handheld scrubber or other cleaning apparatus such as a cleaning robot. The cleaning apparatus includes a body, a rolling brush and a driving device. The rolling brush is configured to rotate about its own axis and has an inner cavity. The driving device is connected to the body and has a heat dissipation duct. The driving device is configured to extend into the inner cavity of the rolling brush and to be cooperated with a transmission seat in the inner cavity of the rolling brush. The driving device is provided with an air inlet, and a sealing member for sealing the air inlet. The sealing member is configured to open the air inlet under the extrusion of the transmission seat in a case that the driving device is assembled with the rolling brush to connect the heat dissipation duct with the inner cavity; and seal the air inlet under the elastic restoring force in a case that the driving device is disassembled with the rolling brush.

In a case that the driving device is cooperated with the rolling brush, the sealing member opens the air inlet under the extrusion of the transmission seat to enable the airflow to enter the heat dissipation duct to take away the heat of the driving device emitted during operation. In a case that the rolling brush is disassembled, the transmission seat is separate from the driving device, the sealing member closes the air inlet to prevent water from entering into the heat dissipation duct through the air inlet and thus causing damage to the driving device.

The technical solutions of the present disclosure are described in detail below in connection with specific structures.

A cleaning apparatus is provided in this embodiment. As shown in, the cleaning apparatus includes a body, a rolling brush, and a driving device. The rolling brushmay be rotatable relative to the body to clean the floor. As shown in, the rolling brushhas an inner cavity, and a transmission seatis provided in the inner cavity. The driving device is connected to the body, and the driving device is detachably connected to the rolling brushfor driving the rolling brushto rotate. The driving device has a heat dissipation duct, and an air inletconnected to the heat dissipation duct. The driving device is further provided with a sealing member, and the sealing memberis configured to seal or open the air inlet.

As shown in, in a case that the rolling brushis cooperated with the driving device, the driving device can extend into the inner cavityof the rolling brushand be cooperated with the transmission seatin the inner cavityof the rolling brush, to drive the rolling brushto rotate via the transmission seat. In this case, the sealing memberopens the air inletunder the extrusion of the transmission seatto connect the inner cavityof the rolling brushwith the heat dissipation ductof the driving device. The inner cavityof the rolling brushis connected to the outside, and airflow from the outside into the inner cavitycan enter the heat dissipation ductthrough the air inlet, and the airflow in the heat dissipation ductcan take away heat of the driving device and then discharge the heat to the outside to dissipate the heat of the driving device. At least one air inletis provided, and the sealing membercan seal or open all air inletssimultaneously.

The rolling brushmay be provided with blades connected to the inner cavity, and outside air is fed into the inner cavitythrough the blades to form airflow in the inner cavityflowing toward the heat dissipation duct. Alternatively, the driving device may be provided with blades connected to the heat dissipation duct, and a negative pressure favorable to flow of the airflow is formed through the blades. The blades of the rolling brushand the blades of the driving device may be installed simultaneously to improve heat dissipation efficiency.

In a case that the rolling brushis separate from the driving device, the sealing membercan seal the air inletunder the elastic restoring force, avoiding outside water from entering into the heat dissipation ductvia the air inletand thus causing damage to the driving device.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in, the driving device includes a reduction gearbox, a couplingis provided at an output end of the reduction gearbox, and the couplingis cooperated with the transmission seatof the rolling brush. The couplingis configured to move between a first position and a second position along an axial direction of the reduction gearbox. The sealing memberis fixed to the couplingand is configured to seal the air inletin a case that the couplingis in the first position and open the air inletin a case that the couplingis in the second position.

Specifically, as shown in, the couplingmay perform axial movement along the output end of the reduction gearbox, the couplingmay cooperate with the transmission seatof the rolling brushin a pluggable manner, and the air inletis provided on the reduction gearbox. The couplingis initially located in the first position, at which case the sealing memberseals the air inlet. In a case that the couplingcooperates with the rolling brush, the rolling brushextrudes the couplingalong the axial direction of the couplingso as to cause the couplingto move along the output end of the reduction gearboxfrom the first position to the second position, and the sealing membermoves along with the couplingto open the air inlet. The reduction gearboxmay drive the coupling to rotate via the output end of the reduction gearbox, and the couplingmay further drive the rolling brushto rotate.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the couplingis configured to have an outer contour adapted with the transmission seatand is configured to move from a first position to a second position under the extrusion of the transmission seat. Specifically, as shown in, the rolling brushrotates about its own axis, the rotation axis of the rolling brushis parallel to the cleaning surface, and the outer surface of the rolling brushmay be provided with cleaning cotton, bristles, or other components for cleaning. The inner cavityis located inside the rolling brush, and the transmission seatin the inner cavityis located at an end of the rolling brushclose to the coupling. The couplingmay cooperate with the transmission seatby a keyway, and when installed, the transmission seatmay be cooperated with the couplingin an axial direction in a pluggable manner and press the couplingto move from a first position to a second position. In a case that the couplingmoves to the second position, the sealing memberopens the air inlet, and the heat dissipation ductof the driving device may connect with the inner cavityof the rolling brushthrough the air inlet. The end of the rolling brushaway from the couplingmay cooperate with the bodyand rotate relative to the body. In a case that the rolling brushis installed, the rolling brushmay press the couplingagainst the second position to keep the air inletopen.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in, the reduction gearboxincludes a box, and an output shaftpenetrating the box. The output shaftis arranged at the output end of the reduction gearbox, and the couplingis connected to the output shaftand is configured to move along the output shaftbetween the first position and the second position. An installing cavityis provided at the output end of the box, and the installing cavityhas an open end toward the transmission seat. The air inletis arranged on an inner wall of the installing cavity. In a case that the couplingis in a first position, the sealing memberis configured to seal the open end of the installing cavity, to seal the air inleton the inner wall of the installing cavity; and in a case that the couplingis in a second position, the sealing memberis configured to open the open end of the installing cavity, to open the air inleton the inner wall of the installing cavity.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in, the installing cavityincludes a sidewallextending axially along the output shaft, and the sealing memberis configured to seal together with the sidewall, forming a radial sealing pair. Specifically, the installing cavity is enclosed by an end surface of the output end of the boxand the side wall, the side wallis formed by an edge of the boxextending toward the transmission seat, the output shaftextends from an open end of the installing cavity, and the couplingextends partially into the installing cavityfrom the open end. The boxand the sidewallmay be integrally molded by mold casting or by a machining way, which is not limited herein.

