Patent Description:
Surface cleaning apparatus, such as a floor cleaning machine or a cleaner robot, are widely used in daily life due to their excellent cleaning performance. The surface cleaning apparatus is usually provided with a roller brush that comes into contact with the surface to be cleaned. The dirt is picked up by the rotating roller brush to achieve surface cleaning. The coverage of the roller brush in the direction of rotation is crucial for cleaning ability of the roller brush. In order to achieve a maximum coverage of the roller brush, a cleaning element of the roller brush usually is designed to extend in an axial direction of the whole roller brush so that the roller brush can achieve cleaning in an entire region including edges. The roller brush is usually detachably disposed on a base of the roller brush, so that the roller brush can be periodically removed for maintenance during use, for example to remove dirt such as accumulated fibers. The conventional roller brush is subject to a problem of difficulty for removal, and there is a demand for further improvement of the surface cleaning apparatus.

<CIT> relates to a suction head according to the preamble of independent claim <NUM>. A brush assembly comprises a housing and a rotary brush rotatably mounted by means of a shaft having a longitudinal axis supported between two side walls of the housing by means of a bearing, said rotary brush being detachable along said longitudinal axis by means of a reversible unlocking system located in one of the side walls of the housing. The unlocking system includes at least one retractable lobe movably mounted on an actuator.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a roller brush device of a surface cleaning apparatus, intended to solve one or more of the above problems and other potential problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roller brush device. The roller brush device comprises: a base; a roller brush assembly detachably mounted to the base and comprising a roller brush shaft that is configured to rotate about an axis of the roller brush; a release device comprising a release operation member mounted on the roller brush assembly and configured to be actuated to release a locking between the base and the roller brush assembly, and to provide an assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly duration the actuation; wherein the release operation member is a knob, and the release device further comprises an assisting device driven by the knob; the assisting device comprises a push rod mounted in the roller brush shaft and extending along the axis of the roller brush, the push rod is configured to be driven to move along the axis of the roller brush away from the knob during rotation of the knob to abut against the base. In this way, through the release device, the locking between the roller brush and the base can be released, and meanwhile an assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly may also be provided, thereby making the removal labor-saving. The locking between the roller brush and the base may be released conveniently through the rotation of the knob, and meanwhile an assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly may also be provided through the rotation of the knob.

In some embodiments, the roller brush shaft may include a through hole extending along the axis of the roller brush and configured to receive the push rod, and the push rod and the roller brush shaft coaxially extend. In this way, the push rod may be arranged in a structurally compact manner.

In some embodiments, the push rod may be configured to abut against a power shaft of the base, and the power shaft engages the roller brush shaft via a spline to transmit power from the power shaft to the roller brush shaft. As such, the push rod may counteract a static friction force between the roller brush shaft and the power shaft.

In some embodiment, the release device may further comprise a return spring for returning the push rod after the roller brush assembly is removed.

In some embodiments, the knob may include an operating portion disposed on the user side and a driving portion located on a side opposite to the operating portion, and the driving portion is configured to push the push rod to move during the rotation of the knob. In this way, the push rod may be conveniently driven through the driving portion.

In some embodiments, the driving portion comprises a protrusion protruding from the knob on a side opposite to the operating portion, and the protrusion is arranged eccentrically with respect to a center of rotation of the knob. Therefore, the driving portion may be implemented in a simple manner.

In some embodiments, the push rod may comprise an engaging portion adapted to engage with the driving portion. The engaging portion comprises a slope, a guide rail or a guide groove. The push rod may be conveniently moved and/or the movement of the push rod may be guided through the engaging portion.

In some embodiments, the release device may further comprise a locking member driven by the operation release member, and the locking member is movably disposed relative to the base to slide between a locked position where the locking member engages the base and an unlocked position where the locking member disengages from the base. In this way, the locking and unlocking of the base and the roller brush assembly may be achieved by moving a slider.

In some embodiments, the knob may comprise a toggle portion protruding laterally from the knob, and during rotation of the knob, the toggle portion pushes the locking member to move from the locked position to the unlocked position. As such, the locking member is directly driven by the toggle portion to achieve unlocking or locking.

In some embodiments, the knob may drive the locking member through a link, one end of the link is pivotally connected to the knob, and the other end of the link is pivotally connected to the locking member. In this way, the locking member is indirectly driven by the link to achieve unlocking or locking.

