Surface cleaning machine

Abstract

A surface cleaning machine includes: a suction device; a cleaning base suitable for moving on a surface to be cleaned, the cleaning base comprising a cleaning roller capable of rotating; a cleaning liquid supply unit; and a dirty liquid recovery tank, the dirty liquid recovery tank being in fluid communication with the suction device; where the cleaning base further includes a transfer chamber adjacent to the rear side of the cleaning roller and capable of temporarily holding a solid-liquid mixture, the transfer chamber configured to be in fluid communication with the suction device, so that the surface cleaning machine can transfer at least a part of liquid or at least a part of a solid-liquid mixture from the transfer chamber to the dirty liquid recovery tank by means of the suction device, thereby achieving a low energy consumption operation.

1 . A surface cleaning machine, comprising:
 a suction device capable of providing a suction force;   a cleaning base adapted to move on a surface to be cleaned and comprising a cleaning roller capable of rotation;   a cleaning liquid supply unit; and   a dirty liquid recovery tank being in fluid communication with the suction device;   wherein the cleaning base further comprises a transfer chamber adjacent to a rear side of the cleaning roller and capable of temporarily holding a solid-liquid mixture , and the transfer chamber is configured to be in fluid communication with the suction device to enable the surface cleaning machine to transfer at least part of the liquid or at least part of the solid-liquid mixture in the transfer chamber to the dirty liquid recovery tank by means of the suction device during performing a surface cleaning operation.   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the transfer chamber comprises an input port for the solid-liquid mixture to enter therein, and wherein the input port is adjacent to the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the transfer chamber is at least partially located below an axis of rotation of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the cleaning base comprises a guide ramp adjacent to the cleaning roller, and wherein the guide ramp has an upper end extending to the input port and a lower end near the lower portion of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the guide ramp is arranged at the front of the transfer chamber. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 4 , wherein the lower end of the guide ramp is flexible, and wherein the lower end of the guide ramp is at least partially pressed against the surface to be cleaned during the movement of the cleaning base over the surface to be cleaned. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the transfer chamber includes at least one bottom wall and a circumferential side wall surrounding the bottom wall. 
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 7 , wherein the transfer chamber is provided with at least one suction port on the bottom wall or the lower portion of the circumferential side wall, and wherein the suction port is in fluid communication with the dirty liquid recovery tank. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 8 , wherein an inner wall surface of the bottom wall is a sloping surface, and wherein the sloping surface is at its lowest position near the suction port. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning base comprises a detachable dirty liquid bin, and wherein the transfer chamber is formed within the dirty liquid bin. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning base also comprises a scraping roller device, and wherein the scraping roller device is in contact with a portion of the cleaning roller to enable removing at least partially of the excess dirty liquid from the cleaning roller soaked by the dirty liquid. 
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 12 , wherein the scraping roller device is arranged to be located above the transfer chamber so that the excess dirty liquid removed at least partially from the cleaning roller can be transferred by gravity to the transfer chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 12 , wherein the scraping roller device is provided with an airflow connection to the transfer chamber so that the excess dirty liquid removed at least partially from the cleaning roller can be transferred to the transfer chamber by means of the suction force of the suction device. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 12 , wherein the scraping roller device comprises at least one scraping member in contact with a portion of the cleaning roller, and wherein the scraping member extends at least partially parallel to the axis of rotation of the cleaning roller and interferes with a portion of the cleaning roller during rotation of the cleaning roller. 
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 12 , wherein the cleaning liquid supply unit comprises a cleaning liquid supply tank for holding a cleaning liquid and a liquid dispenser provided on the cleaning base, and wherein the liquid dispenser constructed to deliver the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller and/or the surface to be cleaned is in fluid communication with the cleaning liquid supply tank. 
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 17 , wherein the liquid dispenser is constructed to deliver the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller; and wherein the liquid dispenser is located downstream of the scraping roller device with respect to the direction of rotation of the cleaning roller so as to apply the cleaning liquid to the cleaning roller from which the excess dirty liquid is scraped. 
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 17 , further comprising: a body with a handle on the top, and wherein the cleaning base is rotationally coupled to the lower portion of the body, the suction device is fixed on the body, and the dirty liquid recovery tank and the cleaning liquid supply tank detachably mount on the body. 
     
     
         20 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning base has an opening located in the lower portion and facing the surface to be cleaned, and wherein the cleaning roller is at least partially arranged at the opening. 
     
     
         21 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the suction device includes a suction motor, the transfer chamber, the dirty liquid recovery tank and the suction motor are in sequential fluid communication, and wherein the surface cleaning machine is constructed to pick up and transfer the dirty liquid and solid dirt from the surface to be cleaned to the transfer chamber by the combined action of the suction motor and the rotating cleaning roller. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The surface cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein a capacity of the dirty liquid recovery tank is greater than a capacity of the transfer chamber. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled)