U.S. patent application number 17/262773 was filed with the patent office on 2021-08-19 for wet cleaning device.
The applicant listed for this patent is KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.. Invention is credited to Anke Rieka MEULENDIJKS, Michiel Allan Aurelius SCHALLIG.
Application Number | 20210251452 17/262773 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005612973 |
Filed Date | 2021-08-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210251452 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MEULENDIJKS; Anke Rieka ; et
al. |
August 19, 2021 |
WET CLEANING DEVICE
Abstract
A wet cleaning device (WCD) comprises a mopping unit (MU) for
wet cleaning a surface, and an arrangement (ST) for increasing a
pressure of the mopping unit (MU) to the surface by means of
suction. The arrangement includes a hose at a side of the mopping
unit (MU), the hose having an opening for applying suction to the
surface. The hose may be present at opposite sides of the mopping
unit (MU). Alternatively, the hose may be present around the
mopping unit (MU). Preferably, a suction power of the arrangement
is controllable. Advantageously, the suction power is controllable
in dependence on a detection of stains, a speed of the wet cleaning
device (WCD), and/or a type of the surface. If the wet cleaning
device (WCD) is formed by a mopping robot vacuum cleaner, the
suction for the arrangement (ST) is advantageously a part of a
suction generated for vacuum cleaning.
Inventors: |
MEULENDIJKS; Anke Rieka;
(ZWOLLE, NL) ; SCHALLIG; Michiel Allan Aurelius;
(DRATCHEN, NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. |
EINDHOVEN |
|
NL |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005612973 |
Appl. No.: |
17/262773 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
August 1, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2019/070805 |
371 Date: |
January 25, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/0686 20130101;
A47L 11/4011 20130101; A47L 11/302 20130101; A47L 9/2826 20130101;
A47L 9/2842 20130101; A47L 2201/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 11/30 20060101
A47L011/30; A47L 9/06 20060101 A47L009/06; A47L 9/28 20060101
A47L009/28; A47L 11/40 20060101 A47L011/40 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 7, 2018 |
EP |
18187638.4 |
Claims
1. A wet cleaning device, comprising: a mopping unit for wet
cleaning a surface, and an arrangement for increasing a pressure of
the mopping unit to the surface by means of suction, wherein the
arrangement includes a hose at a side of the mopping unit, the hose
having an opening for applying suction to the surface.
2. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hose
is present at opposite sides of the mopping unit.
3. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hose
is present around the mopping unit.
4. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a suction
power of the arrangement is controllable.
5. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
suction power is controllable in dependence on a detection of
stains.
6. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
suction power is controllable in dependence on a speed of the wet
cleaning device.
7. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
suction power is controllable in dependence on a type of the
surface.
8. The wet cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wet
cleaning device is formed by a mopping robot vacuum cleaner, the
suction for the arrangement being a part of a suction generated for
vacuum cleaning.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a wet cleaning device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Hard floor cleaning is traditionally done by first vacuuming
the floor, followed by mopping it. Vacuuming removes the coarse
dirt, while mopping removes the stains. These days there are more
and more appliances on the market that claim to vacuum and mop in
one go. Also robot vacuum cleaners offer the solution of vacuum
cleaning and mopping the floor. For this a water tank with mop is
attached towards the (vacuum cleaning) robot.
[0003] US2014033468 discloses a floor tool in the context of a
vacuum cleaning appliance that has a dual functionality. Firstly,
the floor tool provides a suction cleaning function and, secondly,
the floor tool has the capability to carry a cleaning element,
preferably in the form of a wiping sheet, to wipe the floor surface
at the same time as vacuuming the floor surface. The suction nozzle
is configured to float relative to the connecting neck of the floor
tool which confers several benefits. Firstly, the downwards force
applied to the user via the neck is transmitted directly to the
support member, but not to the suction nozzle, the downwards
pressure improving the cleaning performance of the wipe sheet
carried on the support member. Secondly, since very little
downwards force is applied to the suction nozzle, it is able to
ride lightly across the floor surface which benefits the pickup
performance of the suction nozzle.
[0004] US2017367552 discloses a self-moving floor treatment device
that comprises a machine body base and a water tank. A cleaning
cloth is attached onto the bottom of the water tank, and the water
tank is connected to the bottom surface of the machine body base in
a manner of floating up and down. By mounting the water tank on the
machine body base in a floating manner to leave a certain gap
therebetween, the water tank and the cleaning cloth can float up
and down within a certain range of space. Because the force that
actually acts on the floor is just the gravity of the water tank
and the cleaning cloth themselves and does not comprise the gravity
of the machine, compared with a common product, the friction force
between the cleaning cloth and the floor is reduced, the phenomenon
that the machine slips on the floor with water can be effectively
avoided, the floor cleaning efficiency is improved and the obstacle
crossing ability of the machine with the water tank is
improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is, inter alia, an object of the invention to provide an
improved wet cleaning device. The invention is defined by the
independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the
dependent claims.
