TWI808792B - Cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus includes a brush having a brush body and multiple rows of brush hairs disposed on the brush body along a circumferential direction of the brush body, a guiding member disposed on one side of the brush to provide a guiding path, and a driving unit configured to drive the brush to rotate. With respect to a reference plane, a distal end of one row of brush hairs of the multiple rows of brush hairs at a location closet to the reference plane is closer to the reference plane than a distal end of the guiding member is. When the cleaning apparatus is supported on a support plane, and the brush is driven by the driving unit and rotates, the multiple rows of brush hairs sequentially contact the support plane and deform to provide a restoring force. The restoring force enables an object on the support plane to be swiped through the guiding path into a collection space.

Description

cleaning device

The present invention relates to a sweeping device; in particular, the present invention relates to a sweeping device for effectively sweeping debris.

The general display panel manufacturing process includes glass cutting in a clean room, resulting in many glass fragments on the clean room floor, which often need to be cleaned with a clean cloth or a vacuum cleaner. However, the current common vacuum cleaner or sweeper has limited cleaning effect on flat objects, and the debris is easy to get stuck on the sweeper, which requires the use of a vacuum cleaner as an auxiliary, which is not suitable for cleaning flat objects. Furthermore, vacuum cleaners or sweepers are likely to cause turbulent flow because of the need for air extraction and exhaust, which is not conducive to the environmental maintenance of the clean room.

One object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device for cleaning debris, which simplifies the way of cleaning debris on the ground, improves cleaning efficiency, avoids disturbing flow, and effectively cleans debris from the ground.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device of the present invention includes a brush, a guide bar and a drive unit, wherein the brush includes a brush body and multiple rows of bristles, and the multiple rows of bristles are arranged on the brush body along the circumferential direction of the brush body; the guide bar is arranged on one side of the brush to provide a guide path; the drive unit drives the brush to rotate, wherein relative to the reference surface, the end of a row of bristles that is positioned closest to the reference surface among the multiple rows of bristles is closer to the reference surface than the end of the guide strip; When the brush is driven by the driving unit to rotate, multiple rows of bristles sequentially contact the supporting surface and deform to provide elastic force, and the elastic force enables the foreign matter on the supporting surface to be cleaned to the collection space through the guiding path.

In one embodiment, each row of bristles is composed of multiple rows of bristles, and each row of bristles is arranged obliquely relative to the central axis of the brush body, so that the rows of bristles are arranged in a spiral shape on the brush body.

In one embodiment, the ratio of the bristle width of each bristle along the radial direction of the brush body to the brush wheel diameter of the brush is 1:50 to 4:50.

In one embodiment, the distance between the bristles of the same row is 0-2 times the width of the bristles along the central axis of the brush body.

In one embodiment, the multiple rows of bristles have an arrangement pitch on the brush body, and the arrangement pitch is 0-2 times the width of the bristles along the radial direction of the brush body.

In one embodiment, the plurality of rows of bristles each include a first sub-row of bristles and a second sub-row of bristles, wherein the first sub-row of bristles is arranged from the first end of the brush body in a spiral shape around the central axis of the brush body toward the center of the brush body, and the second sub-row of bristles is arranged in a spiral shape around the central axis of the brush body from the second end of the brush body relative to the first end toward the center of the brush body, so as to be adjacent to the first sub-row of bristles.

In one embodiment, the arrangement directions of the bristles of the first sub-row and the bristles of the second sub-row and the central axis of the brush body respectively have a first included angle and a second included angle, and the first included angle and the second included angle are each greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 10 degrees.

In one embodiment, the first sub-row bristles and the second sub-row bristles form a virtual triangle with the central axis of the brush body, the inner angle between the first sub-row bristles and the second sub-row bristles is greater than or equal to 160 degrees and less than or equal to 170 degrees, and the rotation direction of the brush is the same as the opening direction of the inner angle.

In one embodiment, when the cleaning device is supported on the support surface, there is a horizontal distance (Dh) between the projection of the central axis of the brush body on the support surface and the end of the guide bar, and the horizontal distance (Dh) conforms to the following relationship: Dh≥ , where R is the distance from the central axis to the ends of the bristles, and h is the distance from the central axis to the supporting surface.

In one embodiment, when the cleaning device is supported on the supporting surface, the guide bar and the supporting surface have an included angle, and the included angle is greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 60 degrees.

In one embodiment, the hardness of the guide bar is greater than that of the bristles.

In one embodiment, the guide strip is a rubber strip, and the bristles are silicone bristles.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device of the present invention further includes wheels for supporting the cleaning device on the supporting surface, wherein relative to the reference surface, the ends of the guide strips are closer to the reference surface than the bottom ends of the wheels.

In one embodiment, the storage space is a space surrounded by a storage box or a storage bag.

Compared with the conventional technology, the cleaning device of the present invention uses a brush that can stick debris by electrostatic action, and utilizes the elastic force generated by the deformation of the brush to bounce the debris into the storage space, effectively simplifying the cleaning method, and avoiding turbulence due to the need for an air suction/exhaust device.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on” or “connected to” another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connection. Furthermore, "electrically connected" or "coupled" means that other elements exist between two elements.

It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, "a first element," "component," "region," "layer" or "section" discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms including "at least one" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. "or" means "and/or". As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "comprising" and/or "comprising" designate the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

Additionally, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as shown in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements would then be oriented on "upper" sides of the other elements. Thus, the exemplary term "lower" can encompass both an orientation of "lower" and "upper," depending on the particular orientation of the drawing. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "under" can encompass both an orientation of above and below.

As used herein, "about," "approximately," or "substantially" includes stated values and averages within acceptable deviations from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurement in question and the particular amount of error associated with the measurement (i.e., limitations of the measurement system). For example, "about" can mean within one or more standard deviations of the stated value, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, ±5%. Furthermore, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" used herein may select a more acceptable deviation range or standard deviation according to optical properties, etching properties or other properties, and one standard deviation may not be applicable to all properties.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present invention, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. Accordingly, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are to be expected. Thus, embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region shown or described as flat, may, typically, have rough and/or non-linear features. Additionally, acute corners shown may be rounded. Thus, the regions shown in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

The invention provides a cleaning device. The cleaning device of the present invention can be applied to cleaning foreign matter, such as hair, dust, cotton wool, glass, metal and other foreign matter, and is preferably applied to cleaning flat objects, such as glass shards or gaskets in a clean room, but is not limited thereto. The details of the cleaning device of the present invention will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are respectively a schematic perspective view and a schematic side view of a cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cleaning device 10 includes a brush 110 , a guide bar 120 and a driving unit 130 . The brush 110 includes a brush body 114 and a plurality of rows of bristles 112 . Multiple rows of bristles 112 are disposed on the brush body 114 along the circumferential direction of the brush body 114 . The guide bar 120 is disposed on one side of the brush 110 to provide a guide path GP. The driving unit 130 drives the brush 110 to rotate. Relative to the reference plane Pr, the end 112 a of the bristle row 112 closest to the reference plane Pr among the multiple rows of bristles 112 is closer to the reference plane Pr than the end 122 of the guide bar 120 . When the cleaning device 10 is supported on the support surface Ps and the brush 110 is driven by the drive unit 130 to rotate, the multiple rows of bristles 112 sequentially contact the support surface Ps and deform to provide elastic force, the elastic force makes the foreign matter 20 on the support surface Ps be cleaned to the collection space 140 through the guide path GP (see the implementation status of FIGS. 10 to 12 ).

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the cleaning device 10 may further include wheels 150 and a frame 160 to facilitate the operation and installation of the cleaning device 10 . The wheels 150 can be used to support the cleaning device 10 on the support surface Ps, so as to improve the mobility of the cleaning device 10 . The frame 160 is used to integrate/support the various components of the cleaning device 10, such as the brush 110, the guide bar 120, the driving unit 130, the wheels 150, and the storage space 140, etc. can be respectively installed on the corresponding positions of the frame 160, so that the cleaning device 10 has an integrated appearance. In this embodiment, the wheels 150 and the brushes 110 are preferably respectively disposed on opposite sides of the cleaning device 10 in the moving direction, and the guide bar 120 is located between the wheels 150 and the brushes 110 and adjacent to the brushes 110 . The storage space 140 can be a space surrounded by a storage box or a storage bag, and is preferably located on the other side of the guide bar 120 relative to the brush 110 , that is, between the guide bar 120 and the wheels 150 . From another point of view, the brush 110, the guide bar 120, the collection space 140 and the wheels 150 are arranged in sequence along the moving direction of the cleaning device 10, and the opening of the collection space 140 preferably corresponds to the upper end of the guide bar 120, so that the guide path GP provided by the guide bar 120 communicates with the collection space 140.