In some embodiments, a pivoting portion of the link and the locking member may comprise a pivot disposed on one of the link and the locking member and a waist-shaped hole disposed on the other of the link and locking member, and the waist-shaped hole allows the pivot to move linearly in the waist-shaped hole. As such, deadlock of the link in which the link cannot be moved may be prevented.

In some embodiments, a sliding direction of the locking member may be set a non-zero angle with respect to an extension direction of the link. In this way, deadlock of the link in which the link cannot be moved may be prevented.

In some embodiments, the roller brush device may comprise a return spring for returning the locking member from the unlocked position to the locked position. In this way, automatic return of the locking member may be achieved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a surface cleaning apparatus. The surface cleaning apparatus comprises: the roller brush device according to the first aspect; and a main body assembly configured to support the roller brush device.

The above and other objectives, features, and advantages of example embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figures, several embodiments of the present invention are shown in an exemplary but unrestrictive manner.

In all figures, the same or corresponding reference numbers denote the same or corresponding parts.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described as follows in greater detail with reference to the drawings. Although preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention described herein can be implemented in various manners, not limited to the embodiments illustrated herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention described herein clearer and more complete and convey the scope of the present invention described herein completely to those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term "comprises" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean "comprises, but is not limited to. " The term "or" is to be read as "and/or" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "based on" is to be read as "based at least in part on. " The term "one example implementation" and "an example implementation" are to be read as "at least one example implementation. " The term "another implementation" is to be read as "at least one other implementation. " The terms indicating placement or positional relationship such as "up", "down", "front" and "rear" are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the figures, and are only for the convenience in describing the principles of the present invention, rather than indicating or implying that the designated elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed or operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention. A roller brush device and a surface cleaning apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures.

<FIG> shows an overall schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the surface cleaning apparatus <NUM> comprises a roller brush device <NUM> and a main body assembly <NUM>. The roller brush device <NUM> is used as a surface cleaning member. The roller brush device <NUM> comprises a roller brush that contacts a surface. When the roller brush is driven to rotate, the dirt may be picked up by the roller brush. The roller brush device <NUM> may be mounted to the main body assembly <NUM>. The main body assembly <NUM> may include a collection device <NUM> for collecting dirt, a handle <NUM> adapted to be grasped by a user, and other parts. The roller brush device <NUM> may be in fluid communication with the collection device <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates a structure of a handheld floor cleaning machine. It is to be understood that the roller brush device <NUM> of the present invention may also be applied to surface cleaning apparatuses such as a cleaner robot that can clean automatically. Here, the example in <FIG> is not intended to limit the present invention.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural view of a roller brush device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of the roller brush device along an axis of the roller brush according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the roller brush device <NUM> comprises a base <NUM> and a roller brush assembly <NUM>. The base <NUM> is configured to support and drive the roller brush assembly <NUM>. The base <NUM> may include a power driving device such as a motor for driving the roller brush assembly <NUM> to rotate. The roller brush assembly <NUM> may include a cleaning member <NUM> and a roller brush shaft <NUM> mounted inside the cleaning member <NUM> (see <FIG>). The cleaning member <NUM> may be a mop or the like, and the cleaning member <NUM> for cleaning is fixed to the roller brush shaft <NUM> and rotates as the roller brush shaft <NUM> rotates, so as to realize surface cleaning.

The driving device of the base <NUM> comprises a power shaft <NUM> coupled with an output shaft of a motor. The power shaft <NUM> may include a spline. The power shaft <NUM> may be coupled with the roller brush shaft <NUM> by for example the spline. The roller brush shaft <NUM> may be provided with a coupling <NUM> adapted to be coupled with the power shaft <NUM>. The coupling <NUM> couples the power shaft <NUM> together with the roller brush shaft <NUM>. When the roller brush device <NUM> is in operation, the power from the power shaft <NUM> is transmitted to the brush shaft <NUM>, and the roller brush shaft <NUM> rotates together with the power shaft <NUM> to achieve surface cleaning. It is to be understood that the illustrated coupling structure is only exemplary, and the coupling structure may also employ any other suitable manner.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the roller brush shaft <NUM> comprises bristles and/or brush cloth (i.e., the cleaning member <NUM>) arranged along an entire outer circumference in an axial direction of the roller brush, thereby significantly improving the cleaning capability of the roller brush along the edges. In order to detach the roller brush assembly <NUM>, a manner of drawing out the roller brush assembly <NUM> from the side is usually designed. According to such a design, when the roller brush assembly <NUM> is removed, the roller brush assembly <NUM> moves along the axis of the roller brush. This makes it difficult to remove the roller brush assembly.

