Cleaning Device

The present application is a continuation-application of International (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/070900, filed on Jan. 5, 2024, which claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202310098544.5, filed on Jan. 31, 2023, No. 202320183633.5, filed on Jan. 31, 2023, and No. 202320183619.5, filed on Jan. 31, 2023, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of smart home appliances, specifically to a cleaning device.

Cleaning devices such as robotic vacuum cleaners are typically equipped with a wastewater tank for storing wastewater collected during operation.

Currently, such cleaning devices generally cannot actively drain wastewater from the tank, requiring manual intervention for wastewater removal and thereby increasing user workload. Alternatively, the cleaning devices may rely on specific drainage structures within a base station for wastewater discharge, which elevates the cost of the base station.

Consequently, improvements are necessary to at least partially resolve these issues.

A series of simplified concepts are introduced in this section, which will be further detailed in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION section. This section is not intended to define the key features and necessary technical features of the technical solutions to be protected, nor to determine the scope of the technical solutions sought to be claimed.

A cleaning device, including:

In the following description, specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other examples, for the sake of clarity and to avoid confusion with the present disclosure, certain technical features that are well known to those skilled in the art have not been described.

It is understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments presented herein. Rather, the provision of these embodiments is intended to make the disclosure complete and thorough and to convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the accompanying drawings, for clarity, the dimensions of layers and regions and their relative dimensions may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout.

It is understood that although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and/or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and/or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely intended to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure, a first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be denoted as a second element, component, region, layer, or part.

Spatial relationship terms such as “under . . . ” “below . . . ” “on bottom of . . . ” “beneath . . . ” “above . . . ” “on . . . ” etc., are used here for convenience to describe the relationship between an element or feature shown in the drawings and other elements or features. It should be understood that, except for the orientation shown in the drawings, spatial relationship terms are intended to include different orientations of the devices during use and operation.

Cross-sectional views of schematic diagrams of ideal embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the present disclosure are referenced to describe the embodiments. Thus, variations in the shapes shown due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances may be anticipated. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure should not be limited to the specific shapes shown herein, but rather include shape deviations caused by, for example, manufacturing. Thus, the drawings are essentially schematic and their shapes are not intended to show the actual shapes of the devices and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cleaning device, including:

According to the cleaning device of the present disclosure, by creating negative and positive pressure inside the wastewater tank through the wastewater suction assembly and wastewater drainage assembly to draw in or expel the wastewater, direct contact between the wastewater suction assembly as well as the wastewater drainage assembly and the wastewater may be avoided. This reduces the risk of blockages or damage to the wastewater suction assembly and the wastewater drainage assembly caused by hair, particles, and other impurities in the wastewater, thereby significantly extending the service life of the pump. Additionally, by generating positive pressure within the wastewater tank via the wastewater drainage assembly, the wastewater can be automatically discharged. This enables the cleaning device to actively discharge wastewater when the cleaning device reaches a designated position (e.g., when it arrives at a base station), thereby expanding application scenarios of the cleaning device. in this way, users no longer need to manually clean the wastewater, effectively reducing user operations. Furthermore, there is no need to rely on specific wastewater discharge structures on the base station for wastewater discharge, thereby effectively lowering the cost of the base station.

Referring to, a cleaning device according to some embodiments is provided. The cleaning device includes a device main body, a drive assembly, a side sweeping assembly, a roller assembly, a wastewater collection assembly, a wastewater tank, a wastewater suction and drainage assembly, a clean water tank, and a clean water pump assembly.

The device main bodyis a shell structure with an internal accommodation space, and other components or structures of the cleaning device are directly or indirectly connected to the device main body.

The drive assemblyis configured to drive the device main bodyto move along a surface to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the drive assemblyincludes a drive motor, a travel wheel, and a swivel wheel. The swivel wheelis rotatably connected to the device main bodyand disposed on a front portion of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned. It should be noted that the “front portion” (“front side”) in the present disclosure refers to a portion facing the moving direction of the cleaning device (i.e., a side facing the moving direction of the cleaning device); the “rear portion” (“rear side”) refers to a portion away from the moving direction of the cleaning device (i.e., a side away from the moving direction of the cleaning device). The travel wheelsmay be two in number and rotatably connected to the device main body, disposed on a middle portion of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned. The travel wheelsand the swivel wheelare arranged in an isosceles triangle on a side of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned. The drive motor is disposed inside the device main bodyand is connected to the travel wheelsin a transmission manner, driving the travel wheelsto rotate and thereby moving the device main bodyalong the surface to be cleaned. In other embodiments, the drive assemblymay include a drive motor and a track wheel, where the track wheel is rotatably connected to the device main bodyand disposed on a side of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned, and the drive motor is connected to the track wheel in a transmission manner, driving the track wheel to rotate, thereby driving the device main bodyto move on the surface to be cleaned.