The driving unit 130 includes a motor 132 and a gear set 134 . The motor 132 provides power to drive the brush 110 to rotate. The gear set 134 is coupled between the motor 132 and the brush 110 to transmit the power provided by the motor 132 to the brush 110 . For example, in this embodiment, the gear set 134 includes three gears (such as 134a, 134b, 134c) meshing with each other, wherein the first gear 134a is connected to the transmission shaft of the motor 132, the third gear 134c is connected to the brush body 13 of the brush 110, and the second gear 134b is coupled to the first gear 134a and the third gear 134b respectively. When the motor 132 is activated, it can drive the first gear 134a to rotate in the first direction R1 (for example, counterclockwise), and the rotation of the first gear 134a will drive the second gear 134b to rotate in the second direction R2 (for example, clockwise). The rotation of the second gear 134b further drives the third gear 134c to rotate in the third direction R3 (for example, counterclockwise). It should be noted here that the number of gears in the gear set 134 can vary according to actual applications, and is not limited to the three gears shown in the embodiment. Moreover, according to practical applications, the driving unit 130 may only include the motor 132 , so that the transmission shaft of the motor 132 is directly coupled to the brush body 114 to drive the brush 110 to rotate without transmitting the power of the motor 132 through the gear set 134 .

In this embodiment, the reference plane Pr can be the tangent plane of the bottom end of the brush 110 , or a plane located below the bottom end of the brush 110 and parallel to the tangent plane of the bottom end of the brush 110 . The reference plane Pr can be a virtual plane or a physical plane. When the cleaning device 10 is provided with wheels 150 , the reference plane Pr is also preferably parallel to the tangent plane of the bottom end of the wheels 150 . As shown in FIG. 2, when the brush 110, the guide bar 120 and the wheel 150 are arranged on the frame 160 of the cleaning device 10, relative to the reference plane Pr, the end 112a of a row of bristles 112 located closest to the reference plane Pr among the multiple rows of bristles 112 is closer to the reference plane Pr than the end 122 of the guide bar 120, and the end 122 of the guide bar 120 is closer to the reference plane Pr than the bottom end of the wheel 150. Specifically, when each part of the cleaning device 10 is in a natural state (i.e. not compressed or deformed), when the bristles 112 of the hairbrush 110 rotate to the lowest point (i.e. the position where there is a minimum distance between the end 112a of the bristle 112 and the reference surface Pr or the position where the long axis direction of the bristle 112 is substantially parallel to the normal direction of the reference surface Pr), there is a distance d1 between the end 112a of the bristle 112 and the reference surface Pr, and the end 112a of the guide bar 120 is 1 There is a distance d2 between 22 and the reference plane Pr, and a distance d3 between the bottom end of the wheel 150 and the reference plane Pr, wherein the distance d1 is smaller than the distance d2, and the distance d2 is smaller than the distance d3, that is, d1<d2<d3. From another point of view, the reference plane Pr can be a virtual plane tangent to the bottom of the wheel 150 (ie, a tangent to the bottom of the wheel 150 ). When the multiple rows of bristles 112 of the brush 110 have a row of bristles 112 in which the long axis direction of the bristles 112 is substantially parallel to the normal direction of the reference surface Pr, the ends 112a of the row of bristles 112 and the ends 122 of the guide strip 120 are both downward beyond the reference surface Pr, and the ends 112a of the row of bristles 112 are further downward beyond the end 122 of the guide strip 120.