The Inventor has done a lot of analysis on the reasons behind this technical problem, and found that the main reasons for the difficulty in removing the roller brush assembly are as follows. Firstly, a contact area between the roller brush assembly <NUM> and the surface is relatively large, resulting in a relatively large static friction force; in addition, the coupling fitting between the power shaft <NUM> (such as a spline) of the base <NUM> and the coupling <NUM> (such as a key groove) of the roller brush assembly <NUM> also produces a static friction force. These static friction forces will prevent the user from removing the roller brush assembly <NUM> in the axial direction of the roller brush. At the same time, more and more application scenarios show that users are more inclined to remove the roller brush assembly <NUM> with one hand, which means higher release requirements. In view of this, the present invention provides a release device <NUM>. Rotation of a release knob of the release device are configured to synchronously provide two functions, i.e., a locking for locking the roller brush assembly with the base is released, and an assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly may also be provided through the rotation. Thus, the user may easily remove the roller brush assembly <NUM> without increasing user operations.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the release device <NUM> comprises a knob <NUM> mounted on the roller brush assembly <NUM> and an assisting device <NUM> actuatable by the knob <NUM>. The knob <NUM> is disposed on a side of the roller brush assembly <NUM> and can rotate about the axis of the roller brush by a certain angle. The locking between the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> may be released while the knob <NUM> is rotated, thereby allowing the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> to be unlocked from each other. In addition, the assisting device <NUM> is also actuated while the knob <NUM> is rotated, so that at least a part of the assisting device <NUM> contacts the base <NUM> to provide a reaction force along the axis of the roller brush through the contact. The reaction force is in the axial direction of the roller brush and is opposite to a movement direction of at least a portion of the assisting device <NUM>. Therefore, the reaction force may counteract the aforementioned static friction force that hinders the removal of the roller brush assembly <NUM>, so that the removal of the roller brush assembly <NUM> is more labor-saving.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the assisting device <NUM> comprises a push rod <NUM> mounted in the roller brush shaft <NUM> and extending along the axis of the roller brush. During rotation of the knob <NUM> in a predetermined direction, the rotation of the knob <NUM> may drive the push rod <NUM> to move in the direction of the roller shaft, and cause the push rod <NUM> to contact a corresponding component of the base <NUM> to provide a reaction force via the corresponding component.

As shown in <FIG>, in an initial state where the knob <NUM> is not rotated, this state may correspond to a state where the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are locked to each other. In a state where the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are locked to each other, the push rod <NUM> is disposed adjacent to the base <NUM>. As an example, the push rod <NUM> may abut against the base <NUM> or be spaced apart from the base <NUM> by a small gap. When the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> need to be unlocked to remove the roller brush assembly <NUM>, the user may rotate the knob <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, during rotation of the knob <NUM>, the push rod <NUM> moves linearly along the roller brush axis away from the knob <NUM> to abut against a component of the base <NUM>. As a result, a reaction force for removing the roller brush assembly <NUM> may be provided via the component and can be used as a removal assisting force. The direction of the reaction force is along the axis of the roller brush and opposite to the moving direction of the push rod <NUM>, so the reaction force may counteract the static friction force that hinders the removal of the roller brush assembly, such as the static friction force between the roller brush and the surface. It is to be understood that although in the illustrated embodiment, the push rod is separated from the base <NUM> by a certain distance in the locked state, this is only exemplary, and the push rod is not necessarily separated from the base <NUM> by a certain distance in the locked state as long as the push rod does not interfere with the movement of the base <NUM>.

In the illustrated embodiment, the release operation member is shown as a knob, and the locking between the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> is released by the rotation action of the knob. It is to be understood that this is only exemplary, and the release operating member may be implemented as a button or other suitable form, the locking between the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> may be released by pressing the button, and simultaneously the assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly <NUM> may be provided during the actuation operation. Although in the description of the following embodiments, the knob is taken as an example for illustration, and the release operation member implemented as the button or other form may also be included in the scope of the present invention.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, a member of the base that is in contact with the push rod is the power shaft <NUM>. When the push rod <NUM> contacts the power shaft <NUM>, a reaction force is provided via the power shaft <NUM>, and the reaction force also advantageously eliminates or reduces the static friction force between the coupling of the roller brush and the transmission shaft of the motor, further enabling the user to remove the roller brush assembly conveniently. It is to be understood that the base member in contact with the push rod may also be other parts.