The side sweeping assemblyincludes a side sweeping body and a side sweeping motor. There may be two side sweeping bodies provided, which are rotatably arranged on both sides of the front portion of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned. Each side sweeping body includes multiple bristles, and the bristles of the side sweeping body extend beyond an outer contour of the device main body, thereby expanding the cleaning range of the cleaning device and facilitating cleaning of corners and other locations. There may be two side sweeping motors provided, which are arranged inside the device main body, each for driving a corresponding sweeping body to rotate. Alternatively, a single side sweeping motor may be provided, with both the side sweeping bodies sharing the motor. The side sweeping motor(s) is/are configured to drive the two side sweeping bodies to rotate in opposite directions, thereby gathering dust from both sides of the cleaning device toward the center for cleaning by the dry-cleaning component-roller assembly. In some embodiments, the cleaning device may include only one side sweeping body and one side sweeping motor.

The roller assemblyincludes a rollerand a roller motor. The rollerincludes a cylinder body and a cleaning cloth. The cylinder body may be cylindrical in shape and have an internal accommodation space. The cleaning cloth wraps around a peripheral side of the cylinder body, and the cleaning cloth may be made of a material with certain water absorption properties. The rolleris rotatably arranged on the side of the device main bodyfacing the surface to be cleaned. When the cleaning device moves over the surface to be cleaned, the cleaning cloth on the rollercontacts the surface to be cleaned. The roller motor drives the rollerto rotate around its central axis, enabling the rollerto friction the surface to be cleaned and remove dirt from it during rotation. In some embodiments, the rolleris disposed behind the travel wheels, and an axial length of the rolleris greater than the distance between the two travel wheels, such that the rollercan clean the tracks left by the travel wheels. In the embodiments, the cylinder body has the accommodation space, and the roller motor is disposed in the accommodation space of the cylinder body. In other embodiments, the roller motor may be disposed within the device main bodyand be connected to the cylinder body in a transmission manner.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the cleaning device further includes a lifting assembly, which includes a roller bracketand a lifting motor. Two ends of the roller(i.e., two ends of the cylinder body) are rotatably connected to the roller bracket. The roller motor is configured to drive the rollerto rotate relative to the roller bracket. The roller bracketis fixedly arranged with a connection arm, and the roller bracketis rotatably connected to the device main bodyvia the connection arm. The lifting motor is connected to the connection armof the roller bracketin a transmission manner, driving the connection armto rotate relative to the device main body, thereby driving the roller bracketto rotate relative to the device main body. When the roller bracketrotates relative to the device main body, the relative position between the rollerconnected to the roller bracketand the surface to be cleaned also changes accordingly. In this way, the lifting assembly can switch the rollerbetween a lowered position and a raised position. When the rolleris in the lowered position, the cleaning cloth on the rollercontacts the surface to be cleaned, and the rotation of the rollereffectively cleans the dirt on the surface to be cleaned; when the rolleris in the raised position, the cleaning cloth on the rolleris separated from the surface to be cleaned and maintains a certain distance from it. Thus, when the cleaning device moves over surfaces such as carpet surfaces that do not require cleaning by the roller, the lifting assembly can switch the rollerfrom the lowered position to the raised position, preventing the cleaning cloth on the rollerfrom contaminating the surfaces. In some embodiments, the lifting assembly may not be provided, and the cleaning cloth on the rollerremains in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the roller brackethas a cavity inside, a side of the roller bracketaway from the rolleris arranged with a clean water inletin communication with the cavity, and side of the roller bracketfacing the rolleris arranged with a clean water outletin communication with the cavity. The clean water pump assemblyis connected to the clean water tankand the clean water inletto pump clean water from the clean water tankthrough the clean water inletinto the cavity, and then spray the clean water through the clean water outletonto the cleaning cloth on the rollerto moisten the cleaning cloth, thereby achieving wet cleaning of the surface to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the clean water outletincludes multiple water discharge holes distributed at equal intervals along the axial direction of the roller, thereby uniformly spraying the clean water onto the surface of the cleaning cloth. In the embodiments, a water discharge structure is integrated into the roller bracket, simplifying the structure of the cleaning device and reducing its volume. In other embodiments, the water discharge structure may be independent of the roller bracket.

The wastewater collection assemblyis configured to abut against the cleaning cloth on the rollerto scrape and collect wastewater from the cleaning cloth when the rollerrotates. Referring to, in some embodiments, the wastewater collection assemblyincludes a wastewater collection trough. The wastewater collection troughis arranged with a water scrapperon a side facing the roller. The water scrapperextends along the axial direction of the rolleron the wastewater collection trough, and the length of the water scrapperalong the axial direction of the rolleris equal to or slightly greater than the length of the cleaning cloth along the axial direction of the roller. The water scrapperis configured to abut against the cleaning cloth on the roller(with an interference fit), such that when the rollerrotates, wastewater can be scraped out through the scraping action with the cleaning cloth and flow into the wastewater collection trough.

