WO2025025757A1

WO2025025757A1 - Roller brush and cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO2025025757A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/095111
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xu Chen; Zhenxu WANG; Dahao LIN; Weijin LIN
Original assignee: Yunjing Intelligent Shenzhen Co Ltd; Yunjing Intelligence Innovation Shenzhen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yunjing Intelligent Shenzhen Co Ltd; Yunjing Intelligence Innovation Shenzhen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-08-01
Filing date: 2024-05-24
Publication date: 2025-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-01

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a roller brush and a cleaning device. The roller brush includes a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip. The rotatable core includes a mounting end coupled to the cleaning device and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

Description

ROLLER BRUSH AND CLEANING DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefits of priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202322062362.0, filed on August 1, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202310969959.5, filed on August 1, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202322061300.8, filed on August 1, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202322065482.6, filed on August 1, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202322057282.6, filed on August 1, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202322065518.0, filed on August 1, 2023. The contents of all applications above are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a roller brush for a cleaning device, and a cleaning device. In particular, a roller brush with a free end is disclosed herein.

Cleaning devices, for example cleaning robots, can help user clean surfaces in a variety of different environments. With the equipment of a roller brush and a vacuum system, most cleaning devices are able to take in debris and dust from a surface and guide them into a corresponding collector of the cleaning device. When waste, such as debris and dust, passes through an opening or an outlet of the roller brush, long strands of the debris, such as hair, thread, or the like, may become wrapped around the roller brush and/or a mounting end of the roller brush and lead to an increased torque thereon and slowdown of its rotation speed. Thus, improvement of the roller brush is contemplated.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a roller brush for a cleaning device. The roller brush includes a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip. The rotatable core includes a mounting end coupled to the cleaning device and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle of the plurality of bristles includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a chassis, a suction chamber coupled to the chassis, a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip. The rotatable core includes a mounting end and mounted in the suction chamber and of the cleaning device through the mounting end, and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle of the plurality of bristles includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further explain the present disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a cleaning device, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a roller brush assembly with a suction chamber of the cleaning device in a first state, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush assembly with the suction chamber of the cleaning device in a second state, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush assembly separated from the suction chamber, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section view of the roller brush along the N-N1 direction, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic cross-section view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic cross-section view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates schematic cross-section view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a right view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a right view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a right view of the roller brush, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of the basement of a suction chamber of the cleaning device, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 illustrates a perspective view of the roller brush of the roller brush assembly, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purpose only. As such, other configurations and arrangements can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the present disclosure can also be employed in a variety of other applications. Functional and structural features as described in the present disclosures can be combined, adjusted, and modified with one another and in ways not specifically depicted in the drawings, such that these combinations, adjustments, and modifications are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In general, terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in context. For example, the term “one or more” as used herein, depending at least in part upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms, such as “a, ” “an, ” or “the, ” again, may be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage, depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term “based on” may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again, depending at least in part upon context. Further, the terms “comprises, ” “comprising, ” “including, ” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

Terms such as “upper, ” “lower, ” “inner, ” “outer, ” “front, ” “rear, ” and variations thereof herein are used for ease of description to explain the positioning of one element relative to a second element, and are not intended to be limiting to a specific orientation or position.

Terms such as “first, ” “second, ” and variations thereof herein are used to describe various elements, regions, sections, etc. and are not intended to be limiting.

Terms such as “connect, ” “couple, ” “communication with, ” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, communication and mountings, and are not restricted to electrical, physical, or mechanical attachments, connections, or mountings.

Additional novel features in part will be set forth in the following descriptions, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following descriptions and the accompanying drawings or upon learning by implementing the examples taught herein. The novel features of the present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or use of various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities, and combinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a roller brush and a cleaning device. The cleaning device may be, for example, a handheld vacuum cleaner, a floor washer, a cleaning robot, a mopping robot, and a robot capable of at least one of mopping, cleaning, and washing. In the present implementation, referring to FIG. 1, a cleaning device 100 is taken as an example to illustrate the structure of the roller brush provided in the present disclosure.

Cleaning device 100 can remove debris or dust from a surface by agitating, lifting, and collecting them from the surface by applying a negative pressure above the surface. The debris or dust described herein is not limited to solid waste, and may also include hair, thread, liquid, etc. In some implementations, cleaning device 100 includes a chassis (not shown) and a main body 101 coupled to the chassis. Main body 101 is supported by a driving system that can maneuver cleaning device 100 across a floor surface based on a command. The command may be input by a user directly on cleaning device 100 or through a remote control. The command may also be executed by the device itself through preinstalled or downloaded software instructions upon a triggering event, such as detection of a change of environment. The driving system may include a left driving wheel and a right driving wheel with respective driving motors, and a caster wheel configured to further support cleaning device 100. Cleaning device 100 may further include a sensor system having one or more types of sensors. The sensors may function independently or collectively to create a perception of the environment surrounding cleaning device 100, so that cleaning device 100 can make intelligent decisions about what actions to take in that environment. The sensor system may include one or more of the following: obstacle detection and avoidance sensor, communication sensor, navigation sensor, etc. Cleaning device 100 may include a navigation system configured to maneuver cleaning device 100. In one example, when cleaning device 100 detects obstruction by a wall or a piece of furniture by an obstacle detection and avoidance sensor, the sensor sends a signal to a processor that executes software instructions, and the navigation system is triggered to bypass the obstruction.

Cleaning device 100 may further include a cleaning system, such as a dry-cleaning system. The dry-cleaning system includes at least one roller brush assembly and at least one side brush assembly. The roller brush assembly is usually mounted within a suction chamber (e.g., suction chamber 10 shown in FIGs. 2 and 3) of cleaning device 100. The suction chamber is provided with an opening and an outlet by which dirt-bearing air can be drawn from outside cleaning device 100, through the suction chamber, and into other components of cleaning device 100. The dirt-bearing air is conveyed to a collector (not shown) of cleaning device 100 so that the dirt, debris, or dust can be separated from the air before the air is expelled out of cleaning device 100. The opening is in the form of an aperture, usually an elongated and rectangular aperture defined by a sole plate located on the bottom of main body 101 of cleaning device 100. The roller brush is exposed from the aperture and can be in contact with the surface to be cleaned through the opening. In some implementations, the outlet is provided between the two ends of the roller brush with equal distance from each end along a length direction of the roller brush. In some other implementations, the location of the outlet is offset from the center between the two ends of the roller brush when, for example, the roller brush is a cantilever roller brush.

