Pile, Cleaning Apparatus and Cleaning System

The present disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Applications No. 202210901475.2 and No. 202210901472.9, filed on Jul. 28, 2022, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as a part of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure relates to the field of automatic cleaning technologies, and specifically, to a docking station, a cleaning device and a cleaning system.

With the continuous development of science and technologies, cleaning devices such as floor scrubbers have been widely used in families. Cleaning with the floor scrubber is more time-saving and labor-saving than traditional manual cleaning. Generally, the floor scrubber includes a device body and a cleaning base body. A water recycling tank, for example, a waste water tank and a cleaning liquid tank (e.g., a clean water tank), and a main fan used for suction are disposed in the device body. The cleaning base body includes a cleaning brushroll used for scrubbing. Cleaning liquid, for example, water, is sprayed onto the cleaning brushroll through a built-in water pipe. The cleaning brushroll rotates at a high speed to mop a floor. Generally, the floor scrubber needs to be cooperatively used with a matched docking station. The docking station can support the floor scrubber parked thereon, and perform some maintenance work such as charging, self-cleaning, and drying.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a docking station, a cleaning device and a cleaning system.

According to a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a docking station. The docking station is configured to support a cleaning device and includes:

a station body, including:

a detachable tray, configured to be detachably connected with the base tray, where

the detachable tray is connected to the base tray to form an accommodation groove; and the accommodation groove is configured to accommodate a cleaning base body of the cleaning device.

According to a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cleaning device. The cleaning device is configured to be supported by a docking station for charging, and includes:

a cleaning base body, including a cleaning brushroll; and

a device body, movably connected to the cleaning base body, where

the device body includes a second charging/communication interface; and the second charging/communication interface includes:

a second charging holder; and

a male/female terminal, disposed on the second charging holder and configured to be in plug-in connection with a female/male terminal on the docking station.

According to a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cleaning system. The cleaning system includes:

the foregoing docking station; and

the foregoing cleaning device.

To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

It should further be noted that, the terms “comprise”, “include” and any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a commodity or an apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only these elements but also other elements that are not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to this commodity or apparatus. Without more restrictions, an element defined by the phrase “including a . . . ” does not exclude the presence of another same element in a commodity or an apparatus that includes the element.

In the art, a cleaning device, for example, a floor scrubber, generally includes a device body and a cleaning base body. The cleaning device is generally provided with a water recycling tank, for example, a waste water tank and a cleaning liquid tank (e.g., a clean water tank), and a main fan used for suction. The cleaning base body includes one, two, or more cleaning brushrolls used for scrubbing. Cleaning liquid, for example, water, is dispensed onto the cleaning brushroll having fluff and/or onto a surface to be cleaned through a built-in water pipe. The cleaning brushroll rotates at a high speed to mop the surface to be cleaned. At the same time, a negative pressure is formed in a device air duct of the cleaning device by the main fan, enabling that waste water (that may include solid garbage) on the surface to be cleaned is sucked in through a waste water suction opening of the cleaning device and is pumped into the waste water tank. The foregoing waste water recycling path forms a part of the device air duct of the cleaning device.

After usage, the cleaning device is generally placed back onto a docking station to be supported by the docking station. Self-cleaning of the device, for example, washing of the cleaning brushroll and/or drying of the cleaning brushroll, may be performed on the docking station. A charging operation may also be performed on the docking station. In the related art, the docking station is usually of an integrated structure that has a relatively large size. In this case, a relatively large package needs to be equipped. In addition, an accommodation groove on a base of the docking station is configured to accommodate the cleaning base body of the cleaning device. The cleaning brushroll of the cleaning base body needs to be washed in the accommodation groove. Dirt exists in the accommodation groove, particularly, in a brushroll groove corresponding to the cleaning brushroll. The integrated structure of the docking station is not conductive to washing of the accommodation groove, particularly, the brushroll groove. Specifically, electronic components such as a charging wire, a circuit board and a fan exist in the docking station. Therefore, when the docking station of the integrated structure is washed, the electronic components have the risk of wading. In addition, because the size of the integrated structure is too large, the integrated structure is not conductive to cleaning.