In some embodiments, the wastewater collection troughis detachably connected to the wastewater tank, and the wastewater tankis detachably connected to the device main body. Specifically, the wastewater tankdefines a containment groovefor mounting the wastewater collection trough, and the wastewater collection troughis detachably connected to the wastewater tankvia magnetic attraction. A side of the wastewater collection troughfacing the wastewater tankis arranged with a metal plate, and the wastewater tankis arranged with a magnetat a corresponding position of the metal plate. When the wastewater collection troughis mounted onto the wastewater tank, the metal plateon the wastewater collection troughmagnetically attaches to the magneton the wastewater tank, thereby securing the wastewater collection troughin place and providing a tactile confirmation of proper alignment. When it is necessary to disassemble the wastewater collection trough, the wastewater collection troughcan be pulled out from either side of the wastewater collection trough. The magnetic connection design enables quick assembly and disassembly of the wastewater collection trough. In some embodiments, the magnetmay be arranged on the wastewater collection trough, the metal platemay be arranged on the wastewater tank; or the magnetsmay be arranged on both the wastewater collection troughand the wastewater tank. In some embodiments, the wastewater collection troughmay be connected to the wastewater tankvia a snap-fit connection or other suitable detachable connection method.

In some embodiments, a top of the wastewater collection troughdefines an opening, and the wastewater scraped out by the water scrapperenters the wastewater collection troughthrough the opening at the top of the wastewater collection trough. A bottom of the wastewater collection troughis arranged with a wastewater outlet, and the wastewater tankis arranged with a wastewater inletcorresponding to the wastewater outlet. When the wastewater collection troughis connected to the wastewater tank, the wastewater outleton the wastewater collection troughis in communication with the wastewater inleton the wastewater tank. The suction and drainage assemblyis connected to the wastewater tankand can generate a negative pressure inside the wastewater tank. This allows wastewater from the wastewater collection troughto be sucked into the wastewater tankthrough the wastewater outlet, the wastewater inlet, and a water inlet channelthat is in communication with the wastewater inlet, thereby preventing wastewater from overflowing from the wastewater collection trough.

In some embodiments, the water scrapperis integrally formed with the wastewater collection trough(e.g., integrally injection molded), and the water scrapperis a protrusion disposed at the top of a side wall of the wastewater collection troughfacing the roller, extending toward the rollerand disposed on a side of the side wall away from the surface to be cleaned. In other embodiments, the water scrapperand the wastewater collection troughmay be two separate components, for example, the water scrappermay be a scrapping plate extending along the axial direction of the roller, which may be fixedly or detachably connected to the wastewater collection troughor the wastewater tank, as long as it can come into contact with the cleaning cloth on the rollerto squeeze out the wastewater from the cleaning cloth and guide the wastewater into the wastewater collection trough. In some embodiments, the cleaning device may be arranged with only the water scrapperwithout the wastewater collection trough. For example, the water scrappermay contact the cleaning cloth to squeeze out wastewater from the cleaning cloth and guide the wastewater directly into the wastewater tank.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the lifting assembly can drive the rollerto switch between the lowered position and the raised position, and the water scrapperis configured to remain in contact with the rollerwhen the rolleris in either the raised position or the lowered position. In this way, regardless of whether the rolleris in the raised position or the lowered position, as long as the rollerrotates, the water scrappercan scrape off the wastewater from the cleaning cloth, thereby cleaning the cleaning cloth, i.e., achieving real-time self-cleaning of the cleaning cloth. Referring to, further, in some embodiments, the rollerin the raised position and the rollerin the lowered position partially intersect in space, and the water scrapperis disposed at an intersection point b between the rollerin the raised position and the rollerin the lowered position, where the intersection point b is also the spatial overlap position between the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the raised position and the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the lowered position. The water scrapperis positioned at the intersection point b to ensure that the water scrappercan abut against the rollerwhen it is in either the raised position or lowered position.