The support surface Ps may be a plane where foreign objects are located or a plane where the cleaning device 10 is placed, such as the ground or a tabletop. Relative to the supporting surface Ps, the bristles 112 and the guide strips 120 of the brush 110 are preferably made of flexible materials, more preferably flexible insulating materials. When the cleaning device 10 is supported on the support surface Ps by the wheels 150, the bottom end of the wheels 150 contacts the support surface Ps, and since the brush 110, the guide bar 120 and the wheel 150 have the configuration relationship of d1<d2<d3 with respect to the reference surface Pr, the bristles 112 of the brush 110 will elastically deform when they rotate and contact the support surface Ps, so as to provide elastic restoring force (i.e., elastic force), and the guide bar 120 will contact the support surface Ps. The surface Ps is also slightly deformed to enhance the fit between the end 122 of the guide bar 120 and the supporting surface Ps, thereby providing a stable guiding path GP. In one embodiment, the hardness of the guide bar 120 is preferably greater than that of the bristles 112 . For example, the bristles 112 of the brush 110 are preferably silicone bristles, and the guide strip 120 is preferably a rubber strip, but not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the brush body 114 of the brush 110 can be columnar or cylindrical, and the brush body 114 preferably has a circular cross section, but not limited thereto. According to practical applications, the brush body 114 may have any suitable cross section. In this embodiment, each row of bristles 112 is composed of a plurality of rows of bristles 112, and each row of bristles 112 is arranged obliquely relative to the central axis C of the brush body 114, so that the plurality of rows of bristles 112 are arranged in a spiral shape on the brush body 114. Specifically, multiple rows of bristles 112 are arranged obliquely along the circumferential direction of the brush body 114, so that the arrangement direction (for example DE1) of each row of bristles 112 preferably has a non-zero angle with respect to the central axis C of the brush body 114 and is helical, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the arrangement direction of each row of bristles 112 may be substantially parallel to the central axis C of the brush body 114 . In this embodiment, each bristle 112 is preferably cylindrical, and each bristle 112 preferably extends outward from the surface of the brush body 114 along the radial direction of the brush body 114, so that the long axis direction of the bristle 112 is substantially parallel to the radial direction of the brush body 114, but not limited thereto. According to practical applications, the bristles 112 can be cylinders with any suitable geometry, and can extend outward from the surface of the brush body 114 in any suitable direction. In this embodiment, the plurality of bristles 112 in each row of bristles 112 preferably have the same shape and size (such as diameter and length), and the multiple rows of bristles 112 have the same number, shape and size of bristles, but not limited thereto. Depending on the actual application, the number, shape and size of the bristles 112 in each row may be the same or different.

In one embodiment, the distance Gr between the bristles 112 of the same row is preferably 0-2 times the bristle width Dc along the central axis C of the brush body 114 . For example, the bristles 112 of the same row can be adjacent to each other in the direction of the central axis C of the brush body 114, so that the distance Gr between the bristles 112 of the same row is substantially zero, thereby preventing foreign matter from penetrating through the gaps between the adjacent bristles 112 of the same row to avoid missed scanning. When there is an interval between the bristles 112 of the same column (ie, the distance Gr is greater than zero), the frictional force between the bristles 112 and the supporting surface Ps can be effectively reduced. However, the greater the distance Gr, the greater the chance of foreign matter penetrating from the gap between adjacent bristles 112, so the distance Gr between the same row of bristles 112 is preferably less than or equal to the width of two bristles 112 in the direction of the central axis C (i.e. bristle width Dc), but it is not limited thereto. When the bristles 112 are cylindrical, the bristle width Dc is the diameter of a single bristle 112 .

