Vacuum cleaner system, vacuum cleaner, cleaning station, and method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner system comprising a vacuum cleaner (1) having a main motor-fan assembly (5, 7) configured to, during use, generate an air flow (9) directing dust-laden air in a first direction through a dust collection chamber (15) collecting dust, and a cleaning station (31) configured to, during use, generate an air flow (9) directing dust-laden air in a second direction through the dust collection chamber (15). The cleaning station is configured to empty the dust collection chamber (15) of the vacuum cleaner to the container (33). The vacuum cleaner (1) comprises an auxiliary motor-fan assembly (17, 19) configured to generate an air flow in a second, opposite direction through the dust collection chamber (15) and through the cleaning station (31) such that dust moves from the dust collection chamber (15) to the cleaning station (31).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner system comprising a vacuum cleaner having a main motor-fan assembly configured to, during use, generate an air flow that directs dust-laden air in a first direction through a dust collection chamber where dust is collected, and a cleaning station configured to empty the dust collection chamber of the vacuum cleaner into the cleaning station.

[0002] The present disclosure further relates to a vacuum cleaner, a cleaning station, and a method. Background Art

[0003] Such a vacuum cleaner system is described, for example, in US-11006797-B1, which discloses a cleaning station having a receiving space that docks with a fully loaded dust chamber of a vacuum cleaner. A motor-driven fan in the cleaning station empties the dust chamber, making it possible to reuse the dust chamber in the vacuum cleaner.

[0004] A common problem associated with such vacuum cleaner systems is obtaining an efficient system at a low cost. Summary of the Invention

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a vacuum cleaner system that can provide high efficiency in use at a reasonable cost.

[0006] This object is achieved by a vacuum cleaner system as defined in claim 1. More specifically, in a vacuum cleaner system of the initially mentioned kind, the vacuum cleaner comprises an auxiliary motor-fan assembly which is configured to generate an air flow in a second, opposite direction through the dust collection chamber and through the cleaning station, so that dust moves from the dust collection chamber to the cleaning station.

[0007] With this arrangement, the auxiliary motor-fan assembly in the vacuum cleaner can be used for both vacuum cleaning and emptying the dust chamber. This means the cleaning station itself doesn't need to include a motor; it can be completely passive and placed in locations without power outlets. This reduces production costs by eliminating the motor, which is only used very intermittently (perhaps just a few seconds each day). At the same time, using the auxiliary motor-fan assembly in the vacuum cleaner itself makes the vacuum cleaner more powerful. This makes for a highly efficient vacuum cleaner system at a lower cost.

[0008] The cleaning station may comprise a container, which preferably has a dust bag.

[0009] The cleaning station may include a charger for the vacuum cleaner, which is useful if the vacuum cleaner is battery powered.

[0010] The vacuum cleaner may include a main pipe connecting the suction nozzle to the dust collection chamber and an auxiliary pipe connecting the dust collection chamber to the outlet, and the auxiliary motor / fan assembly may be positioned in the auxiliary pipe. The auxiliary motor / fan assembly may be positioned near the outlet, and the main pipe and the auxiliary pipe may extend substantially in parallel.

[0011] The auxiliary pipe may comprise a blocking valve which seals the auxiliary pipe when the auxiliary pipe is placed in the cleaning station and an opening valve which opens the connection to the cleaning station when the blocking valve is activated, thereby opening the connection to the cleaning station when the dust chamber is emptied.

[0012] When the dust chamber is emptied, the main motor / fan assembly can be turned off, thus relying on the auxiliary motor / fan assembly to carry out the process.

[0013] The present disclosure also contemplates a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning station as defined above.

[0014] In the vacuum cleaner, the auxiliary motor / fan assembly may be located adjacent the second air outlet, and the first outlet and the second outlet may be separated by at least 300 mm.

[0015] The present disclosure further contemplates a method in a vacuum cleaner system, the system comprising a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning station, for emptying a vacuum cleaner dust chamber of the vacuum cleaner into a receptacle of the cleaning station. An air flow is generated from the vacuum cleaner dust chamber through the cleaning station by means of an auxiliary motor-fan assembly in the vacuum cleaner, such that dust is moved from the dust chamber to the cleaning station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A vacuum cleaner is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 Vacuum cleaner with the tube / nozzle removed.