In some embodiments, the water scrappermay be configured to only abut against the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the lowered position, and not with the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the raised position, such that during the cleaning process of the rolleron the surface to be cleaned, the wastewater and other contaminants in the cleaning cloth can be scraped off, and achieve real-time self-cleaning of the cleaning cloth during the cleaning process of the rolleron the surface to be cleaned, thereby effectively improving the cleaning effect of the rolleron the surface to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the water scrappermay be configured to only abut against the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the raised position, and not abut against the cleaning cloth on the rollerin the lowered position. With this configuration, the rollerin the lowered position may be controlled to clean the surface to be cleaned at a slower speed (e.g., one rotation every 3 minutes or one rotation every 5 minutes, etc.). After the rollercompletes one rotation, the lifting assembly switches the rollerto the raised position, and the rolleris then controlled to rotate at a high speed multiple times to scrape off the wastewater and other contaminants from the cleaning cloth via the water scrapper, thereby cleaning the cleaning cloth. After the cleaning cloth is cleaned, the rolleris switched to the lowered position via the lifting assembly and continues to clean the surface to be cleaned at a slower speed. This process is repeatedly performed until the surface to be cleaned is fully cleaned. This cleaning method, compared to the rollermaintaining a high rotational speed throughout the cleaning process, effectively reduces the energy consumption of the cleaning device and improves its runtime.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the cleaning device further includes an attachment portion, which is disposed below the water scrapper. The attachment portionhas an arcuate surface for maintaining contact with the cleaning cloth on the roller. This arcuate surface allows water that leaks or overflows from below the water scrapperto be reabsorbed into the cleaning cloth (absorbed and carried away by the cleaning cloth), thereby preventing wastewater from leaking from below the water scrapperonto the surface to be cleaned, which could affect cleaning effectiveness and user experience. It should be noted that the term “attachment” here may include slight interference fit. In some embodiments, the attachment portionis a side wall of the wastewater collection troughfacing the roller, and the surface of this side wall facing the rolleris formed into an arcuate surface with the same or similar curvature as the peripheral side surface of the roller. When the rolleris in the lowered position, the attachment portionis in close contact with the roller, and the water scrapper, the attachment portion, and the wastewater collection troughare integrally formed. In some embodiments, the attachment portionand the wastewater collection troughmay be two separate components. For example, the attachment portionmay be an arc-shaped plate with the same or similar curvature as the peripheral side surface of the roller, which may be integrally formed with the water scrapper, or may be fixedly or detachably connected to the wastewater collection troughor the wastewater tank, as long as it can contact the cleaning cloth on the rollerbelow the water scrapperto allow water leaking or overflowing below the water scrapperto be reabsorbed into the cleaning cloth. In some embodiments, the attachment portionmay be separately arranged from the water scrapper.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the wastewater collection assemblyfurther includes a filter member, which is detachably disposed within the wastewater collection troughfor filtering the wastewater scraped out by the water scrapperto prevent blockage of the wastewater outletor the wastewater inlet. The filter member includes a filter mesh bracketand a filter mesh. The filter mesh bracketis detachably connected to the wastewater collection trough, specifically, a side wall of the filter mesh bracketoverlaps and/or snaps into an edge of the opening at the top of the wastewater collection trough, such that the wastewater scraped out by the water scrapperfirst enters the filter mesh bracket, then enters the wastewater collection trough, and finally flows through the wastewater outletat the bottom of the wastewater collection troughinto the wastewater tank. The filter meshis fixed or detachably arranged on the filter mesh bracketto filter wastewater entering the filter mesh bracket, retaining hair, particles, and other impurities in the wastewater on the filter meshto prevent blockage of the wastewater outletand the internal piping of the wastewater tank. In some embodiments, the filter meshmay be integrally molded with the filter mesh bracket, with the filter meshserving as a bottom wall of the filter mesh bracket; in some embodiments, the filter meshmay be detachably connected to the filter mesh bracketvia snap-fit, screw connections, or other methods. In the above embodiments, users can conveniently remove the filter mesh bracket(or further remove the filter screenfrom the filter mesh bracket) to clean or replace the filter screen. In some embodiments, the wastewater collection tankmay not include the filter mesh bracketand the filter mesh. In some embodiments, the filter mesh bracketand the filter meshmay be replaced with other filtering components mounted in the wastewater collection tankthat can filter wastewater entering the wastewater collection tank. Those skilled in the art may configure these components as needed.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the rotational direction a of the roller(counterclockwise in) is opposite to the rotational direction of the travel wheel(or track wheel) (clockwise in). In this way, the dirt scraped off the rollerby the water scrappercan smoothly enter the wastewater collection troughand effectively prevent the dirt on the rollerfrom flowing onto the clean surface. Furthermore, the relative movement speed between the rollerand the surface to be cleaned is superimposed, increasing the contact time between the cleaning cloth and the surface to be cleaned, thereby effectively improving the cleaning effect on the surface to be cleaned. In some embodiments, the rotational direction a of the roller(counterclockwise in) may be the same as the travel direction of the cleaning device, i.e., the same as the rotational direction of the travel wheel. In other words, the rotational direction of the travel wheelinmay be configured to rotate clockwise. In this case, the wastewater collection assembly may be arranged in front of the roller.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the wastewater tankincludes a lower housingand an upper housing; an upper side of the lower housing(i.e., the side opposite the surface to be cleaned) has an opening, and the upper housingis connected to the upper side of the lower housingand covers the opening, thereby defining an accommodation space between the lower housingand the upper housing, which is configured to accommodate wastewater. A wastewater inletand a water inlet channel, which are in communication with the wastewater outleton the wastewater collection trough, are arranged on the lower housingand are in communication with the accommodation space.

In some embodiments, the span of the wastewater tankin the width direction of the cleaning device (i.e., the maximum distance in the left-right direction of the cleaning device in) is greater than or equal to the span of the rollerand the travel wheelsin the width direction of the cleaning device, i.e., greater than or equal to the length of the rolleralong its axis direction and greater than or equal to the distance between the outer end faces of the two travel wheels, thereby fully utilizing the space on the cleaning device and increasing the volume of the wastewater tank.