The present disclosure provides a docking station. The docking station is configured to support a cleaning device and includes a station body and a detachable tray. The station body includes a base tray and a support base disposed on the base tray. The support base is configured to support a device body of the cleaning device. The detachable tray is configured to be detachably connected with the base tray. The detachable tray is connected to the base tray to form an accommodation groove. The accommodation groove is configured to accommodate a cleaning base body of the cleaning device. The detachable tray is provided with a brushroll groove configured to accommodate a cleaning brushroll of the cleaning base body. The detachable tray further includes a water blocking rib(s) disposed on one side or two sides of the brushroll groove.

In the present disclosure, the docking station includes the station body and the detachable tray. The detachable tray is detachably connected to the base tray of the station body, which can reduce a package size of the docking station. In addition, the detachable tray may be demounted and separated from the station body, facilitating a user to clean the detachable tray. The detachable tray is provided with the brushroll groove and the water blocking ribs disposed on the two sides of the brushroll groove, so that when the cleaning device performs, on the docking station, an operation of washing the cleaning brushroll, cleaning liquid can be kept in the brushroll groove as much as possible, thereby avoiding the cleaning liquid to be spilled into another portion of the accommodation groove.

The followings describe optional embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings.

is a schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where the docking station is in a connected state.is a schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where the docking station is in a connected state. The docking station shown inand the docking station shown inare taken from different viewing angles.is a schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where the docking station is in a demounted state.is a schematic structural diagram of a docking station provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where the docking station is in a demounted state. The docking station shown inand the docking station shown inare taken from different viewing angles. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a docking station. The docking stationis configured to support a cleaning device. For example, the cleaning device is a floor scrubber. After finishing a cleaning operation, the floor scrubber may be placed back onto the docking stationfor supporting. Various operations such as charging, washing a cleaning brushroll, and/or drying the cleaning brushroll may be performed on the docking station.

As shown into, the docking stationincludes a station bodyand a detachable traythat are detachably connected with each other. Specifically, the station bodyincludes a base trayand a support base. The support baseis disposed on the base tray. For example, the support baseextends from a surface of the base trayalong a direction substantially perpendicular to the base trayand away from the base tray. The support baseand the base traymay be of an integrated structure or may be of separated structures. The support baseis configured to support a device body of the cleaning device. When the cleaning device is placed on the docking station, the support basesupports the device body of the cleaning device. The detachable trayis configured to be detachably connected with the base tray, and the detachable trayand the base trayjointly form a baseof the docking station.

When the detachable trayis connected to the base trayto form the complete base, the baseis provided with an accommodation groove. The accommodation grooveis configured to accommodate a cleaning base body of the cleaning device. When the cleaning device is placed on the docking station, the basesupports and accommodates the cleaning base body of the cleaning device. The cleaning base body is at least partially accommodated in the accommodation grooveto facilitate a self-washing operation, on the docking station, of the cleaning brushroll on the cleaning base body, thereby removing stains on the cleaning brushroll.

The detachable trayis provided with a brushroll grooveconfigured to accommodate the cleaning brushroll of the cleaning base body. The detachable tray further includes water blocking ribsdisposed on two sides of the brushroll groove. For example, the number of the brushroll grooveis one or more and is matched with the number of the cleaning brushroll of the cleaning device. In other embodiments, one brushroll groovemay correspond to one or more cleaning brushrolls. As shown into, there are, for example, two brushroll grooves; and the two brushroll groovesare disposed in parallel. There are, for example, also two water blocking ribsthat are disposed on two sides of the brushroll groovesrespectively. The cleaning brushroll may perform a washing operation in the brushroll grooveby using cleaning liquid. The water blocking ribis configured to block the cleaning liquid from spilling outwards from the brushroll groovewhen the cleaning brushroll performs a self-washing operation.