In some embodiments, the roller brush shaft <NUM> may include a through hole <NUM> extending along the axis of the roller brush. The push rod <NUM> may be received in the through hole <NUM>. A wall of the through hole <NUM> may guide the linear movement of the push rod <NUM>. In the state where the roller brush assembly is not removed, the push rod <NUM> may for example retract in the through hole <NUM>, to prevent the presence of the push rod <NUM> from interfering with the force transmission between the coupling <NUM> and the power shaft <NUM> of the roller brush assembly <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the push rod <NUM> and the roller brush shaft <NUM> may extend coaxially and protrude from the through hole <NUM> on a side away from the knob <NUM> to abut against the power shaft <NUM> during the rotation of the knob <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the assisting device <NUM> may further include a return spring <NUM>. After the roller brush assembly <NUM> is removed, the return spring <NUM> may be used to return the push rod <NUM>. When the knob <NUM> moves in the unlocking direction, the push rod <NUM> moves along with it, and the movement of the push rod compresses the spring <NUM> to store energy. After the roller brush assembly <NUM> is removed, and after the contact between the push rod <NUM> and the power shaft <NUM> is made, the push rod <NUM> returns to an initial position under the action of a compression elastic force of the return spring <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the knob <NUM> may include an operating portion <NUM> disposed on the user side and a driving portion <NUM> located on a side opposite to the operating portion. The driving portion is configured to push the push rod <NUM> to move during the rotation of the knob <NUM>. The driving portion <NUM> may be embodied as any driving mechanism in any suitable form, as long as it is capable of pushing the push rod <NUM> to move through the rotation of the knob <NUM>.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the driving portion <NUM> comprises a protrusion protruding on a side of the knob <NUM> opposite to the operating portion. The push rod <NUM> may be pushed by the protrusion. In some embodiments, the protrusion is arranged eccentrically with respect to a center of rotation of the knob <NUM>. Therefore, the assisting force for pushing the push rod <NUM> for removal may be provided conveniently through the rotation of the protrusion. In some embodiments, the driving portion <NUM> may employ a non-eccentric arrangement.

In some embodiments, the push rod <NUM> may include an engaging portion <NUM> adapted to engage with the driving portion. The engaging portion <NUM> may interact with the driving portion <NUM> to facilitate providing the aforementioned assisting force. The engaging portion <NUM> may be formed in any suitable shape. In some embodiments, the engaging portion <NUM> may be formed into a shape suitable for engaging with the protrusion, for example, it may be formed into a shape capable of providing a height difference in the assisting direction. The engaging portion as shown in <FIG> may be formed as a slope surface, a smooth curved surface, etc., so that as the operating portion (such as the knob <NUM>) is actuated, a substantially linear movement process of the push rod <NUM> is obtained, which is convenient for the user to operate more smoothly. During the unlocking process, as the knob <NUM> is rotated, the protrusion may abut against different positions of the engaging portion <NUM> to make the push rod move in the assisting force.

In some embodiments, the push rod <NUM> may include a guide rail which guides the driving portion <NUM> and can be driven by the driving portion <NUM>. The guide rail may for example extend protrudingly or concavely from a side wall portion or other portion. The driving portion <NUM> may include one or more laterally protruding teeth. During the rotation of the knob <NUM>, the driving portion <NUM> may push the push rod <NUM> to move through the engagement of the teeth and the guide rail. Thus, it may be ensured that the knob may reliably push the push rod <NUM> to move. That is, there is a actuatable member coupled between the push rod <NUM> and the release operation member, so that as the user operates the release operation member, the push rod <NUM> is actuated simultaneously, and the assisting force is provided as the push rod <NUM> moves. The exemplary description of the actuatable member should not be considered as a limitation to the e actuation idea in the present invention.