In some embodiments, the upper housingincludes a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a wastewater tank coverdisposed between the first protrusionand the second protrusion. The wastewater tank coveris rotatably connected to the lower housing, allowing the accommodation space between the lower housingand the upper housingto be opened or closed by rotating the wastewater tank cover, thereby enabling the wastewater in the wastewater tankto be drained or the interior of the wastewater tankto be cleaned. The wastewater tank coveris arranged with a handleand defines a handle groove matching the shape of the handle. The handle groove is configured to accommodate the handle, and when the handleis disposed in the handle groove, an upper surface (i.e., the surface opposite the surface to be cleaned) of the handleis flush with or below the upper surface of the wastewater tank cover. The handleis U-shaped and its two ends are pivotally connected to the wastewater tank cover. For clarity, the wastewater tank coveris defined as having a free side and a connection side, with the connection side pivotally connected to the lower housing. The connection point between the handleand the wastewater tank coveris closer to the free side of the wastewater tank cover, allowing the handleto be rotated out of the handle groove, and then by pulling the handle, the wastewater tank covercan be rotated relative to the lower housing, thereby conveniently opening or closing the accommodation space between the lower housingand the upper housing. In other embodiments, the handlemay be omitted.

The first protrusionand the second protrusionare protruding portions arranged on the lower housing. The first protrusionand the second protrusioneach have an internal accommodation space. That is, the accommodation space within the wastewater tankincludes a first accommodation space within the lower housing, a second accommodation space within the first protrusion, and a third accommodation space within the second protrusion, with the second and third accommodation spaces both communicating with the first accommodation space. The wastewater tankhas an overall shape that is higher on both sides and lower in the middle, resembling a U-shape. The first protrusionand the second protrusionare separated by a through space, which extends along the front-back direction of the cleaning device. A surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusiondefines a first guide grooveextending along the front-back direction of the cleaning device and communicating with the through space. A surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusiondefines a second guide grooveextending along the front-back direction of the cleaning device and communicating with the through space. The surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusionis parallel (or approximately parallel) to the surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusion. Referring to, in some embodiments, the device main bodyincludes a protruding portion, which can be inserted into the through space between the first protrusionand the second protrusion. The protruding portionhas a first side walland a second side wallon its two sides. The first side wallis arranged with a first guide protrusionthat matches the shape of the first guide groove, and the second side wallis arranged with a second guide protrusionthat matches the shape of the second guide groove. The first guide protrusionand the second guide protrusionboth extend along the front-back direction of the cleaning device. The first guide protrusionand the second guide protrusionare in sliding engagement with the first guide grooveand the second guide groove, respectively. In this way, the wastewater tankcan be inserted along a first direction (i.e., from a rear side of the device main bodytoward a front side of the device main body) into the protruding portionof the device main body, positioning the first guide protrusionwithin the first guide grooveand the second guide protrusionwithin the second guide groove.

In some embodiments, the protruding portionfurther has a first limiting surfaceand a second limiting surfaceon a side facing the surface to be cleaned. The first limiting surfaceis disposed above the first side walland adjacent to the first side wall, and the second limiting surfaceis disposed above the second side walland adjacent to the second side wall.

Referring to, when the wastewater tankis inserted into the protruding portionon the device main body, the first limiting surfaceabuts against an upper surface of the first protrusion, and an upper surface of the first guide protrusionabuts against an inner wall surface on the upper side of the first guide groove; the second limiting surfaceabuts against an upper surface of the second protrusion, and an upper surface of the second guide protrusionabuts against an inner wall surface on the upper side of the second guide groove. In this way, the movement of the wastewater tankin the up-down direction of the cleaning device is completely restricted. Referring to, when the wastewater tankis inserted into the protruding portionof the device main body, a surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusionabuts against the first side wall, and a surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusionabuts against the second side wall, thereby completely restricting the movement of the wastewater tankin the up-down direction of the cleaning device. That is, the wastewater tankcan only be inserted into the device main bodyalong the first direction, and the wastewater tankinserted into the device main bodycan only move away from the device main bodyalong a second direction opposite to the first direction. In some embodiments, the protruding portionmay have an internal accommodation space, which may be configured to store clean water, i.e., the protruding portionmay be part of the clean water tankdisposed on the device main body. In this way, such a structural arrangement allows for efficient use of space on the cleaning device, resulting in a more compact device structure. In some embodiments, the first guide grooveand the second guide grooveare symmetrically arranged on the first protrusionand the second protrusion, respectively. Correspondingly, the first guide protrusionand the second guide protrusionare symmetrically arranged on the first side walland the second side wall, respectively.