In the present disclosure, the detachable trayis detachably connected to the base trayof the station body. After being demounted, the detachable trayand the base traycan be placed in a more flexible manner, so that space can be utilized more properly. Therefore, the design flexibility of a package is higher. For example, a relatively small package may be used for the docking stationthat is in the demounted state, thereby reducing package costs. In addition, for the brushroll groove in which dirt is easy to accumulate, because the detachable traymay be demounted and separated from the station body, a user may wash the detachable trayafter the detachable trayis demounted. This facilitates washing.

In some embodiments, as shown into, the base trayincludes a first fixing clamp piece. The first fixing clamp pieceextends from a side wall, namely, a connecting side wall, of the base trayalong a direction away from the support base. The connecting side wall is, for example, a side wall of the base trayaway from the support base. The detachable trayincludes a second fixing clamp piece. The second fixing clamp pieceis configured to be detachably matched and clamped with the first fixing clamp piece, thereby enabling the detachable trayto be connected to the base tray. With the above structure, the detachable traymay be conveniently mounted to the base trayor demounted from the base tray.

In some embodiments, as shown into, there are a plurality of first fixing clamp pieces. The plurality of first fixing clamp piecesare uniformly disposed along a connecting side wall of the base tray, for example, the connecting side wall is a side wall of the base trayaway from the support base. There are a plurality of second fixing clamp pieces. The plurality of second fixing clamp piecesare in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of first fixing clamp pieces. Two or more pairs of the first fixing clamp piecesand the second fixing clamp piecesthat are matched with each other can make the detachable trayand the base traybe connected firmly. After the detachable trayand the base trayare connected, their positions are relatively fixed.

In some embodiments, one of the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp pieceincludes a T-shaped clamping groove; the other one of the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp pieceincludes a T-shaped insert; and the T-shaped clamping groove and the T-shaped insert are configured to be matched and clamped with each other. In the present disclosure, the T-shaped clamping groove is a clamping groove having a specific structure. A section, in a plane perpendicular to a first direction, of the clamping groove is T-shaped, as shown inand. For example, the first direction is a vertical direction Y. For example, the plane perpendicular to the first direction is a horizontal plane. In the present disclosure, the T-shaped insert is an insert having a specific structure. A section, in a plane perpendicular to a first direction, of the insert is T-shaped, as shown inand. For example, the first direction is a vertical direction Y. For example, the plane perpendicular to the first direction is a horizontal plane.

In some embodiments, as shown inand, the first fixing clamp pieceincludes a T-shaped clamping groove; and the second fixing clamp piece includes a T-shaped insert. In a process of connecting the detachable trayto the base tray, the detachable traymay be moved towards the base trayalong the first direction Y until the detachable trayand the base trayare connected together. For example, first, the station bodyis placed on an operating surface, for example, a horizontal floor; then, the detachable trayis moved towards the horizontal floor along the vertical direction from top to bottom; and the second fixing clamp pieceis aligned and in plug-in connection with the corresponding first fixing clamp piece. In a process of demounting the detachable trayfrom the base tray, the detachable traymay be moved away from the base trayalong the first direction Y. For example, when the docking stationis placed on an operating surface, for example, a horizontal floor, the detachable trayis moved away from the base trayalong the vertical direction from bottom to top.

After the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp piecethat have the specific structures are matched and in plug-in connection with each other, the base trayand the detachable traycan be prevented from moving relative to each other in a horizontal direction. This can further make the base trayand the detachable traybe firmly connected with each other.