Furthermore, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 (only a single row of bristles 112 is taken as an example), the multiple rows of bristles 112 each include a first sub-row of bristles 110 a and a second sub-row of bristles 110 b. The first sub-row bristles 110a are preferably arranged from the first end (for example, the left end) of the brush body 114 to the center of the brush body 114 in a spiral around the central axis C of the brush body 114. Specifically, when the plurality of bristles 112 of each row are arranged in a spiral shape around the central axis C of the brush body 114 from one end of the brush body 114 to the central position of the brush body 114 in the direction of the central axis C (that is, approximately 1/2 of the length of the brush body 114 in the direction of the central axis C), they are preferably arranged in a reverse spiral manner from the central position of the brush body 114 toward the other end of the brush body 114, so that each row of bristles 112 has an inwardly concentrated arrangement. configuration.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the first sub-row of bristles 110 a and the second sub-row of bristles 110 b form a virtual triangle with the central axis C of the brush body 114 . Specifically, the arrangement direction DE1 of the first sub-row bristles 110a and the arrangement direction DE2 of the second sub-row bristles 110b form a virtual triangle with the central axis C of the brush body 114, so that the arrangement directions DE1, DE2 of the first sub-row bristles 110a and the second sub-row bristles 110b and the central axis C of the brush body 114 respectively have a first included angle θ1 and a second included angle θ2, and the first included angle θ1 and the second included angle θ2 are preferably greater than or equal to 5 degrees. And less than or equal to 10 degrees (ie 5˚≦θ1≦10˚, 5˚≦θ2≦10˚). In this embodiment, the first included angle θ1 is substantially the same as the second included angle θ2, so that the virtual triangle formed above is an isosceles triangle, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first included angle θ1 and the second included angle θ2 may be different, so that the virtual triangle formed above is a non-isosceles triangle. Furthermore, according to practical applications, the first included angle θ1 and the second included angle θ2 of the plurality of rows of bristles 112 may be the same or different. For example, when the first included angle θ1 of the multiple rows of bristles 112 is the same, the arrangement directions DE1 of the multiple rows of first sub-rows of bristles 110a are substantially parallel. When the second included angle θ2 of multiple rows of bristles 112 is the same, the arrangement directions DE2 of multiple rows of second sub-rows of bristles 110b are substantially parallel.

From another point of view, in the aforementioned virtual triangle, the internal angle θ3 between the first sub-row bristles 110a and the second sub-row bristles 110b is preferably greater than or equal to 160° and less than or equal to 170° (160°≦θ1≦170°). When the first included angle θ1 and the second included angle θ2 are 0 degrees, that is, the arrangement directions DE1 and DE2 of the first sub-row bristles 110a and the second sub-row bristles 110b of the same row of bristles 112 are coincident and parallel to the central axis C of the brush body 114, during the operation of the cleaning device 10, foreign objects are more likely to bounce toward the outside of the brush. However, when the first included angle θ1 and the second included angle θ2 are too large (that is, the inner angle θ3 is too small), foreign matter tends to concentrate excessively toward the center of the brush 110 , reducing cleaning efficiency. Therefore, in each row of bristles 112, the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are preferably greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 10 degrees. In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the brush 110 (ie, the third rotation direction R3 ) is preferably in the same direction as the opening direction of the inner angle θ3 , that is, the third rotation direction R3 is a direction from the inner angle θ3 to the central axis C. Thereby, when the brush 110 rotates along the rotation direction (for example, R3 ), the foreign matter can be concentrated inward, and the foreign matter can be prevented from flying outward.

When the bristles 112 are thinner, the elastic force provided by the bristles 112 due to deformation is smaller, so that the foreign matter that the bristles 112 can drive is smaller. When the bristles 112 are thicker, the elastic force provided by the bristles 112 due to deformation is greater, but the power provided by the motor 132 must also be relatively increased. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the ratio of the bristle width Dr of each bristle 112 along the radial direction of the brush body 114 to the brush wheel diameter D of the brush 110 is preferably 1:50 to 4:50. The brush wheel diameter D can be defined as the maximum width of the brush 110 in the radial direction of the brush body 114, that is, in the radial direction of the brush body 114, the sum of the width (or diameter) of the brush body 114 and the lengths of the two bristles 112 on opposite sides. When the bristle 112 is cylindrical, the width of the bristle 112 in the radial direction of the brush body 114 is equal to the width of the bristle 112 in the direction of the central axis C of the brush body 114 (i.e. bristle width Dc=bristle width Dr=bristle diameter). Furthermore, when multiple rows of bristles 112 are closely arranged along the circumferential direction of the brush body 114 , the adhesion of the bristles 112 to foreign matter can be improved. When the multiple rows of bristles 112 are arranged non-closely along the circumferential direction of the brush body 114 , it is beneficial to clean larger foreign matter and reduce the resistance to the supporting surface Ps. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the multi-row bristles 112 have an arrangement pitch Dg in the circumferential direction of the brush body 114, and the arrangement pitch Dg is preferably 0-2 times the bristle width Dr along the radial direction of the brush body 114, but it is not limited thereto.