According to the present disclosure, the roller brush of each roller brush assembly may be driven by an electric motor powered by a power supply of cleaning device 100. The electric motor may cause the roller brush to rotate at a predetermined speed when cleaning device 100 moves on top of a surface that is to be cleaned. Therefore, cleaning device 100 can sweep the debris or dust scattered on the surface into its collector as it moves along. In occasions where the surface to be cleaned has a large friction coefficient, the cleaning process may consume a significant amount of energy. For example, when cleaning a carpet, the fibers of the carpet are agitated at the same time and thus the rotation of the roller brush and the movement of cleaning device 100 are slowed down.

During the cleaning process, in some implementations, along with the rotation of the roller brush, bristles of the roller brush move from the front edge of the opening towards the rear edge, and sweep debris or dust rearwardly through the opening and into the suction chamber. The terms “front” and “rear” used herein are consistent with the moving direction of cleaning device 100, and thus the front edge of opening is ahead of the rear edge when cleaning device 100 moves forward. The vacuum function of cleaning device 100 causes air to flow underneath the sole plate and around the roller brush, so that the debris or dust is lifted from the surface and then carried from the suction chamber to the collector via the outlet. When the debris or dust passes through the outlet, long strands of the debris (for example, hair, thread, or the like) may become wrapped around the roller brush or accumulated at or near the outlet, especially at the mounting ends of the roller brush. The reason is that the air passing through the suction chamber applies only a relatively minor force to those long strands of the debris, making them less likely to be blown or dragged into the collector, even if the roller brush rotates at a speed capable of sucking in the solid waste. The wrapped hair or thread may lead to an increased torque on the roller brush and slowdown of its rotation speed, and the accumulated hair or thread may partially block the outlet or be ejected out of the suction chamber by turbulent air, resulting in reduced cleaning efficiency and increased power consumption of cleaning device 100.

One way to avoid debris from being wrapped around the roller brush or the mounting ends of the roller brush is to provide a cantilever roller brush with only one mounting end instead of a traditional roller brush with two mounting ends. By reducing the mounting ends of the roller brush from two to one and moving the outlet to an end of the suction chamber opposite to the mounting end, less debris will be wrapped around the roller brush as the number of mounting ends is halved. As the outlet is positioned at an end of the suction chamber, the air pass is formed between the mounting end to the outlet, and the length of the air pass is almost equal to a length of the roller brush. Thus, debris and dust in the suction chamber can be guided to the outlet easily.

Another way to avoid debris from being wrapped around the roller brush or the mounting ends of the roller brush is to provide at least one bristle row and at least one cleaning strip on the roller brush, and each bristle row tilts towards an adjacent cleaning strip so that a distance between the bristle row and the adjacent cleaning strip is gradually reduced from a root of the bristle to a tip of the bristle. The root is an end of the bristle coupled with the roller brush directly, and the tip is another end of the bristle away from the root. The tilting direction of the bristle row is opposite from the rotating direction of the roller brush during a cleaning process. Thus, when the roller brush rotates, the bristle row further tilts toward a direction opposite to the rotating direction due to rotational inertia, especially the tip of the bristle row. As a result, a gap between the bristle row and the adjacent cleaning strip is further reduced to prevent long strands of debris from entering the gap and wrapping around the roller brush. In addition, as the roller brush rotates above a surface to be cleaned, the bristle row titling against the rotating direction contacts the surface ahead of its adjacent cleaning strip. This allows the cleaning strip to support the bristle row and prevent the bristle row from being further pressed against the rotatable core of the roller brush, therefore reducing or even eliminating the chance that long strands of debris are stuck deep inside the bristle row. Furthermore, each bristle of the bristle row further tilts towards the outlet of the suction chamber to facilitate debris being carried away by the dirt-bearing air.

The present disclosure provides a cleaning device 100 with a suction chamber 10 and a roller brush assembly 20 including a roller brush 23. Referring to FIG. 5, roller brush 23 includes at least one cleaning strip 232 and at least one bristle row 234. Each bristle row 234 includes a plurality of bristles 2345 arranged substantially along a length direction of roller brush 23 corresponding to the X-axis depicted in FIG. 5. It is noted that X and Y axes are included in FIGs. 3 and 5 to further illustrate the spatial relationship of the components described herein. X and Y axes are perpendicular to each other and together form a lateral plane which, in some implementations, is parallel to the surface to be cleaned by cleaning device 100. Each bristle 2345 includes a first end 2345A (also called a “root” ) mounted on rotatable core 230 and a second end 2345B (also called a “tip” ) tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip 232 from root 2345A. A minimum distance between root of bristle 2345 and adjacent cleaning strip 232 is larger than a minimum distance between tip 2345B of bristle 2345 and adjacent cleaning strip 232, which will be described in more detail hereinafter in conjunction with FIGs. 8-9 and 11.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 4, roller brush 23 is a cantilever roller brush with one mounting end 23A and one free end 23B, which is on the opposite side to mounting end 23A, and an outlet 14 is positioned close to free end 23B. In some other implementations, the roller brush is provided with two mounting ends, while the outlet is positioned at or near the middle portion of the roller brush. Although the cantilever type of roller brush will be taken as an example for detailed description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the present disclosure may also be applicable to the roller brush with two mounting ends. The implementations in the present disclosure are illustrative and should not be explained as limitations of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, referring to FIGs. 2-4, cleaning device 100 includes suction chamber 10 disposed at a bottom of main body 101 and a roller brush assembly 20 mounted within suction chamber 10. Suction chamber 10 and roller brush assembly 20 are collectively referred to as a cleaning assembly 200. In some implementations, at least a portion of cleaning assembly 200 can be removed from cleaning device 100 from its bottom side. For example, roller brush assembly 20 can be taken out of cleaning assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 4, and thus removed from cleaning device 100. In another example, the cap (e.g., cap 13 in FIG. 3) can be detached from the rest of suction chamber 10. This makes it easy to replace or inspect the components of cleaning assembly 200. Suction chamber 10 is provided with an opening 12 through which debris and dust could be picked up and sent into a collector of the cleaning device via an outlet 14. At least part of roller brush assembly can be exposed through opening 12 and in close proximity to or in contact with the surface to collect the debris and dust from the surface.

In some implementations, suction chamber 10 includes a basement 11 coupled to cleaning device 100 and a cap 13 coupled to basement 11. Cap 13 is provided with opening 12 positioned closely towards the surface to be cleaned during a cleaning process so that debris and dust may be swept into the suction chamber 10 through opening 12. The shape of opening 12 may be configured to match a portion of roller brush assembly 20 that faces the surface to be cleaned, so that a portion of roller brush assembly 20 may protrude downward beyond cap 13. By this configuration, the bristles of the roller brush may get close to or even touch the surface than cap 13, allowing cleaning device 100 to meander above the debris and dust and sweep them into suction chamber 10, without them being obstructed by cap 13. Basement 11 is provided with outlet 14 coupled to the collector of cleaning device 100 so that debris and dust swept into suction chamber 10 can be guided into the collector of cleaning device 100 through outlet 14. Cap 13 is detachably coupled with basement 11 and can rotate between a close state (as shown in FIG. 2) and an opening state (as shown in FIG. 3) . Roller brush assembly 20 can be fixedly coupled with suction chamber 10 when cap 13 is in the close state. Roller brush assembly 20 can be removed from suction chamber 10 when cap 13 is in the opening state.