In some embodiments, the base trayincludes a first positioning clamp piece. The first positioning clamp pieceis disposed on the connecting side wall of the base tray, for example, the side wall of the base trayaway from the support base. The detachable trayfurther includes a second positioning clamp piececonfigured to be clamped with the first positioning clamp piece, thereby connecting the detachable trayand the base trayin position. In a process of aligning and plug-in connection of the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp piece, the first positioning clamp pieceand the second positioning clamp pieceare matched and clamped with each other, which indicates that the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp pieceare connected in a plug-in manner in place, and that the base trayand the detachable trayare firmly connected together.

In an embodiment, the first positioning clamp pieceis disposed on at least one of two ends of the connecting side wall of the base tray. For example, as shown into, the first positioning clamp pieceis disposed on each of the two ends of the side wall, away from the support base, of the base tray.

In some embodiments, one of the first positioning clamp pieceand the second positioning clamp pieceincludes a positioning clamp hole; and the other one of the first positioning clamp pieceand the second positioning clamp pieceincludes a positioning snap. For example, as shown into, the first positioning clamp pieceincludes the positioning clamp hole, and the second positioning clamp pieceincludes the positioning snap. When the first positioning clamp pieceand the second positioning clamp pieceare matched and in a snap-fit connection, it indicates that the first fixing clamp pieceand the second fixing clamp pieceare connected to each other in a plug-in manner in place, and that the base trayand the detachable trayare connected in place to form the base.

In some embodiments, the detachable trayincludes a blocking armthat is disposed on at least one end of the brushroll grooveand configured to prevent the cleaning brushroll of the cleaning device from slipping. After usage, the cleaning device is generally placed back onto the docking station to be supported by the docking station. The cleaning brushroll can be washed on the docking station. The cleaning brushroll is at least partially accommodated in the brushroll groove. The self-washing operation of the cleaning brushroll is mainly performed in the brushroll groove. In the washing process, the cleaning brushroll needs to rotate. The blocking armis disposed at the end of the brushroll groove and thus can prevent the cleaning brushroll from slipping.

In some embodiments, as shown into, the blocking armhas a greater height than a side wall of the accommodation groove.

is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where a cleaning device is supported by a docking station.is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, where a cleaning device is separated from a docking station.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a cleaning device, for example, a floor scrubber. The cleaning deviceis matched with the docking station. As shown inand, the cleaning deviceincludes a cleaning base body, a device bodyand a handle assembly. The device bodyis disposed above the cleaning base body, and is movably connected to the cleaning base body, for example, pivotally connected to the cleaning base body. The handle assemblyis connected to an end of the device bodyaway from the cleaning base bodyand is used for being grasped by a user during an operation. The user grasps the handle assembly, thereby controlling the cleaning base bodyto execute a cleaning task on a surface to be cleaned, for example, on a floor.

In some embodiments, the device bodyextends lengthwise. The handle assemblyis connected to an upper end of the device body. The cleaning base bodyis connected to a lower end of the device body. The device bodyis pivotally connected to the cleaning base body, enabling the handle assemblyand the device bodyto rotate relative to the cleaning base body, thereby changing an operating angle and flexibly adjusting a washing posture. The cleaning base bodyincludes a cleaning component, for example, the cleaning brushroll, disposed at the bottom of the cleaning base body. Specifically, for example, the number of the cleaning brushrollis one or more, for example, two or three. The cleaning brushrollcan rotate at a high speed to mop a floor.

In some embodiments, as shown inand, the cleaning device, for example, a floor scrubber, further includes a clean water tankand a waste water tank, both of which are, for example, disposed on the device body. The clean water tankaccommodates cleaning liquid, for example, cleaning water, and may provide the cleaning water for the cleaning brushrollthrough a clean water pipeline to wet a surface of the cleaning brushroll, thereby enabling the cleaning brushrollto perform wet cleaning on the surface to be cleaned. The waste water tankis configured to accommodate recycled waste water. When the cleaning brushrollperforms wet cleaning, waste water is generated on the surface that is cleaned. The waste water may be recycled into the waste water tankthrough a waste water recycling pipeline.