As shown in Figure 5, in one embodiment, when the cleaning device 10 is supported on the support surface Ps, there is a horizontal distance (Dh) between the projection of the central axis C of the brush body 114 on the support surface Ps and the end 122 of the guide bar 120, and the horizontal distance (Dh) preferably conforms to the following relationship: Dh≥ , where R is the distance from the central axis C to the end 112a of the bristle 112 (such as the sum of the radius of the brush body 114 and the length of a bristle 112, or 1/2 of the brush wheel diameter D), and h is the distance from the central axis C to the supporting surface Ps. In other words, when the guide bar 120 is disposed on the side of the brush 110 , the relative position of the guide bar 120 and the brush 110 preferably conforms to the above relational expression.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are schematic diagrams of the guide bar 120 relative to the reference plane Pr and the supporting plane Ps according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6 , the guide bar 120 is inclined relative to the reference plane Pr. As shown in FIG. 7 , when the cleaning device 10 is supported on the support surface Ps, the guide bar 120 has an included angle α with the support surface Ps. Specifically, when the cleaning device 10 is supported on the support surface Ps, the end 122 of the guide strip 120 is in contact with the support surface Ps and thus slightly deformed, so that the angle α between the guide strip 120 and the support surface Ps is smaller than the inclination angle of the guide strip 120 relative to the reference surface Pr, and a slope-like guide path GP is provided. During the moving operation of the cleaning device 10, the end 122 of the guide bar 120 will be subjected to frictional force to generate a moment. When the angle α between the guide bar 120 and the supporting surface Ps is larger, the moment is larger, which may cause the guide bar 120 to bend and cannot stably provide the guide path GP. For example, the included angle α between the guide bar 120 and the support surface Ps may be greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 60 degrees (5°≦α≦60°), preferably the included angle α is greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 40 degrees (5°≦α≦40°). When the angle α between the guide bar 120 and the supporting surface Ps is greater than, for example, 60 degrees, the guide bar 120 is likely to be bent.

Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are respectively the three-dimensional schematic view and the cross-sectional schematic view of a brush 110' according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the brush 110' includes a brush body 114 and a plurality of rows of bristles 112. In this embodiment, the difference between the brush 110' and the brush 110 in the previous embodiment is that the multiple rows of bristles 112 have different arrangement spacings, so that the multiple rows of bristles 112 are arranged in different densities in the circumferential direction of the brush body 114, so that the brush 110' can locally improve the adhesion of the bristles 112 to foreign objects, and at the same time can partially clean large-sized foreign objects and reduce the resistance to the support surface Ps, but not limited thereto.

The operation of the cleaning device 10 under different conditions will be described later with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 . As shown in FIG. 10(a), in the first condition of the cleaning device 10 during operation, the power provided by the driving device 130 drives the brush 110 to rotate, so that the rows of bristles 112 of the brush 110 rotate to contact the supporting surface Ps in sequence. As shown in FIG. 10( b ), when the brush 110 rotates, one row of bristles 112 rotates to a position ready to approach the supporting surface Ps. As shown in FIG. 10( c ), the bristles 112 are deformed due to contact with the supporting surface Ps, and the front ends of the foreign objects 20 (such as glass shards) are slightly stuck by the bristles 112 . Specifically, the bristles 112 are preferably made of an insulating material (such as silicon gel), so that the surface of the bristles 112 accumulates a lot of positive/negative charges. When the bristles 112 contact the foreign matter 20 , the foreign matter 20 will be attached to the surface of the bristles 112 due to the effect of static electricity. As shown in FIG. 10( d ), when the bristles 112 rotate to prepare to leave the supporting surface Ps, the foreign matter 20 attached to the bristles 112 will be lifted by the bristles 112 . As shown in FIG. 10( e ), when the bristles 112 break away from the support surface Ps, the potential energy is released to provide elastic force (that is, the restoring force after elastic deformation), and eject the foreign matter 20 toward the guiding path GP. Thereby, the foreign matter 20 is ejected into the storage space 140 through the guide path GP by the elastic force provided by the bristles 112 .

As shown in FIG. 11( a ), in the second state of the cleaning device 10 during operation, the power provided by the driving device 130 drives the brush 110 to rotate, so that the rows of bristles 112 of the brush 110 rotate to contact the support surface Ps in sequence. As shown in FIG. 11( b ), when a row of bristles 112 is deformed due to contact with the supporting surface Ps, the foreign matter 20 (such as glass shards) is driven along the supporting surface Ps. As shown in FIG. 11( c ), when the bristles 112 rotate to prepare to leave the support surface Ps, the rear ends of the foreign matter 20 attached to the bristles 112 will be lifted by the bristles 112 . As shown in FIG. 11( d ), when the bristles 112 break away from the supporting surface Ps, the potential energy is released to provide elastic force (ie, the restoring force after elastic deformation), and eject the foreign matter 20 toward the guiding path GP. Thereby, the foreign matter 20 is ejected into the storage space 140 through the guide path GP by the elastic force provided by the bristles 112 .

As shown in FIG. 12( a), in the third state of the cleaning device 10 during operation, the power provided by the driving device 130 drives the brush 110 to rotate, so that the rows of bristles 112 of the brush 110 rotate to contact the supporting surface Ps in sequence. As shown in FIG. 12( b ), when a foreign matter 20 (such as glass shards) is stuck between the brush 112 and the guide bar 120 , the rear end of the foreign matter 20 adheres to the bristles 112 and is brought up. As shown in FIG. 12( c ), the brush 110 rotates so that the next bristle 112 pushes the lifted foreign matter 20 next. As shown in FIG. 12( d ), when the next bristle 112 breaks away from the supporting surface Ps, the potential energy is released to provide elastic force (ie, the restoring force after elastic deformation), and eject the foreign object 20 toward the guiding path GP. Thereby, the foreign matter 20 is ejected into the storage space 140 through the guide path GP by the elastic force provided by the bristles 112 .

The cleaning device 10 of the present invention utilizes the restoring force (i.e., elastic force) generated by elastic deformation when the bristles 112 of the brush 110 (or 110') contact the support surface Ps where the foreign matter 20 is located, so that the foreign matter 20 can be bounced into the collection space 140 through the guide path GP provided by the guide bar 120, which can effectively simplify the cleaning method, and does not need to use an air suction/exhaust device, which can avoid causing disturbance. Furthermore, the cleaning device 10 of the present invention can be used in conjunction with other electronic devices to enhance the cleaning effect.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the cleaning device 10 of the present invention can be applied to another electronic device 30 . Specifically, one or more cleaning devices 10 can be connected to the electronic device 30 so that the one or more cleaning devices 10 and the electronic device 30 work together. In one embodiment, the electronic device 30 may be a mobile device that drives the cleaning device 10 to move on the support surface Ps by itself, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning device 10 . In another embodiment, the electronic device 30 may be a sweeper. When the cleaning device 10 is integrated with the sweeping machine, the cleaning device 10 is preferably arranged at the front end of the sweeping machine, and the cleaning device 10 is preferably detachably coupled with the sweeping machine so as to be assembled or disassembled flexibly in response to the cleaning needs of different fields. When the cleaning device 10 and the electronic device 30 (such as a sweeper) work together, the cleaning device 10 can remove larger-sized foreign objects (such as glass) first, and then the sweeper can remove smaller-sized foreign objects (such as dust). In this way, the cleaning effect of rough sweeping first and then fine sweeping can be achieved, effectively increasing the life of the sticky roll paper of the sweeper, and reducing the chance of the sticky rubber wheel of the sweeper being polluted by large dust.

The present invention has been described by the above-mentioned related embodiments, but the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, modifications and equivalent arrangements included in the spirit and scope of the patent claims are included in the scope of the present invention.