In some implementations, referring to FIGs. 3 and 4, roller brush assembly 20 includes a mounting bracket 21 and a roller brush 23. In the present disclosure, roller brush 23 is a cantilever roller brush with mounting end 23A coupled with mounting bracket 21 and free end 23B extending from mounting end 23A along a first direction, i.e., a length direction of roller brush 23 corresponding to the X-axis depicted in FIGs. 3 and 5 and also the M-M1 direction shown in FIGs. 5 and 7. Mounting end 23A of roller brush 23 is coupled with a first end 11A of suction chamber 10. Free end 23B of roller brush 23 corresponds to a second end 11B of suction chamber 10. A gap 30 may be provided between free end 23B and second end 11B. Gap 30 may provide a space near outlet 14 to generate a strong air flow as the direction of the dirt-bearing air changes near outlet 14, and thus debris and dust transferred to second end 11B are carried into outlet 14 instead of falling out from suction chamber 10. In some implementations, second end 11B of suction chamber 10 is recessed to form gap 30, as shown in FIG. 3. In some implementations, a width of gap 30 is between 0.5 cm and 5 cm. For example, the width of gap 30 may be any one of 0.5 cm, 1.0 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.0 cm, 2.5 cm, 3.0 cm, 3.5 cm, 4.0 cm, 4.5 cm, or 5.0 cm, or any value between any two of them.

In some implementations, outlet 14 of suction chamber 10 is positioned at or near second end 11B and corresponds to free end 23B of roller brush 23. Mounting bracket 21 is detachably fixed to suction chamber 10, and roller brush 23 is rotatably fixed to mounting bracket 21 through at least one bearing. With this configuration, roller brush assembly 20 can be attached to cleaning device 100 by mounting bracket 21. When roller brush 23 rotates during operation of cleaning device 100, the position of mounting bracket 21 relative to that of cleaning device 100 remains unchanged, thus stabilizing the rotation of roller brush 23. The stabilized rotation also reduces jittering of roller brush 23, thus eliminating unpleasant noises caused by the contact between roller brush 23 and the surface during a cleaning process.

In some implementations, mounting bracket 21 may include a mounting base 212 and a connector (not shown in the figures) . Mounting base 212 is configured to fix mounting bracket 21 to first end 11A of suction chamber 10, and the connector extends from a center of mounting base 212 along the length direction of roller brush 23 and is accommodated by roller brush 23. In some implementations, the center of mounting base 212 may be one of the following: geometric center, gravity center, or a center of a plane defined by a side of mounting base 212. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 4, mounting bracket 21 further includes at least one supporting arm 216 extending from an edge of mounting base 212 along the length direction of roller brush 23. The at least one supporting arm 216 is configured to detachably fix mounting bracket 21 to suction chamber 10. In some implementations, a number of the at least one supporting arm 216 is two, and the two supporting arms 216 are symmetrically provided with respect to the connector. An end of each supporting arm 216 is integrally molded with mounting base 212 and the other end of each supporting arm 216 extends along the length direction of roller brush 23. The two supporting arms 216 are parallel to each other. In some implementations, the lengths of the two supporting arms are equal.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of roller brush 23 of roller brush assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some implementations, roller brush 23 includes a rotatable core 230, at least one cleaning strip 232 and at least one bristle row 234 mounted on rotatable core 230. Each bristle row 234 may include a plurality of bristles 2345 arranged along the length direction of roller brush 23, i.e., the M-M1 direction. Rotatable core 230 can rotate relative to the surface to be cleaned and further drive cleaning strip 232 and bristle row 234 to rotate and agitate the debris and dust on the surface. In some implementations, the surface may be a floor, a wall, a carpet, a sofa, a bed, or the like.

In some implementations, cleaning strip 232 is mounted on an outer surface of rotatable core 230, as shown in FIGs. 5 and 6. Cleaning strip 232 may be made of flexible material which is able to clean different kinds of dirt and debris, including but not limited to dust, hairs, fibers, granules, scraps of paper, or the like. Cleaning strip 232 is placed alternately with one or more bristle rows 234, and thus long strands of debris can only wrap around the bristle rows 234 and cleaning strip 232 with an elevation from the outer surface of the body of rotatable core 230. Therefore, these long strands of debris can be peeled off by the dirt-bearing air easily, due to the aerodynamic force by the air flowing through the crevices between the bristles and the spaces between bristle rows 234 and cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, the number of cleaning strips 232 is the same as the number of bristle rows 234, and they are placed alternately with each other one-by-one.

Referring to FIG. 6, in some implementations, each cleaning strip 232 includes a first end 232A mounted on rotatable core 230 directly and a second end 232B extending away from first end 232A. Although not illustrated in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view of roller brush 23, both first end 232A and second end 232B can be an extended side (one of the lower side and the upper side) of cleaning strip 232 that is insertable into a slot (e.g., slot 230-1) provided in rotatable core 230. In some implementations, cleaning strip 232 is fixedly coupled with rotatable core 230 through welding. Cleaning strip 232 may also be integrally molded with rotatable core 230. In some implementations, cleaning strip 232 may detachably couple with rotatable core 230.

In some implementations, a protrusion 232-1 is provided at first end 232A of cleaning strip 232, and a corresponding slot 230-1 is provided on the outer surface of rotatable core 230 to accommodate protrusion 232-1. Similar to first end 232A, protrusion 232-1 and corresponding slot 230-1 may also extend along a direction generally across the surface of rotatable core 230. The extending direction can be curvy (that is, not exactly corresponding to the length direction) , such as that shown in FIG. 5. In some implementations, an opening of slot 230-1 is narrower in width than the bottom of slot 230-1 so that protrusion 232-1 can be locked into corresponding slot 230-1, thereby cleaning strip 232 can be coupled with rotatable core 230 through at least one protrusion 232-1. For example, in some implementations, as shown in FIG. 6, cross-sections of protrusion 232-1 and corresponding slot 230-1 are both T-shaped. In some implementations, protrusion 232-1 and corresponding slot 230-1 are both L-shaped.