In some embodiments, as shown inand, after finishing a cleaning operation, the cleaning deviceis generally placed on the docking station. The docking stationsupports and fixes the cleaning device. With reference toto, in some embodiments, an end of the support baseaway from the base trayis provided with a support groove. The support grooveis configured to accommodate a part of the device bodyof the cleaning deviceto support the device body. For example, the support grooveis configured to accommodate an end of the device bodyof the cleaning deviceaway from the handle assembly. When the cleaning deviceis placed on the docking stationafter finishing the cleaning operation, the support groovesupports the device body, the accommodation groove on the baseaccommodates and supports the cleaning base bodyof the cleaning device, and the cleaning brushrollon the cleaning base bodyis accommodated in the brushroll groove.

When the cleaning deviceis supported by the docking station, the cleaning devicemay further perform maintenance operations such as charging, self-cleaning and drying. In some embodiments, as shown into, the docking stationmay include a first charging/communication interface; the cleaning devicemay include a second charging/communication interface; and the first charging/communication interface is matched and connected with the second charging/communication interface, thereby implementing a charging/communication function between the cleaning deviceand the docking station. The charging/communication function herein is at least one of a charging function or a communication function. In the present disclosure, the character “/” denotes and/or.

In some embodiments, the first charging/communication interface includes at least one first charging/communication terminal. The at least one first charging/communication terminal is a female terminal or a male terminal. For example, when the first charging/communication terminal is the female terminal, the second charging/communication interface on the cleaning deviceis correspondingly provided with a matched male terminal; or when the first charging/communication terminal is the male terminal, the second charging/communication interface on the cleaning deviceis correspondingly provided with a matched female terminal. When the male terminal and the female terminal that are matched with each other are disposed on the docking stationand the cleaning devicerespectively, the cleaning deviceis enabled to have a good electrical path when performing a maintenance operation. In some embodiments, there may be two or more first charging/communication terminals. The plurality of first charging/communication terminals may be arranged regularly. All the first charging/communication terminals may be terminals of the same type, for example, charging terminals, communication terminals, or time division multiplexing composite terminals of charging terminals and communication terminals. Alternatively, some of the first charging/communication terminals are charging terminals, and the other first charging/communication terminals are communication terminals.

With reference toto, by taking that both the first charging/communication interface and the second charging/communication interface are charging interfaces as an example, the first charging interfaceis disposed in the support groove, and the first charging interfaceis configured to be matched and connected with the second charging interface on the device body, thereby charging the device body.

In the related art, the cleaning device may be placed back onto the docking station for charging. However, a charging terminal in a charging interface on the docking station is usually exposed outside, and thus is easily affected by moisture in an external environment. As a result, a charging path becomes faulty. In addition, because the charging terminal is exposed outside, in a case that the user spills water onto the charging terminal by accident during usage, an operating circuit is prone to short circuit if accumulated water is not removed timely. As a result, the device is damaged.

To resolve this problem, some embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a docking station. The docking station is configured to support a cleaning device, and charge the cleaning device and/or communicate with the cleaning device. The docking station includes: a base configured to support a cleaning base body of the cleaning device, and a support base disposed on the base and configured to support a device body of the cleaning device. The support base includes a first charging/communication interface. The first charging/communication interface includes: a first charging holder provided with a cavity, a female/male terminal disposed in the cavity and configured to be in plug-in connection with a male/female terminal on the cleaning device, and a water-proof layer, for example, a water-proof flexible plastic layer coating at least a part of the first charging holder to protect the female/male terminal. In the present disclosure, the water-proof flexible plastic layer is used to protect a female charging terminal in the cavity, thereby protecting the female charging terminal from being affected by external moisture and preventing the female charging terminal from being in contact with electrically conductive liquid.

The following embodiment is described by taking that the first charging/communication interface is a first charging interface, the second charging/communication interface is a second charging interface, the female/male terminal is a female charging terminal, and the male/female terminal is a male charging terminal as an example.