In some embodiments, the first limiting surfaceand the second limiting surfaceare also symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first side walland the second side wall. In some embodiments, the wastewater tankmay be configured such that when the wastewater tankis inserted into the protruding portionof the device main body, the upper surface of the first guide protrusionabuts against the inner wall surface on the upper side of the first guide groove, and the lower surface of the first guide protrusionabuts against the inner wall surface on the lower side of the first guide groove; the upper surface of the second guide protrusionabuts against the upper side of the second guide groove, and the lower surface of the second guide protrusionabuts against the inner wall surface on the lower side of the second guide groove, thereby completely restricting the movement of the wastewater tankin the up-down direction of the cleaning device. It should be noted that the term “abut” as used herein may refer to a tight fit or an approximate fit (with a very small gap).

In some embodiments, a first guide protrusionand a second guide protrusion, which are in communication with the through space, may be respectively arranged on the surface of the first protruding portionfacing the second protruding portionand the surface of the second protruding portionfacing the first protruding portion, and a first guide grooveand a second guide groovematching the first guide protrusionsand the second guide protrusionsmay be respectively defined on the first side walland the second side wall. In some embodiments, the through space between the first protrusionand the second protrusionextends through the wastewater tank in the first direction and the second direction (i.e., the front-back direction of the cleaning device).

In other embodiments, the wastewater tankmay be omitted from the first guide grooveand the second guide groove, and the first guide protrusionand the second protrusion may also be omitted on the protruding portion. Instead, the surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusionand the surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusionare configured to be inclined inward, i.e., in the direction from bottom to top, the distance between the surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusionand the surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusiongradually decreases, thereby defining a through space between the first protrusionand the second protrusionthat has a cross-sectional shape approximately trapezoidal in the front-back direction. Correspondingly, the first side walland the second side wallon the protruding portionare also configured to be inclined inward, i.e., in the direction from bottom to top, the distance between the first side walland the second side wallgradually decreases. The shape of the protruding portionbetween the first side walland the second side wallmatches the shape of the through space with a cross-section approximately trapezoidal in shape, thereby allowing the wastewater tankto be inserted along the first direction into the protruding portionon the device main body. When the wastewater tankis inserted into the protruding portionon the device main body, the surface of the first protrusionfacing the second protrusioncontacts the first side wall, and the surface of the second protrusionfacing the first protrusioncontacts the second side wall, restricting the movement of the wastewater tankin the left-right direction and downward relative to the cleaning device. The first limiting surfaceabuts against the upper surface of the first protrusion, and the second limiting surfaceabuts against the upper surface of the second protrusion, restricting the movement of the wastewater tankupward relative to the cleaning device. In this way, the movement of the wastewater tankin the up-down and left-right directions relative to the cleaning device is completely restricted. The wastewater tankcan only be inserted into the device main bodyalong the first direction, and the wastewater tankinserted into the device main bodycan only exit the device main bodyalong the second direction opposite to the first direction.

In some embodiments, the wastewater tankis arranged with two latch assemblies, which are spaced apart and mutually independent. The two latch assemblies include a first latchand a second latch. The device main bodydefines a first latch slotand a second latch slotthat match the first latchand the second latch, respectively. The first latchand the second latchare both configured to switch between a locked position and an unlocked position. When the first latchand/or the second latchare in the locked position, the first latchand/or the second latchcorrespondingly engage with the first latch slotand/or the second latch slot. When the first latchand/or the second latchare in the unlocked position, the first latchand/or the second latchare correspondingly separated from the first latch slotand/or the second latch slot. When the wastewater tankis inserted into the device main bodyand the first latchor the second latchis in the locked position, the first latchor the second latchcorrespondingly engages with the first latch slotor the second latch slot, preventing the wastewater tank, which is inserted into the device main body, from moving away from the device main bodyin the second direction, thereby fully securing the wastewater tankto the device main body. When the wastewater tankis inserted into the device main bodyand both the first latchand the second latchare in the unlocked position, the first latchand the second latchseparate from the first latch slotand the second latch slot, allowing the wastewater tank, which is inserted into the device main body, to move away from the device main bodyin the second direction. That is, by switching the first latchand the second latchbetween the locked position and the unlocked position, the wastewater tankcan be conveniently connected to the device main bodyor removed from the device main body. In some embodiments, the two latch assemblies are respectively disposed on the first protrusionand the second protrusion, i.e., the first latchand the second latchare respectively disposed on the first protrusionand the second protrusion. The structure and mating configuration of the first latchand the first latch slotare identical to those of the second latchand the second latch slot. The following description will use the first latchand the first latch slotas an example for detailed explanation.