There are several ways to mount cleaning strip 232 onto rotatable core 230 according to the present disclosure. In some implementations, protrusion 232-1 and first end 232A may be aligned with corresponding slot 230-1 next to free end 23B of rotatable core 230 and then slid into slot 232-1 from the side of free end 23B until cleaning strip 232 is fully positioned in slot 230-1. In some implementations, protrusion 232-1 and first end 232A may be squeezed into corresponding slot 230-1 by directly applying a force as cleaning strip 232 are flexible. In some implementations, protrusion 232-1 and first end 232A perfectly fit with corresponding slot 230-1 so that no gap exists between them. Such connection between protrusion 232-1 and corresponding slot 230-1 can be tight and stable to avoid dislodging of cleaning strip 232 during a cleaning process. Further, no dirt can hide between protrusion 232-1 and corresponding slot 230-1 as the tight connection leaves little or no space between them, thereby reducing wear and tear of first end 232A of cleaning strip 232.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 5, rotatable core 230 is hollow and an end cap 236 is provided at free end 23B of rotatable core 230. A rotatable core 230 with a hollow body is more stable during rotation than a rotatable core with a solid body because the former has a lighter weight. As shown in FIG. 6, end cap 236 is provided to seal the hollow body of rotatable core 230. An area of end cap 236 is equal to or slightly greater than an area of the cross-section of rotatable core 230 to prevent cleaning strip 232 from sliding out of slot 230-1 during rotation. End cap 236 is detachably coupled with rotatable core 230 through, for example, snap-fit connection, screw, pin, clip, fastener, magnet, etc.

In some implementations, rotatable core 230 is provided with at least one recess 239 extending along M-M1 direction. Each recess 239 is positioned between two adjacent cleaning strips 232 and is recessed towards M-M1 axis and away from the surface to be cleaned, thereby allowing larger pieces of debris to be suck into suction chamber 20 and transferred to the collector of cleaning device 100 along recess 239. Recess 239 may helically extend from mounting end 23A to free end 23B of rotatable core 230, guiding debris and dust to move along recess 239 and into outlet 14. The helical extension makes it difficult for dirt, dust, or debris to be stuck around rotatable core 230. Further, the stability of roller brush 23 is increased compared to a roller brush without recess 239 because the mass of rotatable core 230 is further reduced. In some implementations, an edge of each recess 239 along the rotation direction of rotatable core 230 extends to a mounting bottom of an adjacent cleaning strip 232, i.e., first end 232A of adjacent cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, a bottom of each recess 239 is domed smoothly to ease the flow of the dirt-bearing air.

In some implementations, at least one bristle row 234 is mounted on rotatable core 230 and includes a plurality of bristles 2345 arranged along M-M1 direction. Each bristle 2345 of the plurality of bristles 2345 includes a root 2345A mounted on the rotatable core 230 and a tip 2345B tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip 232 from root 2345A. Referring to FIGs. 7-9, a minimum distance between root 2345A of bristle 2345 and its adjacent cleaning strip 232 is larger than a minimum distance between tip 2345B of bristle 2345 and its adjacent cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, when one bristle 2345 has more than one adjacent cleaning strip 232 (e.g., positioned between two cleaning strips 232) , the minimum distance between a point of bristle 2345 and adjacent cleaning strip 232 indicates the shortest distance from that point to its closest adjacent cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, along a rotating direction of roller brush 23, tip 2345B is closer to the adjacent cleaning strip than root 2345A of the same bristle. In some implementations, tip 2345B of each bristle 2345 also tilts towards free end 23B of rotatable core 230 from root 2345A. This allows dirt and dust to be more effectively and efficiently guided towards free end 23B during the cleaning process.

In some implementations, the number of cleaning strip 232 is equal to the number of bristle row 234, and cleaning strips 232 and bristle rows 234 are staggered with each other. For example, two adjacent bristle rows 234 are spaced by one cleaning strip 232, and two adjacent cleaning strips 232 are spaced by one bristle row. In some implementations, as shown in FIGs. 6 and 8, the number of cleaning strip 232 is twice the number of bristle row 234, and two adjacent bristle rows 234 are spaced by two adjacent cleaning strips 232, while some pairs of adjacent cleaning strips 232 do not have any bristle row 234 spaced therebetween.

In some implementations, as shown in FIGs. 7 and 9, the plurality of bristles 2345 of each bristle row 234 includes a plurality of clusters of bristles 2345 mounted in a plurality of corresponding mounting holes 234M on rotatable core 230 respectively. Each cluster of bristles 2345 may be mounted in corresponding mounting holes 234M by flocking. In some implementations, bristles 2345 may be made of materials including, but not limited to, nylon, carbon fiber, or plastic materials like Polyethylene (PE) , P0lypropylene (PP) , Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) , Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) , Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) , etc.

In some implementations, mounting holes 234M are recessed from the outer surface of rotatable core 230. Each bristle row can be coupled with rotatable core 230 through the mounting holes 234M. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 9, mounting holes 234M tilt along the same direction as that from root 2345A to tip 2345B of each bristle 2345, so that each bristle 2345 can tilt towards its adjacent cleaning strip 232. It is understood that mounting holes 234M are distanced from adjacent slot 230-1 on rotatable core 230 to avoid interrupting mounting of cleaning strip 232.

In some implementations, referring to FIG. 8, roller brush 23 rotates along a rotating direction R to agitate the debris and dust on the surface to be cleaned, and the bristle row 234 tilts opposite to rotating direction R. In some implementations, more than one bristle row is positioned between two adjacent cleaning strips, and all the bristle rows tilt opposite to rotating direction R. In some implementations, the tilting angle of each bristle row (i.e., angle αdescribed below) can be the same. In some other implementations, the tilting angle of each bristle row can be different from each other.

Referring to FIG. 8, along rotating direction R, each bristle row has a first side 234-1 and a second side 234-2 opposite to first side 234-1. Bristle row 234 tilting opposite to rotating direction R means that bristle row 234 tilts towards a cleaning strip adjacent to second side 234-2. The titling angle α represents the angle between bristle row 234 and an upright line 240 extending from a radius that originates from the central axis of rotatable core 230 and intersects with the bristle of bristle row 234. In this way, bristle row 234 may contact the surface to be cleaned earlier than its adjacent cleaning strip 232 on second side 234-2 in every rotation of rotatable core 230, while cleaning strip 232 may support bristle row 234 and prevent it from being pressed down to rotatable core 230 during rotation. Further, long strands of debris, such as hair, thread, or the like, would be stopped by second end 232B of cleaning strip 232 and do not sink deep between bristles 2345 or get close to the outer surface of rotatable core 230. Therefore, a distance between a long strand of debris and the outer surface of rotatable core 230 is equal to or slightly smaller than a height of cleaning strip 232, and thus is much easier to be peeled off from rotatable core 230.