[0006] One aspect of the invention provides a wet cleaning device,
comprising a mopping unit for wet cleaning a surface, and an
arrangement for increasing a pressure of the mopping unit to the
surface by means of suction. This arrangement includes a hose at a
side of the mopping unit, the hose having an opening for applying
suction to the surface. The hose may be present at opposite sides
of the mopping unit. Alternatively, the hose may be present around
the mopping unit. Preferably, a suction power of the arrangement is
controllable. Advantageously, the suction power is controllable in
dependence on a detection of stains, a speed of the wet cleaning
device, and/or a type of the surface. If the wet cleaning device is
formed by a mopping robot vacuum cleaner, the suction for the
arrangement is advantageously a part of a suction generated for
vacuum cleaning.
[0007] The invention is based on the recognition that wet cleaning
devices like robot vacuum cleaners are preferably not very heavy,
so that a user can easily pick them up. For mopping a surface (e.g.
a floor), often some pressure is needed on the surface to be able
to remove hard stains. Here we encounter a contradiction. The wet
cleaning device needs to be low in weight to be easily lifted, but
on the other hand, it should provide enough pressure on the floor
to enable the wet cleaning device to mop the surface properly. To
overcome this contradiction, it is necessary to provide a way to
apply force on the ground without making the wet cleaning device
heavier.
[0008] One aspect of this invention will enable the wet cleaning
device to give an increased pressure on the ground while mopping,
while staying light in weight. Embodiments of the invention provide
an area of under-pressure around the mopping unit so that the
mopping unit will suck itself to the ground. In a robot vacuum
cleaner embodiment, the under-pressure can advantageously be
generated by leading a part of the airflow of the vacuum cleaner
through a tube system around the mop.
[0009] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent
from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a bottom view of an embodiment of a wet
cleaning device in accordance with the invention; and
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the embodiment of FIG.
1.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0012] The embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 relates to a wet cleaning
device WCD formed by a mopping robot vacuum cleaner. As usual, the
mopping robot vacuum cleaner has wheels W, a nozzle N with an
optional rotating brush B, and a mopping unit MU. The mopping unit
MU has a liquid tank (not shown) and a (replaceable) cleaning
cloth. In accordance with the invention, a suction tool ST is
provided at a side of the mopping unit MU. In the embodiment shown,
the suction tool ST is formed by a hose having multiple openings
around the mopping unit MU. Alternatively, the hose may have a
slit-shaped opening. The hose may be made of rubber or some
suitable plastic or other suitable material. The hose may be glued
to the mopping unit MU.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, as usual for vacuum cleaners, dirty air
from the nozzle N is guided to a dirt separation and collection
unit DC, through which an airflow is generated by a fan F. In
accordance with an embodiment of the invention, part of the airflow
generated by the fan F is used to generate suction for the suction
tool ST. A valve V is present to control how much airflow can be
used for the suction tool ST. The valve V may be formed by means of
a clamp around a hose: if the hose is compressed by the clamp, less
suction is available for the suction tool ST. Advantageously, the
amount of suction available for the suction tool ST depends on a
detection of stains (stain present=>more suction), a speed of
the wet cleaning device WCD (too low speed=>reduce suction),
and/or a type of the surface. To control the valve, a processor
(anyway present in a robot cleaner) receives data (e.g. from a
camera (not shown), and has software that can determine the
presence of stains and the surface type from the camera image. This
software may involve artificial intelligence based on a trained
neural network. The wheel speed can be derived e.g. from an amount
of current drawn by a motor that rotates the wheels W: if the
current is relatively high, the motor has to work hard, so that it
makes sense to reduce the suction for the suction tool to reduce
friction.
[0014] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments
illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled
in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments
without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the
above examples, a rectangular robot vacuum cleaner has been shown
with a rectangular mopping unit MU. Obviously, the wet cleaning
device may have a different shape (e.g. round), and the same holds
for the mopping unit MU, which may e.g. have the shape shown in
US2017367552. In the embodiment shown, the mopping unit MU is
surrounded by the suction tool ST, but in other embodiments, the
suction tool ST is just present at a side or at opposite side of
the mopping unit MU. The suction tool ST does not need to be along
a side, i.e. it does not need to have an elongated shape, as long
as it results in the mopping unit MU exercising an increased
pressure on the surface. The wet cleaning device of the present
invention may also be arranged for cleaning (vertical) surfaces
like windows or walls. The wet cleaning device of the present
invention does not need to have a vacuum cleaner function. And if
the wet cleaning device does have a vacuum cleaner function, it may
or may not use the vacuum cleaner fan F for creating suction to
increase a pressure of the mopping unit to the surface; a separate
low-power fan may be used for this purpose, and this may result in
the advantage that a better control of mopping pressure may be
achieved, independent of vacuuming activities. A wet cleaning
device having a vacuum cleaner function may have different
operation modes: (1) only vacuum cleaning, (2) only wet cleaning,
and (3) both vacuum cleaning and wet cleaning. In the second mode,
use of a separate suction unit for generating under-pressure may
result in the advantage that less energy is consumed. In the
claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be
construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not
exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed
in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not
exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention
may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct
elements. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of
these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware.
Measures recited in mutually different dependent claims may
advantageously be used in combination.
* * * * *