[0018] Figure 3 A cleaning station for a vacuum cleaner system is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 A vacuum cleaner is shown connected to a cleaning station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present disclosure relates generally to vacuum cleaners, Figure 1An example of a so-called stick or upright vacuum cleaner 1 is shown. Typically, as is well known, a vacuum cleaner may include a suction nozzle 3 that can be moved, for example, over a floor surface to remove dust from the floor surface. A main motor 5 and fan 7 assembly generates a primary air flow 9 that passes through a main pipe 10 that leads to the suction nozzle 3, thereby forming a region of reduced pressure 11 below the suction nozzle 3 that draws dust particles and the like into the air flow 9. These particles are then separated from the air flow 9, for example, using a filter 13, as shown. It should be noted that other separation devices, such as a cyclonic separator, may be used. The separated dust thus ends up in a dust collection chamber 15. Once the air flow has passed through the filter or other separation device, it moves through the motor 5 and fan 7 assembly and through a first outlet 12 to exit the vacuum cleaner 1.

[0021] As described so far, the vacuum cleaner 1 is configured in a manner that has been widely used for decades. In the following, improvements to the vacuum cleaner are described in the present disclosure.

[0022] First, the vacuum cleaner 1 is equipped with auxiliary motor-fan assemblies 17 and 19, which are configured to generate a secondary air flow 21 through an auxiliary duct 23. The auxiliary motor / fan assemblies 17 and 19 can be positioned in the auxiliary duct 23, near the outlet 20 thereof, for example, in the lower half or third of the auxiliary duct 23. As shown, the auxiliary duct 23 can be arranged generally parallel to the main duct 10, but this is not required. Note that the air flows in the two ducts 10 and 23 in different directions. At the top of the auxiliary duct 23, it connects directly or via an intermediate component to the dust collection chamber 15. The secondary air flow 21 connects to the primary air flow 9, thereby enhancing the primary air flow. The secondary air flow 21 originates at the suction nozzle 3 and connects to the primary air flow 9 until it passes through the filter 13 or other separation device. Thereafter, the primary air flow 9 and the secondary air flow 21 separate. The primary air flow 9 continues through the main motor 5 and fan 7 assembly and reaches the first air outlet 12. The auxiliary air flow 21 continues through the auxiliary motor 17 and fan 19 assembly and exits through the second air outlet 20. Due to this configuration, the resulting combined air flows 9, 21 are significantly stronger, eliminating the need for a larger and noisier motor. Furthermore, because the auxiliary motor 17 can be placed closer to the suction nozzle 3, the weight distribution of the vacuum cleaner 1 as a whole becomes more even, making the vacuum cleaner 1 more balanced and comfortable to use. The first outlet and the second outlet can be separated by at least 300 mm.

[0023] However, the vacuum cleaner can also be used without the auxiliary motor-fan assembly 17 , 19 . Figure 2 Shown Figure 1The vacuum cleaner 1 'is shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the main pipe 10 and the suction nozzle 3 are removed, and the auxiliary pipe 23 including the auxiliary motor 17 and the fan 19 is also removed. The vacuum cleaner 1 ' then operates using only the air flow 9 generated by the main motor 5 and the fan 7 assembly. This compact arrangement is useful for vacuum cleaning in confined spaces (e.g., in a car) where a complete vacuum cleaner may be too large. For example, the main pipe 10 can be replaced with a smaller brush (not shown). In this case, the valve 25 is closed where the auxiliary pipe 23 would otherwise be connected, so that the main inlet 27 is not bypassed. This can be done automatically by removing the auxiliary pipe 23 to enable the function of the valve 25, or by allowing the valve to flow in only one direction, such as downward flow as shown in the figure.

[0024] Figure 3 A cleaning station 31 for a vacuum cleaner system is shown. The cleaning station 31 of the present disclosure can be completely passive, meaning that the cleaning station itself does not require a motor or even moving parts. This allows the cleaning station 31 to be placed in locations where access to an electrical outlet is inaccessible, or even in locations where providing such an outlet is unsuitable (e.g., dirty or damp locations), or outdoors.