Referring to FIG. 9, the advantage of tilting bristle rows over non-tilting bristle rows is explained by comparing two different implementations of bristle rows, bristle row 234 and bristle row 234’. Bristle row 234’ is provided in a mounting hole 234M’ pointing to the central axis of rotatable core 230, and bristle row 234’ does not tilt towards cleaning strip 232 but extends from mounting hole 234M” in an upright manner from the outer surface of rotatable core 230. Thus, the distance between bristle row 234’ and the cleaning strip adjacent to its first side 234’-1 is equal to the distance between bristle row 234’ and the cleaning strip adjacent to its second side 234’-2. During rotation, bristle row 234’ may be pressed down to the outer surface of rotatable core 230 as the cleaning strips are too far from bristle row 234’ to support it.Further, long strands of debris may sink deep between bristles and close to the outer surface of rotatable core 230. In this situation, long strands of debris are more difficult to be peeled off from rotatable core 230. In this implementation, a first depth A of the gap between the tips of bristle row 234 and the second end of cleaning strip 232 is much smaller than a second depth A’of the gap between the tips of bristle row 234’ and the second end of cleaning strip 232, as shown in FIG. 9. During the cleaning process, long strands of debris can only reach first depth A in the case of bristle row 234, and therefore less debris would be caught within the gap between bristle row and the cleaning strip as compared to the case of bristle row 234’ which has a second depth A’. In some implementations, bristle row 234 is made of a material more flexible than cleaning strip 232, and thus rotation of roller brush 23 in direction R would cause bristle row 234 to tilt backwards more significantly than cleaning strip 232, thereby further shrinking first gap A and reducing the debris being caught within first gap A. In the present disclosure, with tilting bristle rows, debris (especially long strands of debris, such as hair, and large chunks of debris, such as granules) is less likely to be stuck with roller brush 23 and can be easily peeled off and carried away by the dirt-bearing air.

In some implementations, a minimum distance S between cleaning strip 232 and adjacent bristle row 234 of the cleaning strip is less than 1 cm. Referring to FIG. 8, minimum distance S is the shortest distance from second side 234-2 of bristle row 234 to cleaning strip 232 adjacent to second side 234-2 of bristle row 234. The smaller the distance S is, the less debris enters the space between bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, minimum distance S is zero. In some implementations, minimum distance S can be any one of 0.1 cm, 0.2 cm, 0.3 cm, 0.4 cm, 0.5 cm, 0.6 cm, 0.7 cm, 0.8 cm, 0.9 cm, and 1.0 cm, or any value between any two of them.

In some implementations, referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, each cluster of bristles 2345 is mounted on rotatable core 230 through its corresponding mounting hole 234M. Mounting hole 234M has a preset depth to ensure stability of each cluster of bristles 2345. For example, the preset depth of mounting hole 234M may be any value between half and one-third of the length of bristle 2345. According to the present disclosure, tilting angle α between bristle row 234 and upright line 240 is between 0° and 60°. As shown in FIG. 9, as angle α increases, the bottom of mounting hole 234M approaches the outer surface of rotatable core 230. For example, when angle α is zero, the bottom of mounting hole 234M reaches the furthest depth in rotatable core 230. In some implementations, there is a possibility that mounting hole 234M might penetrate the surface of rotatable core 230 when angle α is larger than 60°. Thus, angle α cannot exceed 60° in this scenario. For example, angle α may be any one of 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 33°, 35°, 40°, 43°, 45°, 47°, 50°, 50°, 53°, 55°, 57°, and 60° or any value between any two of them. In some implementations, angle α is between 30° and 60°, and the long strands of debris are effectively prevented from wrapping around the roller brush, thus ensuring cleaning result.

In some implementations, second end 2345B of each bristle 2345 tilts towards free end 23B of rotatable core 230, so that the extending direction of bristle 2345 complies with the flow of the dirt-bearing air during cleaning process. Debris caught by bristle row 234 can be easily peeled off from the plurality of bristles 2345. As bristles 2345 tilt away from mounting end 23A of rotatable core 230, debris and dust would be lead away from mounting end 23A with the rotation of rotatable core 230. In this way, debris that may wrap around rotatable core 230 and mounting end 23A of roller brush assembly 20 during cleaning process is reduced, and the effectiveness of cleaning device 100 is further improved.

In some implementations, the projection of cleaning strip 232 on roller brush 23 along the length direction is equal to or larger than the length of rotatable core 230. This allows more long strands of debris to wrap on cleaning strip 232 and also generates stronger air flow along the length direction of rotatable core 230. In some implementations, the projection of bristle row 234 on roller brush 23 along the length direction is equal to or shorter than the projection of cleaning strip 232. This results in no or few bristles at or near outlet 14, preventing long strands of debris from accumulating at or near outlet 14. In some implementations, both cleaning strip 232 and bristle row 234 are aligned at or near mounting end 23A of rotatable core 230 and extend helically along rotatable core 230. As the extension length of bristle row 234 is shorter than that of cleaning strip 232, the projection of bristle row 234 on roller brush 23 along the length direction is shorter than the projection of cleaning strip. In some implementations, an end of cleaning strip 232 adjacent to free end 23B of rotatable core 230 is beveled to reduce the volume of free end 23B of roller brush 23 during rotation so that more space is saved for dirt-bearing air.

Referring to FIG. 4, in some implementations, outlet 14 is positioned at second end 11B of suction chamber 10 to correspond to free end 23B of roller brush 23. To minimize the size of cleaning device 100, in some implementations, outlet 14 may be positioned at a circumferential surface of suction chamber 10. This structure causes the direction of the dirt-bearing air to take a sharp turn when flowing from inside roller brush 23 to outlet 14, and sometimes makes it easy for debris to be caught by the tilting bristles near outlet 14 and thus not to enter the collector of the cleaning device. To solve this problem, a distance between free end 23B of rotatable core 230 and a side of outlet 14 away from roller brush 23 is provided. In some implementations, the distance is at least equal to the width of outlet 14, where the width is defined as the distance between the side of outlet 14 away from roller brush 23 and its opposite side. In some implementations, the distance is designed to be at least 0.2 cm. In this way, no bristles would tilt to block the turning corner of the dirt-bearing air, and as a result no debris would be caught by bristle row 234 when the direction of the dirt-bearing air takes a sharp turn at the corner. Therefore, debris can be carried through outlet 14 and into the collector smoothly.