The structural details and operating principles of the locking device of the release device <NUM> cooperating with the knob according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to <FIG>. In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the release device <NUM> further comprises a locking member <NUM> driven by the knob <NUM>. The roller brush assembly <NUM> may include a sliding groove <NUM>. The locking member <NUM> is configured to move in the sliding groove <NUM>. In a state where the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are locked to each other, the locking member <NUM> and the base <NUM> engage together to fix the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> to each other. When the knob <NUM> is rotated to unlock the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM>, the locking member <NUM> is moved along the sliding groove <NUM> to the unlocked position as the knob <NUM> rotates, and the locking member <NUM> disengages from the base <NUM> to allow the user to remove the roller brush assembly <NUM> from the base <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the sliding groove <NUM> is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the roller brush. It should be understood that in the illustrated embodiment, the sliding groove <NUM> is disposed in the roller brush assembly <NUM>; this is merely exemplary, and the sliding groove <NUM> may be disposed on the base <NUM> in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the knob <NUM> may drive the locking member <NUM> through a link <NUM>. One end of the link <NUM> is pivotally connected to the knob <NUM>, and the other end of the link <NUM> is pivotally connected to the locking member <NUM>. <FIG> shows a schematic view before the knob <NUM> is rotated and when the locking member <NUM> is in a locked state. <FIG> is a partial sectional view of the state shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in a state where the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are locked to each other, the locking member <NUM> is located at a position of the sliding groove on the left. At this position, a lock tooth <NUM> of the locking member <NUM> is locked with the base <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the base <NUM> may include a lock hole <NUM>. The lock tooth <NUM> may engage the lock hole <NUM> to lock the base <NUM> together with the roller brush assembly <NUM>. At this time, when the user rotates the knob <NUM> in the unlocking direction (i.e., a counterclockwise direction in <FIG>), the rotation of the knob <NUM> pulls the link <NUM>, and the pull of the link <NUM> causes the locking member <NUM> to move from the left to the right in the sliding groove <NUM>, thereby unlocking the lock tooth <NUM> from the base <NUM>. In particular, the lock tooth <NUM> disengages from the lock hole <NUM> to unlock the base <NUM> from the roller brush assembly <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, a return spring <NUM> for returning the locking member <NUM> from the unlocked position to the locked position may be provided. A return spring <NUM> may be disposed between the locking member <NUM> and a cleaning member <NUM>. During the movement of the locking member <NUM> from the left to the right, the return spring <NUM> is compressed. After the locking tooth <NUM> is unlocked from the base <NUM> and after the roller brush assembly <NUM> is removed from the base <NUM>, the return spring <NUM> may return the locking member <NUM> to its original position under the action of a compression force. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the locking member <NUM> may include a lock tooth <NUM> protruding from the main body, the main body may define a cavity wall suitable for arranging the return spring, and a pivoting portion pivotally connected with the link may be disposed on a side of the main body opposite to the lock tooth <NUM>. It should be understood that this is exemplary only and that the locking member <NUM> may be formed in any other suitable shape.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the pivoting portion of the link <NUM> and the locking member <NUM> comprises a pivot disposed on one of the link <NUM> and the locking member <NUM> and a waist-shaped hole <NUM> disposed on the other of the link <NUM> and locking member <NUM>. The waist-shaped hole <NUM> is in a shape allowing the pivot to move linearly in the waist-shaped hole <NUM>. As an example, the waist shape is elongated, oval, rectangle with rounded corners and the like. The waist-shaped hole <NUM> may prevent a case in which the locking member <NUM> is locked and cannot be driven by the link. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, when the moving direction of the locking member <NUM> and the direction of the link <NUM> are on the same straight line, the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> are rigidly stuck. As a result, when the roller brush is mounted on the floor brush again, the locking member <NUM> cannot move in the unlocking direction because the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> are stuck. In particular, a protruding tooth at a front end of the locking member <NUM> abuts against an edge of a groove, so that it cannot enter the groove smoothly. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the setting of the waist-shaped hole may effectively prevent the problem that the locking portion <NUM> and the link <NUM> are stuck so that they cannot be unlocked.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, instead of the waist-shaped hole <NUM>, the sliding direction of the locking member <NUM> (that is, the extending direction of the sliding groove <NUM> in the illustrated embodiment) is set to a non-zero angle with respect to the extension direction of the link <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in a state where the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> are locked to each other, the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> are initially arranged at an acute angle θ. Since the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> are initially arranged at the acute angle θ, a dead point position where the locking member <NUM> and the link <NUM> appear on the same straight line is avoided. In an angular range of the knob from the locked position to the unlocked position, the sliding direction of the locking member <NUM> and the extending direction of the link <NUM> are always set at a non-zero angle. In this case, it is also possible to effectively prevent the case in which the locking member <NUM> is locked and cannot be driven by the link.