It should be noted that in other embodiments, the number of latch assemblies may be one, three, or more, i.e., the number of latches and latch slots may be one, three, or more. Those skilled in the art may configure these according to requirements. By providing two latches and two latch slots, the present disclosure enhances the stability of the connection between the wastewater tankand the device main body. To some extent, it further increases redundancy. Even if the engagement between one latch and its corresponding latch slot fails (i.e., when one latch is in the locked position and the other latch is in the unlocked position), the other latch and its corresponding latch slot can effectively restrict the wastewater tank, which is inserted into the device main body, from moving away from the device main bodyalong the second direction. In other embodiments, the first protrusionand the second protrusionmay each be arranged with two or more latch assemblies. In other embodiments, the latch assemblies may not be arranged on the first protrusionand the second protrusion, such as being arranged on the lower housingor other positions of the wastewater tank. Those skilled in the art may configure them as needed, provided that corresponding latch slots are defined on the device main body.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the first latchincludes a latch body, a button portion, a latching portion, and a guide portion. The latch bodyincludes a top wall and a side wall extending peripherally around the top wall. The top wall is fixedly arranged with the button portionand the latching portion. The side wall is arranged with multiple guide portionsprotruding from the side wall. A side of each guide portionfacing the top wall is spaced apart from the top wall. The first protrusiondefines a guide slotmatching the shape of the guide portion, which is configured to extend along the up-down direction of the device main body. The guide portionis inserted into the guide slot, enabling the latch bodyto move only along the up-down direction within the first protrusion. A top of the first protrusiondefines a through hole matching the button portionand the latching portion. The first latchis movably arranged in the through hole, and the button portionand the latching portioncan extend through the through hole to the exterior of the first protrusion, while the guide portioncannot extend through the through hole to the exterior of the first protrusion. The the first latchfurther includes a support memberand an elastic member. The support memberis detachably disposed within the device main bodyand disposed below the latch body. Specifically, the first protrusiondefines a screw slot, and the support memberdefines a through hole matching the screw slot. A screwpasses through the through hole and engages with the screw slotto detachably connect the support memberto the first protrusion. The elastic memberis disposed between the support memberand the latch body, and is configured to push the first latchupward through its own elastic force until the upper side of the guide portionabuts against the top of the first protrusion, thereby positioning the first latchin the locked position. When the first latchis in the locked position, the button portionand the latching portionextend outward beyond the first protrusion. When the button portionis pressed, the elastic memberis compressed (or to say, deformed), allowing the first latchto switch from the locked position to the unlocked position. When the first latchis in the unlocked position, the button portionand the latching portionare retracted into the first protrusionand do not protrude from the upper surface of the first protrusion. When the button portionis no longer pressed, the elastic membercan push the first latchto return from the unlocked position to the locked position. In some embodiments, the elastic membermay be a spring. The latch bodyis arranged with a first limiting column on a side facing the support member, and the support memberis arranged with a second limiting column coaxial with the first limiting column on a side facing the latch body. The springis sleeved on the first limiting column and the second limiting column, and two ends of the springabut against the support memberand the latch body, respectively. When the first latchis in the locked position, the compression of the springis less than when the first latchis in the unlocked position. The first limiting column and the second limiting column are configured to abut against each other when the first latchis in the unlocked position, thereby restricting further pressing of the first latch.

In other embodiments, the elastic membermay be a metal spring plate or other suitable elastic members disposed between the support memberand the latch body. In some embodiments, the latching portionincludes a limiting surface and a guiding surface, where the limiting surface is perpendicular to the upper surface of the first protrusionand faces the second direction, and the limiting surface is inclined relative to the upper surface of the first protrusionand faces the first direction. When the wastewater tankis inserted into the device main body, as the latching portionenters the first latch slot, the guiding surface can first abut against the device main bodyto push the first latchdownward, compressing the elastic member, thereby allowing the first latchto switch from the locked position to the unlocked position. When the locking portionof the first latchin the unlocked position moves to the first latch slot, the guiding surface separates from the device main body, and the elastic memberpushes the first latchto switch from the unlocked position to the locked position. The configuration of the guiding surface allows the user to insert the wastewater tankinto the device main bodywithout manually pressing the button portionto keep it in the unlocked position.

Referring to, when the wastewater tankis inserted into the device main bodyand the first latchis in the locked position, the button portionand the latching portionextend outside the first protrusion. The latching portionis disposed inside the first latch slot, and a side (i.e., the limiting surface of the latching portion) of the latching portionfacing the second direction (i.e., a direction toward the rear side of the cleaning device or the left side in) abuts against a wall surface of the latch slot facing the first direction (i.e., a direction toward the front side of the cleaning device or the right side in), thereby restricting the wastewater tankfrom moving away from the device main bodyalong the second direction.

Referring to, when the wastewater tankis inserted into the device main bodyand the button portionis pressed to place the first latchin the unlocked position, the button portionand the latching portionare retracted into the first protrusion, and the latching portionreceived within the first protrusiondoes not protrude from the upper surface of the first protrusion, thereby separating the latching portionfrom the first latch slotand no longer restricting the movement of the wastewater tankin the second direction (i.e., the leftward direction in). The wastewater tankcan move along the second direction and separate from the device main body.

In some embodiments, the wastewater tankinserted into the device main bodyis disposed on the rear end of the device main body, and the direction in which the wastewater tankis mounted on the device main bodyis parallel to the forward direction of the cleaning device. The direction from the unlocked position to the locked position is perpendicular to the forward direction of the cleaning deviceand perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned.