10 cleaning device 20 foreign body 30 electronic devices 110, 110' brush 110a first sub-column bristles 110b second sub-column bristles 112 bristles 112a end 114 brush body 120 guide bar 122 end 130 drive unit 132 motor 134 gear set 134a first gear 134b second gear 134c third gear 140 collection space 150 wheels 160 frame C central axis D brush wheel diameter DE1, DE2 arrangement direction Dc bristle width Dg arrangement spacing Dh horizontal distance Dr bristle width d1, d2, d3 distance GP guide path Gr distance h distance Pr reference surface Ps support surface R distance R1 first direction of rotation R2 second direction of rotation R3 third direction of rotation θ1 first included angle θ2 second included angle θ3 interior angle α angle

Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the cleaning device in Fig. 1 . Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a brush according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a row of bristles of the brush of Fig. 3 . Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the brush and the guide bar according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams of the guide bar relative to the reference surface and the supporting surface according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are respectively a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a brush according to another embodiment of the present invention. 10 to 12 are schematic diagrams of the cleaning action of the brushes in various embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device of the present invention applied to another electronic device.

110 brushes 112 bristles 112a end 120 guide bar 122 end 130 drive unit 132 motor 134 gear set 134a first gear 134b second gear 134c third gear 140 collection space 150 wheels 160 frame d1, d2, d3 distance GP guide path Pr reference surface R1 first direction of rotation R2 second direction of rotation R3 third direction of rotation

Claims (14)

A cleaning device comprising: A brush, including a brush body and multiple rows of bristles, the multiple rows of bristles are arranged on the brush body along the circumferential direction of the brush body; a guide strip disposed on one side of the brush to provide a guide path; and a drive unit to drive the brush to rotate, Wherein relative to a reference surface, the end of a row of bristles located closest to the reference surface among the plurality of rows of bristles is closer to the reference surface than the end of the guide strip; When the cleaning device is supported on a supporting surface and the brush is driven by the driving unit to rotate, the multiple rows of bristles sequentially contact the supporting surface and deform to provide an elastic force, and the elastic force enables foreign objects on the supporting surface to be cleaned to a collection space through the guiding path. The cleaning device as described in Claim 1, wherein each of the multiple rows of bristles is composed of a plurality of bristles, and each of the multiple rows of bristles is arranged obliquely relative to the central axis of the brush body, so that the multiple rows of bristles are arranged in a spiral shape on the brush body. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the ratio of the width of each bristle along the radial direction of the brush body to the diameter of the brush wheel of the brush is 1:50 to 4:50. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the bristles of the same row is 0-2 times the width of a bristle along the central axis of the brush body. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the multiple rows of bristles have an arrangement pitch on the brush body, and the arrangement pitch is 0-2 times the width of a bristle along the radial direction of the brush body. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rows of bristles comprises a first sub-row of bristles and a second sub-row of bristles, the first sub-row of bristles is arranged spirally around the central axis of the brush body toward the center of the brush body from the first end of the brush body, and the second sub-row of bristles is arranged in a spiral shape around the central axis of the brush body toward the center of the brush body from the second end of the brush body relative to the first end, so as to be adjacent to the first sub-row of bristles. The cleaning device as described in claim 6, wherein the arrangement direction of the first sub-row of bristles and the second sub-row of bristles and the central axis of the brush body respectively have a first included angle and a second included angle, and the first included angle and the second included angle are each greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 10 degrees. The cleaning device as described in claim 6, wherein the first sub-row of bristles and the second sub-row of bristles form a virtual triangle with the central axis of the brush body, the inner angle between the first sub-row of bristles and the second sub-row of bristles is greater than or equal to 160 degrees and less than or equal to 170 degrees, and the rotation direction of the brush is the same as the opening direction of the inner angle. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein when the cleaning device is supported on the supporting surface, there is a horizontal distance (Dh) between the projection of the central axis of the brush body on the supporting surface and the end of the guide bar, and the horizontal distance (Dh) satisfies the following relationship: Dh≥ , wherein R is the distance from the central axis to the end of the bristle, and h is the distance from the central axis to the supporting surface. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein when the cleaning device is supported on the supporting surface, the guide bar has an included angle with the supporting surface, and the included angle is greater than or equal to 5 degrees and less than or equal to 60 degrees. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the hardness of the guide bar is greater than the hardness of the bristles. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the guide strip is a rubber strip, and the bristles are silicone bristles. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising wheels for supporting the cleaning device on the support surface, wherein relative to the reference surface, the end of the guide bar is closer to the reference surface than the bottom end of the wheel. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the collecting space is a space surrounded by a collecting box or a collecting bag.