<FIG> and <FIG> show schematic views of a locking device according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of <FIG> is similar to the embodiment shown in <FIG>, and the difference is that instead of using the link to drive between the knob and the locking member, in the embodiment of <FIG> the knob <NUM> directly drives the locking member <NUM>, and the locking structure between arrangement manners of the base <NUM> and the locking member <NUM> is also different from the previous embodiment, especially the corresponding lock hole <NUM> or the locking position in the base <NUM>. In this embodiment, the lock hole <NUM> is disposed at a position closer to the roller brush shaft, and a direction in which the locking member <NUM> retreats out of the lock hole <NUM> (i.e., a movement direction upon unlocking) is a direction away from the roller brush shaft. However, in the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the direction in which the locking member <NUM> retreats out of the lock hole is a direction adjacent the roller brush shaft.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the knob <NUM> may include a toggle portion <NUM> protruding laterally from the knob <NUM>. The base <NUM> is provided with a lock hole <NUM> on a side adjacent to the knob <NUM>. The lock member <NUM> is provided with a lock tooth <NUM> on a side adjacent to the knob <NUM>. The locking member <NUM> engages with the lock hole <NUM> provided in the base <NUM> to lock the base <NUM> together with the roller brush assembly <NUM>. When the roller brush assembly <NUM> needs to be removed from the base <NUM>, it may be performed by rotating the knob. Specifically, while the user rotates the knob <NUM> counterclockwise from the locked position shown in <FIG>, the toggle portion <NUM> will move counterclockwise from the locked position shown in <FIG> together with the knob. At the same time, the toggle portion <NUM> will abut against and push the locking member <NUM> to move from the locked position shown in <FIG> toward the unlocked position along the sliding groove (i.e., a direction from the right to the left in <FIG>). <FIG> further shows the details of the structure. As shown in <FIG>, since the lock tooth and the locking member <NUM> are an unitary structure, while the locking member moves from a side close to the knob <NUM> to a side away from the knob (i.e., a direction from the left to the right in <FIG>), the lock tooth <NUM> also disengages from the lock hole <NUM> of the base <NUM>. Since the lock tooth <NUM> is unlocked and disengaged from the lock hole <NUM>, the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are unlocked. After the base <NUM> and the roller brush assembly <NUM> are unlocked, the user may also remove the roller brush assembly conveniently. In addition, since the rotation of the knob <NUM> also provides assistance for removing the roller brush assembly, the user may remove the roller brush assembly with a little force.

According to the roller brush device of the embodiment of the present invention, the release device is implemented as a linkage operation member. When the user needs to detach the roller brush assembly, he/she only needs to use one hand to operate the release operation member on one side of the roller brush assembly. As the release operation member acts, the mutual locking of the base and the roller brush assembly can be released first. However, at this time, the surface cleaning apparatus still contacts the cleaning surface, and there is a large friction force between the cleaning member and the cleaning surface, and a force needs to be applied to draw it in the absence of the assisting device. According to the roller brush device of the embodiment of the present invention, as the action of the release operation member can drive the assisting device in the roller shaft to move to provide the assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly, the user may easily remove the roller brush device with one hand, and the user experience can be improved.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations are performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations are performed to achieve the desired results. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the subject matter described herein, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular implementations. Certain features that are described in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Rather, various features described in a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Claim 1:
A roller brush device (<NUM>), comprising:
a base (<NUM>);
a roller brush assembly (<NUM>) detachably mounted to the base (<NUM>) and comprising a roller brush shaft (<NUM>) that is configured to rotate about an axis of the roller brush;
a release device (<NUM>) comprising a release operation member mounted on the roller brush assembly (<NUM>) and configured to be actuated to release a locking between the base (<NUM>) and the roller brush assembly (<NUM>), and to provide an assisting force for removing the roller brush assembly (<NUM>) duration the actuation;
wherein the release operation member is a knob (<NUM>), and the release device (<NUM>) further comprises an assisting device (<NUM>) driven by the knob (<NUM>); and characterized in that:
the assisting device (<NUM>) comprises a push rod (<NUM>) mounted in the roller brush shaft (<NUM>) and extending along the axis of the roller brush, and the push rod (<NUM>) is configured to be driven to move along the axis of the roller brush away from the knob (<NUM>) during rotation of the knob (<NUM>) to abut against the base (<NUM>).