In some implementations, referring to FIG. 10, bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 extend from mounting end 23A to free end 23B of rotatable core 230 helically. In this way, debris and dust agitated by roller brush 23 during rotation may be guided from mounting end 23A to free end 23B, thus improving the effectiveness of roller brush assembly 20. In some implementations, bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 share a same helical direction and a same helical rise angle Ψ. In one example, helical rise angle Ψ can be any value between 45°and 85°, such as 45°, 60°, 75°, and 85°. The helical direction of bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 is opposite to rotating direction R of rotatable core 230 during a cleaning process. Therefore, bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 have the same transmission efficiency, and no debris would be stuck between bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 due to the difference in transmission efficiency. Further, bristle row 234 and cleaning strip 232 are more visually consistent with the same helical direction and the same helical rise angle.

In some implementations, referring to FIG. 11, a first distance S1 is a distance from second side 234-2 of bristle row 234 to cleaning strip 232 adjacent to second side 234-2, and a second distance S2 is a distance from first side 234-1 of bristle row 234 to cleaning strip 232 adjacent to first side 234-1. If a ratio between S1 and S2 is smaller than 1: 10 (for example, S1 is 1 cm and S2 is 11 cm) , cleaning strip 232 adjacent to second side 234-2 becomes too close to bristle row 234, thus causing difficulty in manufacturing due to the interaction between first end 232A of cleaning strip 232 and the mounting slots of bristle row 234. If the ratio between S1 and S2 is larger than 1: 1.5 (for example, S1 is 1 cm and S2 is 1 cm) , the gap between cleaning strip 232 adjacent to second side 234-2 and bristle row 234 becomes too large so that debris may be easily caught by the gap during rotation of rotatable core 230. In some implementations, the ratio between S1 and S2 falls in a range from 1: 1.5 to 1: 10. For example, the ratio between S1 and S2 may be any one of 1: 10, 1: 9, 1: 8, 1: 7, 1: 6, 1: 5, 1: 4, 1: 3, 1: 2, or 1: 1.5, or any value between any two of them.

Referring to FIG. 11, a first rotation circle C1 is formed by cleaning strip 232 during the rotation of rotatable core 230, and a second rotation circle C2 is formed by bristle row 234 during the rotation of rotatable core 230. In some implementations, a first radius r1 of first rotation circle C1 is smaller than a second radius r2 of second rotation circle C2, so that cleaning strip 232 does not contact the surface to be cleaned directly during the cleaning process, and wear and tear of cleaning strip 232 is avoided. Further, a sound that might be generated by the contact between the surface and cleaning strip 232 during the cleaning process is eliminated as cleaning strip 232 does not contact the surface to be cleaned directly, which is helpful to create a quiet environment for the user. In some implementations, a difference between r1 and r2 is larger than 0 and no more than 5 mm. For example, the difference between r1 and r2 may be any one of 0.5 cm, 1.0 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.0 cm, 2.5 cm, 3.0 cm, 3.5 cm, 4.0 cm, 4.5 cm, or 5.0 cm, or any value between any two of them.

Referring to FIG. 11, a first value D1 indicates the difference between first radius r1 of first rotation circle C1 and a third radius r3 of rotatable core 230, and a second value D2 indicates the difference between second radius r2 of second rotation circle C2 and a third radius r3 of rotatable core 230. In some implementations, a ratio between D1 and D2 is smaller than 1: 1 and larger than or equal to 1: 2. In some implementations, a ration between third radius r3 and second radius r2 of second rotation circle C2 is smaller than or equal to 1: 1.5 and larger than or equal to 1: 5.

In some implementations, referring to FIGs. 12 to 14, at least one first protrusion 237 is provided at free end 23B of rotatable core 230, and a geometry center of each of the at least one first protrusion 237 is deviated from a geometry center of rotatable core 230 along the length direction of rotatable core 230. First protrusion 237 may agitate the debris and dust accumulated at second end 11B of suction chamber 10 and cause the debris and dust to be transferred through outlet 14 and into the collector. In some implementations, first protrusion 237 is positioned at a surface of free end 23B of rotatable core 230 opposite to the mounting end 23A. In some implementations, the diameter of a top portion of first protrusion 237 is smaller than a diameter of a bottom portion of first protrusion 237. That is, a shape of first protrusion 237 is domed, conical, or stepped, so that long strands of debris, such as hair and fiber, may not be stuck around first protrusion 237 and may be easily peeled off from first protrusion 237.

In some implementations, a plurality of first protrusions 237 are uniformly distributed on end cap 236 around the rolling axis of rotatable core 230, as shown in FIG. 12. That is, distances between each of the plurality of first protrusions 237 and the rolling axis of rotatable core 230 are the same, and the angular distributions of the plurality of first protrusions 237 around the rolling axis are equal (e.g., 180° across each other in the example of two first protrusions 237) . Uniform distribution has the advantage of preventing long strands of debris from being wrapped between the plurality of first protrusions 237. In some implementations, the plurality of first protrusions 237 are non-uniformly distributed on end cap 236 around the rolling axis of rotatable core 230, as shown in FIGs. 13 and 14. That is, distances between each of the plurality of first protrusions 237 and the rolling axis of rotatable core 230 are different, or the angular distributions of the plurality of first protrusions 237 around the rolling axis are different. Non-uniform distribution has the advantage of agitating a large amount of debris near the gap area between the free end of the roller brush and the suction chamber (e.g., gap 30 shown in FIG. 3) , because rotating trajectories of the plurality of first protrusions 237 may form a plurality of concentric circles to cover a large area of the gap. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 13, the plurality of first protrusions 237 are distributed at two sides of a diameter of end cap 236. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 14, the plurality of first protrusions 237 are closely clustered on one side of the diameter of end cap 236.

As described above, in some implementations, the projection of cleaning strip 232 on rotatable core 230 along the length direction is equal to or larger than the length of rotatable core 230 so that cleaning strip 232 extends beyond rotatable core 230 towards second end 11B of suction chamber 10. In this situation, first protrusion 237 may also be part of the extending portion of cleaning strip 232. In some implementations, the extending portion of cleaning strip 232 is beveled.

In some implementations, at least one second protrusion 238 is provided at second end 11B of suction chamber 10 corresponding to the free end 23B of rotatable core 230. For example, second protrusion 238 is positioned at a gap (e.g., gap 30 shown in FIG. 3) near second end 11B of suction chamber 10. As shown in FIG. 15, second end 11B of suction chamber 10 is domed to accommodate free end 23B of rotatable core 230, and second protrusion 238 is positioned in a bottom of the domed end of the suction chamber. In some implementations, the top portion of second protrusion 238 is convex-curved. Second protrusion 238 may peel debris off free end 23B of rotatable core 230 when it is accumulated on free end 23B. In some implementations, second protrusion 238 is stripe-shaped. In some implementations, second end 11B of suction chamber 10 is smoothly curved without cracks or corners to accumulate debris and dust. The combination of first protrusion 237 and second protrusion 238 may ensure that no debris or dust is accumulated at second end 11B of suction chamber 10 during the cleaning process.