[0025] However, in other cases, it may be desirable to combine the cleaning station 31 with the vacuum cleaner charger 32, for example if the vacuum cleaner 1 is battery powered. This means that the cleaning process (i.e. emptying of the vacuum cleaner chamber 15) can take place simultaneously with the charging of the vacuum cleaner, although it should be noted that the cleaning process itself only takes a few seconds.

[0026] The cleaning station 31 comprises a container 33 for the collected dust (typically a container several times larger than the aforementioned dust collection chamber 15). Optionally, a dust bag 34 can be arranged in the container 33 to facilitate the collection of dust.

[0027] Figure 4 The vacuum cleaner 1 is shown connected to a cleaning station 31 to form a vacuum cleaner system 50. When the vacuum cleaner is connected to the cleaning station 31, an opening 37 is created in the bottom of the vacuum cleaner collection chamber 15, which is connected to a corresponding opening 39 in the cleaning station 31. This means that the collected dust can be moved from the vacuum cleaner collection chamber 15 to the cleaning station, typically to a container 33 of the cleaning station.

[0028] When the vacuum cleaner 1 is connected to the cleaning station 31 in this way, reverse air flows 41, 55 are generated to facilitate emptying of the vacuum cleaner dust collection chamber 15. Thus, the air flow 41 flows through the dust collection chamber 15 in the opposite direction compared to during normal use.

[0029] This is achieved by means of the auxiliary motor / fan assembly 17, 19 operating in reverse mode. That is, the motor / fan assembly 17, 19 itself generates an air flow as in vacuum cleaning mode, but when connected to the cleaning station 31, directs the air through the system in a different manner.

[0030] When connected to the cleaning station 31, the flow through the upper part of the auxiliary pipe 23 is blocked by a blocking valve 45. This blocking valve 45 can be operated mechanically when the vacuum cleaner is connected to the cleaning station (for example, by an actuator or a magnetic function on the cleaning station), but it is also possible to activate the blocking valve 45 electronically. In any case, in this mode, the auxiliary pipe 23 is blocked so that air does not flow through its upper part.

[0031] At the same time, an opening is created by another valve 47 in the side of the auxiliary pipe facing the opening 51 in the cleaning station 31, between the motor / fan assembly 17, 19 and the blocking valve 45. This opening can also be activated by an actuator on the cleaning station. However, when the blocking valve 45 closes the upper part of the auxiliary pipe 23, the valve 47 can also be opened by means of the negative pressure generated by the motor / fan assembly 17, 19.

[0032] This opening created by valve 47 coincides with a corresponding opening 51 in cleaning station 31. Thus, when auxiliary motor / fan assemblies 17, 19 are in operation, a negative pressure is generated in cleaning station 13, which draws collected dust from vacuum cleaner dust chamber 15 into cleaning station container 33. Cleaning station 31 may be provided with a filter 53 or the like to ensure that collected dust does not enter the auxiliary duct but remains in the cleaning station container. Filter 53 may be combined with dust bag 34. For example, this emptying process may continue for a predetermined time, or until it is sensed that the cleaning station dust chamber has been emptied. The cleaning station container 33 is large enough to allow the vacuum cleaner dust chamber 15 to be emptied multiple times before the container 33 itself needs to be emptied (e.g., to dispose of the dust bag 34).

[0033] The reverse air flow 41 may flow through the main motor 5 and fan 7 assembly in a direction opposite to that during normal use and out of the first air outlet 12. However, it is also possible for the reverse air flow 41 to originate from the suction nozzle 3, as illustrated by the initially different air flow 55. This air flow 55 is then directed through the main pipe 10 and in a direction opposite to that of the main pipe 10. Figure 1 The dust chamber 15 is entered in the same manner as shown. A dedicated valve 57 can also be provided, which allows air to enter the dust chamber 15 during this procedure. The dedicated valve 57 can be the only air inlet into the dust chamber during the emptying process, or the dedicated valve 57 can be an air inlet combined with the air entering through the suction nozzle 3 and / or the air outlet 12.

[0034] It should be noted that there are several ways to operate the cleaning process. For example, the auxiliary motor / fan assembly can sense that the vacuum cleaner has been placed in the cleaning station and thereby enable the cleaning process during a predetermined time.