In some embodiments, the first latchand the second latchare provided in the first protrusionand the second protrusion, thereby fully utilizing the partial unused space at the upper part of the wastewater tank, avoiding the occupation of the internal space of the lower housing, and increasing the effective volume of the wastewater tank. Furthermore, the distance (span) between the first latchand the second latch, which are respectively positioned on the first protrusionand the second protrusion, is greater than the distance (span) between the first guide grooveand the second guide groove. This enables more stable and reliable positioning of the wastewater tank, preventing it from shaking. When mounting the wastewater tankonto the device main body, the user simply needs to insert the wastewater tankalong the first direction into the device main body, ensuring that the first latchand the second latchrespectively engage with the first latch slotand the second latch slot. When removing the wastewater tankmounted on the device main bodyfrom the device main body, the user simply needs to press the button portionto disengage the first latchand the second latchfrom the first latch slotand the second latch slotrespectively, and then move the wastewater tankalong the second direction, featuring a simple and convenient operation.

In other embodiments, other water tanks such as a clean water tank or a detergent tank may be arranged and formed into shapes identical or similar to the wastewater tankand connected to the device main bodyin the same manner as the wastewater tankand the device main body. In this case, the roller assemblyon the cleaning device may be replaced with other cleaning assemblies capable of cleaning the surface to be cleaned, such as a rotatable cleaning cloth assembly, a linear cleaning cloth assembly, etc.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the suction and drainage assemblyincludes a wastewater suction assembly and a wastewater drainage assembly. The wastewater suction assembly is connected to the wastewater tank, which is arranged with a wastewater inletcommunicating with the accommodation space inside the wastewater tank. The wastewater suction assembly is configured to draw out the gas from the wastewater tank, creating a negative pressure inside the wastewater tank(i.e., the accommodation space within the wastewater tankto contain wastewater), thereby drawing the wastewater collected by the wastewater collection assemblythrough the wastewater inletinto the accommodation space within the wastewater tank. The drainage assembly is connected to the wastewater tank, and the wastewater tankis arranged with a drain outletcommunicating with the accommodation space within the wastewater tank. The drain outletis configured to pump gas from outside the wastewater tankinto the wastewater tank, creating positive pressure within the wastewater tank, thereby allowing wastewater within the accommodation space of the wastewater tankto be discharged from the wastewater tankthrough the drain outlet.

Specifically, the wastewater suction assembly includes a wastewater suction pump, a gas inlet pipeconnected to a gas inlet of the wastewater suction pump, and a gas outlet pipeconnected to a gas outlet of the wastewater suction pump. The drainage assembly includes a wastewater drainage pumparranged with a gas inlet, and a gas outlet pipe connected to a gas outlet of the wastewater drainage pump. The gas inlet pipeand the gas outlet pipe of the wastewater drainage pumpare connected to a first end of a collector pipevia a three-way connector, and a second end of the collector pipeis connected to a first end of a mating portarranged on the device main body. A second end of the mating portis connected to a connection porton the wastewater tank, and the connection portis in communication with the accommodation space inside the wastewater tankfor containing wastewater. In some embodiments, the wastewater suction pumpand the wastewater drainage pumpmay be diaphragm pumps or other suitable gas pumps. As the wastewater suction pumpand the wastewater drainage pumpare connected via the three-way connector, when the wastewater suction pumpis operating, some gas may flow through the gas inlet, the wastewater drainage pump, the gas outlet pipe of the wastewater drainage pump, and the three-way connector, and into the inlet pipe, which to some extent reduces the ability of the wastewater suction pumpto create a vacuum inside the wastewater tank. Similarly, when the wastewater drainage pumpis operating, some gas may flow through the gas outlet pipe of the wastewater drainage pump, the three-way connector, the gas inlet pipe, the wastewater suction pump, and the gas outlet pipe, and be discharged, which to some extent weakens the ability of the wastewater drainage pumpto generate positive pressure inside the wastewater tank.

In some embodiments, the wastewater suction assembly further includes a first check valvedisposed on the gas outlet of the wastewater suction pump. The first check valveis configured to allow gas to pass through the gas outlet of the wastewater suction pumpand be discharged outside, while restricting external gas from entering through the gas outlet. Specifically, the first check valveis disposed on an end of the gas outlet pipeaway from the wastewater suction pump. The first check valvemay be a duckbill valve or other suitable check valves, which only allows gas from the gas outlet pipeto pass through the first check valvein one direction and be discharged into the ambient air (i.e., the first check valveallows gas to be discharged outward through the first check valvefrom the gas outlet pipe, while restricting external gas from entering the gas outlet pipethrough the first check valve). The first check valvecan further create a certain resistance to the gas discharged through it. In this way, when the wastewater drainage pumpis operating, the first check valvecan partially obstruct gas from being discharged through it, thereby enhancing the ability of the wastewater drainage pumpto generate positive pressure within the wastewater tank. In some embodiments, the gas outlet of the wastewater suction pumpmay not be arranged with the gas outlet pipe, and the first check valveis directly connected to the gas outlet of the wastewater suction pump.