In some implementations, referring to FIG. 16, roller brush 23 further includes a round basement 231 positioned on mounting end 23A of rotatable core 230 and configured to couple with suction chamber 10. Round basement 231 extends from mounting end 23A of rotatable core 230 to suction chamber 10 in a length direction of rotatable core 230, and a diameter of round basement 231 is larger than a diameter of rotatable core 230. In the present disclosure, mounting end 23A couples to the driving unit of cleaning device 100, and therefore debris, especially long strands of debris, may easily wrap around mounting end 23A. To solve this problem, in some implementations, a middle portion of round basement 231 along the length direction of rotatable core 230 is recessed to form a circular slot 231-1 surrounding the round basement 231, as shown in FIG. 16. Circular slot 231-1 is configured to accommodate long strands of debris wrapping around mounting end 23A. Circular slot 231-1 has a smaller radius from the rotating axis than round basement 231, thus collecting long strands of debris during rotation of rotatable core 230, because a smaller radius leads to a larger centripetal force. In this way, debris is prevented from entering the driving unit or the transmission structure (e.g., gears) between rotatable core 230 and the driving unit, so that mechanical breakdown caused by debris can be avoided.

In some implementations, a blocking cap 233 is provided between round basement 231 and cleaning strip 232, as shown in FIGs. 5, 7 and 18. Blocking cap 233 has a round shape as well, and the radius of blocking cap 233 is larger than round basement 231. Cleaning strip 232 is pressed against blocking cap 233 so that no gap or crack exists between them. Therefore, long strands of debris is prevented from wrapping around mounting end 23A. Because an area of blocking cap 233 is larger than an area of round basement 231, debris and dust are blocked by blocking cap 233 and prevented from entering the mounting structure of mounting end 23A. The risk of mechanical breakdown caused by debris can be further reduced.

In some implementations, referring to FIG. 17 to FIG. 21, a plurality of blocking bristles 235 are provided on a middle portion of round basement 231 and extend in a direction away from the rolling axis of rotatable core 230. In some implementations, the plurality of blocking bristles 235 are positioned in circular slot 231-1 and distributed uniformly. Referring to FIG. 17, the plurality of blocking bristles 235 are mounted on round basement 231 by clusters. Each blocking bristle 235 extends from round basement 231 and extends beyond blocking cap 233. Blocking bristles 235 may prevent debris and dust from entering mounting end 23A when debris and dust escape from blocking cap 233. In some implementations, referring to FIG. 17, blocking bristles 235 extend uprightly from the outer surface of round basement 231. In some implementations, referring to FIG. 19, a gap 235-1 is created between blocking bristles 235 and blocking cap 233, which is near an edge of round basement 231 adjacent to mounting end 23A of the rotatable core 230, to accommodate long strands of debris blocked by round basement 231. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 20, each blocking bristle 235 extends away from mounting end 23A of rotatable core 230, sometimes even beyond blocking cap 233, to gain a better blocking effect on the debris. In some implementations, referring FIG. 21, the plurality of blocking bristles 235 are evenly distributed on the surface of round basement 231. Compared to blocking bristles 235 in FIGs. 17 and 20, blocking bristles 235 in FIG. 21 is softer, shorter, and more condense, so that they can spread over the surface of round basement 231 with little to no gap. In this way, soft debris, such as pet hair and clothing fiber, can be blocked, and better cleaning result is achieved.

According to an aspect, a roller brush for a cleaning device is provided. The roller brush includes a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip. The rotatable core includes a mounting end mounted with the cleaning device and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle of the plurality of bristles includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

In some implementations, the second end of each bristle of the plurality of bristles tilts towards the free end of the rotatable core from the first end.

In some implementations, an angle between each bristle and an extended radius of the rotatable core intersecting with the bristle is between 0° and 60°.

In some implementations, the plurality of bristles of each bristle row comprises a plurality of clusters of bristles mounted in a plurality of corresponding mounting holes on the rotatable core respectively.

In some implementations, a number of the at least one cleaning strip is equal to a number of the at least one bristle row, and two adjacent bristle rows are spaced by one cleaning strip.

In some implementations, a number of the at least one cleaning strip is twice a number of the at least one bristle row, and two adjacent bristle rows are spaced by two adjacent cleaning strips.

In some implementations, the rotatable core is provided with at least one recess extending along the length direction of the rotatable core, each of the at least one recess is positioned between the two adjacent cleaning strips.

In some implementations, an edge of each recess along a rolling direction of the rotatable core extends to a mounting bottom of an adjacent cleaning strip.

In some implementations, a bottom of each recess is domed.

In some implementations, a minimum distance between one cleaning strip and an adjacent bristle row of the cleaning strip is less than 1cm .

In some implementations, the roller brush further includes at least one first protrusion positioned at the free end of the rotatable core, wherein a geometry center of each of the at least one first protrusion is deviated from a geometry center of the rotatable core along the length direction of the rotatable core.

In some implementations, a diameter of a top portion of the first protrusion is smaller than a diameter of a bottom portion of the first protrusion.

In some implementations, the at least one first protrusion is positioned at a surface of the free end of the rotatable core opposite to the mounting end, and a shape of the first protrusion is domed, conical, or stepped.

In some implementations, the at least one first protrusion is non-uniformly distributed on the surface of the free end of the rotatable core.

In some implementations, the at least one first protrusion is clustered on one side of the surface of the free end.

In some implementations, the at least one bristle row extends from the mounting end to the free end of the rotatable core helically, and a distance between the free end of the rotatable core and a side of the outlet away from the roller brush is at least 0.2 cm.

In some implementations, the at least one cleaning strip extends from the mounting end to the free end of the rotatable core helically, and a projection of each cleaning strip on the length direction is equal to or larger than a length of the rotatable core.

In some implementations, an end of the at least one cleaning strip adjacent to the free end of the rotatable core is beveled.

According to another aspect, a roller brush assembly for a cleaning device is provided. The roller brush assembly includes a suction chamber, a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip. The suction chamber includes an opening through which debris and dust enter the cleaning device via an outlet. The rotatable core includes a mounting end mounted in the suction chamber and of the cleaning device through a mounting end and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle of the plurality of bristles includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

In some implementations, the roller brush assembly further includes a gap between the free end of the roller brush and the suction chamber.

In some implementations, a length of the gap ranges from [0.5, 5] cm.

In some implementations, the roller brush assembly further includes at least one second protrusion positioned at an end of the suction chamber corresponding to the free end of the rotatable core.

In some implementations, the end of the suction chamber corresponding to the free end of the rotatable core is domed to accommodate the free end of the rotatable core, and the at least one second protrusion is positioned in a bottom of the domed end of the suction chamber.