[0035] The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, but may be varied and altered in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner system (50), comprising a vacuum cleaner (1) having a main motor-fan assembly (5, 7) configured to generate, during use, an air flow (9) for directing dust-laden air in a first direction through a dust collection chamber (15) for collecting dust, and a cleaning station (31) configured to evacuate the dust collection chamber (15) of the vacuum cleaner into the cleaning station (31), characterized in that The vacuum cleaner (1) includes an auxiliary motor-fan assembly (17, 19) configured to generate an air flow in a second, opposite direction through the dust collection chamber (15) and through the cleaning station (31), so that dust moves from the dust collection chamber (15) to the cleaning station (31).

2. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, wherein: The cleaning station (31) comprises a container (33) which preferably comprises a dust bag (34).

3. The vacuum cleaner system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The cleaning station includes a charger (32) for the vacuum cleaner, which is battery powered.

4. A vacuum cleaner system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The vacuum cleaner comprises a main pipe (10) connecting a suction nozzle (11) with the dust collection chamber (15) and an auxiliary pipe (23) connecting the dust collection chamber to an outlet (20), wherein the auxiliary motor / fan assembly (17, 19) is positioned in the auxiliary pipe (23).

5. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 4, wherein: The auxiliary motor / fan assembly (17, 19) is located adjacent to the outlet (20).

6. The vacuum cleaner system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: The main pipe and the auxiliary pipe (10, 23) extend substantially in parallel.

7. The vacuum cleaner system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein: The auxiliary pipe comprises a blocking valve (45) which seals the auxiliary pipe when the auxiliary pipe (23) is placed in the cleaning station (31) and an opening valve (47) which opens the connection to the cleaning station (31) when the blocking valve (45) is activated, thereby opening the connection to the cleaning station (31) when the dust collection chamber (15) is emptied.

8. A vacuum cleaner system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein When the dust chamber (15) is emptied, the main motor / fan assembly (5, 7) is turned off.

9. A vacuum cleaner (1) comprising a main motor-fan assembly (5, 7) and an auxiliary motor-fan assembly (17, 19), the main motor-fan assembly being configured to generate an air flow during use that directs dust-laden air from a suction nozzle (3) in a first direction through a dust collecting chamber (15) for collecting dust and through the main motor-fan assembly to a first air outlet (12), the auxiliary motor-fan assembly being configured to generate an air flow from the suction nozzle (3) through the dust collecting chamber (15) and through the auxiliary motor-fan assembly (17, 19) to a second air outlet (20), characterized in that The auxiliary motor-fan assembly (17, 19) is configured to generate an air flow in a second, opposite direction through the dust chamber (15) in a dust chamber cleaning mode to move collected dust to a cleaning station (31), thereby emptying the dust chamber (15).

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein The vacuum cleaner comprises a main pipe (10) connecting a suction nozzle (11) with the dust collection chamber (15) and an auxiliary pipe (23) connecting the dust collection chamber to an outlet (20), wherein the auxiliary motor / fan assembly (17, 19) is positioned in the auxiliary pipe near the outlet (20).

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9 or 10, wherein The auxiliary motor / fan assembly (17, 19) is located adjacent to the second air outlet (20).

12. A vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein The first outlet and the second outlet are separated by at least 300 mm.

13. A cleaning station (31) for a vacuum cleaner system, comprising a container (33) and an inlet for receiving collected dust from a vacuum cleaner collection chamber (15), characterized in that The outlet (51) is for connection to an auxiliary motor / fan assembly of a vacuum cleaner, thereby generating an air flow from the inlet through the container (33).

14. The cleaning station of claim 13, wherein: The cleaning station includes a charger (32) for charging the vacuum cleaner.

15. A method in a vacuum cleaner system comprising a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning station for emptying a vacuum cleaner chamber of the vacuum cleaner into a container of the cleaning station, characterized in that An air flow is generated from the vacuum cleaner dust collection chamber through the cleaning station by means of an auxiliary motor-fan assembly (13) in the vacuum cleaner, so that dust is moved from the dust collection chamber (15) to the cleaning station.

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