As shown in, the sealing memberis arranged in the installing cavity, and when the couplingmoves between the first position and the second position, the sealing membermoves along the sidewallin the installing cavity. The air inletis arranged on the sidewall, in a case that the couplingis in the first position, the sealing memberis located in a position between the air inletand the open end of the installing cavity, and in a case that the couplingis in the second position, the sealing memberis located in a position that enables the air inletto be connected to the open end of the installing cavity. When the reduction gearboxdrives the couplingto rotate via the output shaft, the sealing memberabuts against the sidewalland rotates relative to each other to maintain the sealing state.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in, the boxincludes a side wallextending axially along the output shaft, and a flangeextending radially inwardly from the end of the side wall. The sealing memberabuts against the end surface of the flangein a case that the couplingis located in the first position, to form an axial sealing pair. Specifically, the installing cavity is enclosed by an end surface of the output end of the box, the side walland the flange, the flangeencloses to form an open end of the installing cavity, and the sealing memberseals the open end of the installing cavitywhen abutting against the flange, thereby sealing the air inletof the installing cavity. The side wallis formed by the edge of the boxextending inwardly toward the rolling brush, and the output shaftextends from the open end of the installing cavity, and the couplingextends partially from the open end into the installing cavity.

Specifically, the sealing memberis arranged in the installing cavityand has a gap with the side wallof the installing cavity. The sealing membermoves in the installing cavityas the couplingmoves between the first position and the second position. In a case that the couplingis in the first position, the sealing memberabuts against the inner side of the flangeto seal the open end; and in a case that the couplingis in the second position, the sealing memberleaves the flangeto open the open end, and the air inletis connected to the open end through the gap between the sealing memberand the sidewall. When the reduction gearboxdrives the couplingto rotate via the output shaft, the sealing memberrotates following the couplingwithout contacting with the sidewall, thereby reducing wear and tear on the sealing memberand thus prolonging the service life.

The sealing membermay be made of a rigid or flexible material. Preferably, the sealing membermay be a flexible gasket, which may be in press fit with the side wallor the flange, avoiding sealing failure due to wear of the sealing member. The sealing membermay have an annular structure and is arranged around the couplingat an end of the couplingclose to the reduction gearbox.

In an embodiment, the body, the sidewall, and the flangeof the reduction gearboxmay be integrally molded by mold casting or by a machining way, which is not limited herein. In another embodiment, as shown in, the sidewalland the flangemay form an end cover, the end cover is connected to the output end of the box, and the specific connection of the end cover and the boxincludes, but is not limited to, a snap connection, a plug connection, a screw connection, and the like.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in, an elastic deviceis provided between the output shaftof the reduction gearboxand the coupling, and the elastic deviceis configured to pre-press the couplingin a first position. When the rolling brushpress the coupling, the rolling brushmay overcome the elastic effect of the elastic device, so that the couplingmoves from the first position to the second position along the output shaftof the reduction gearbox, so as to cause the sealing memberto open the air inlet, and the driving device can drive the rolling brushto rotate via the couplingto perform a cleaning work. During the cleaning process, the heat dissipation ductof the driving device may dissipate heat through the air inlet. In a case that the rolling brushis disassembled with the coupling, the elastic devicemay drive the couplingto move from the second position to the first position under its own elastic restoring force, so as to cause the sealing memberto close the air inlet, avoiding water from entering the heat dissipation ductof the driving device through the air inlet.

The elastic deviceincludes, but is not limited to, a compression spring, an elastic piece, an elastic block, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in, the elastic deviceis a compression spring, the compression spring is sleeved on the output shaftof the reduction gearbox, an end of the compression spring cooperates with the output shaftor the box, and the other end cooperates with the coupling.