In some implementations, a top portion of the at least one second protrusion is convex-curved.

In some implementations, the at least one second protrusion is stripe-shaped.

In some implementations, the roller brush further includes a round basement positioned between the mounting end of the rotatable core and the suction chamber;

wherein the round basement extends from the mounting end of the rotatable core to the suction chamber in a length direction of the rotatable core, and a diameter of the round basement is larger than a diameter of the rotatable core.

In some implementations, a middle portion of the round basement along the length direction of the rotatable core is recessed to form a circular slot surrounding the round basement.

In some implementations, blocking bristles are provided on a middle portion of the round basement and extend in a direction away from a rolling axis of the rotatable core; and a gap is formed between the blocking bristles and an edge of the round basement adjacent to the mounting end of the rotatable core to accommodate long debris blocked by the round basement.

In some implementations, the blocking bristles are distributed in clusters on a surface of the round basement.

In some implementations, the blocking bristles are evenly distributed on a surface of the round basement.

According to yet another aspect, a cleaning device includes a chassis, a suction chamber coupled to the chassis, a rotatable core, at least one bristle row, and at least one cleaning strip is provided. The suction chamber includes an opening through which debris and dust enter the cleaning device via an outlet. The rotatable core includes a mounting end mounted in the suction chamber and of the cleaning device through a mounting end and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core. The at least one bristle row is mounted on the rotatable core and includes a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction. The at least one cleaning strip is mounted on the rotatable core. Each bristle of the plurality of bristles includes a first end mounted on the rotatable core and a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end. A minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.

The foregoing description of the specific implementations can be readily modified and/or adapted for various applications. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed implementations, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein.

The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary implementations but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A roller brush for a cleaning device, comprising:

a rotatable core comprising a mounting end coupled to the cleaning device and a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core;

at least one bristle row mounted on the rotatable core and comprising a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction; and

at least one cleaning strip mounted on the rotatable core;

wherein each bristle of the plurality of bristles comprises:

a first end mounted on the rotatable core; and

a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end, and a minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein the second end of each bristle of the plurality of bristles tilts towards the free end of the rotatable core from the first end.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein an angle between each bristle and an extended radius of the rotatable core intersecting with the bristle is between 0° and 60°.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristles of each bristle row comprise a plurality of clusters of bristles mounted in a plurality of corresponding mounting holes on the rotatable core respectively.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein a number of the at least one cleaning strip is equal to a number of the at least one bristle row, and each pair of adjacent bristle rows are spaced by one cleaning strip.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein a number of the at least one cleaning strip is twice a number of the at least one bristle row, and each pair of adjacent bristle rows are spaced by two adjacent cleaning strips.
The roller brush of claim 6, wherein the rotatable core is provided with at least one recess extending along the length direction of the rotatable core, and each of the at least one recess is positioned between two adjacent cleaning strips.
The roller brush of claim 7, wherein an edge of each recess along a rotating direction of the rotatable core extends to a mounting bottom of an adjacent cleaning strip.
The roller brush of claim 8, wherein a bottom of each recess is domed.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein a minimum distance between one cleaning strip and an adjacent bristle row of the cleaning strip is less than 1 centimeter (cm) .
The roller brush of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one first protrusion positioned at the free end of the rotatable core, wherein a geometry center of each of the at least one first protrusion is deviated from a geometry center of the rotatable core along the length direction of the rotatable core.
The roller brush of claim 11, wherein a diameter of a top portion of the first protrusion is smaller than a diameter of a bottom portion of the first protrusion.
The roller brush of claim 11, wherein the at least one first protrusion is positioned at a surface of the free end of the rotatable core opposite to the mounting end, and a shape of the first protrusion is domed, conical, or stepped.
The roller brush of claim 13, wherein the at least one first protrusion is non-uniformly distributed on the surface of the free end of the rotatable core.
The roller brush of claim 13, wherein the at least one first protrusion is clustered on one side of the surface of the free end.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein the at least one bristle row extends from the mounting end to the free end of the rotatable core helically, and a distance between the free end of the rotatable core and a side of the outlet away from the roller brush is at least 0.2 cm.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein the at least one cleaning strip extends from the mounting end to the free end of the rotatable core helically, and a projection of each cleaning strip on the length direction is equal to or larger than a length of the rotatable core.
The roller brush of claim 1, wherein an end of the at least one cleaning strip adjacent to the free end of the rotatable core is beveled.
A cleaning device, comprising:

a chassis;

a suction chamber coupled to the chassis;

a rotatable core comprising:

a mounting end and mounted in the suction chamber and of the cleaning device through the mounting end, and

a free end opposite to the mounting end along a length direction of the rotatable core;

at least one bristle row mounted on the rotatable core and comprising a plurality of bristles arranged along the length direction; and

at least one cleaning strip mounted on the rotatable core,

wherein each bristle of the plurality of bristles comprises:

a first end mounted on the rotatable core; and

a second end tilting to an adjacent cleaning strip from the first end, wherein a minimum distance between the first end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip is larger than a minimum distance between the second end of the bristle and the adjacent cleaning strip.
The cleaning device of claim 19, wherein there is a gap between the free end of the roller brush and the suction chamber.
The cleaning device of claim 20, wherein a length of the gap ranges between 0.5 cm and 5 cm.
The cleaning device of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one second protrusion positioned at an end of the suction chamber corresponding to the free end of the rotatable core.
The cleaning device of claim 22, wherein

the end of the suction chamber corresponding to the free end of the rotatable core is domed to accommodate the free end of the rotatable core, and the at least one second protrusion is positioned in a bottom of the domed end of the suction chamber.
The cleaning device of claim 22, wherein a top portion of the at least one second protrusion is convex-curved.
The cleaning device of claim 22, wherein the at least one second protrusion is stripe-shaped.
The cleaning device of claim 19, further comprising:

a round basement positioned between the mounting end of the rotatable core and the suction chamber,

wherein the round basement extends from the mounting end of the rotatable core to the suction chamber in a length direction of the rotatable core, and a diameter of the round basement is larger than a diameter of the rotatable core.
The cleaning device of claim 26, wherein a middle portion of the round basement along the length direction of the rotatable core is recessed to form a circular slot surrounding the round basement.
The cleaning device of claim 26, wherein blocking bristles are provided on a middle portion of the round basement and extend in a direction away from a rolling axis of the rotatable core, and

wherein a gap is formed between the blocking bristles and an edge of the round basement adjacent to the mounting end of the rotatable core to accommodate long strands of debris blocked by the round basement.
The cleaning device of claim 28, wherein the blocking bristles are distributed in clusters on a surface of the round basement.
The cleaning device of claim 28, wherein the blocking bristles are evenly distributed on a surface of the round basement.