Vacuum cleaner and surface cleaning head

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner and a surface cleaning head are disclosed. The vacuum cleaner includes a surface cleaning head having a brush roller rotatable about an axis defining an axial direction and a brush roller housing at least partially surrounding the brush roller. The brush roller housing includes an outlet port disposed at a first axial position and a bottom housing. The bottom housing includes a front wall, a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall to define a suction inlet, and at least one rib disposed below the brush roller and extending across the suction inlet between the front and rear walls. Each rib includes a forward portion connected to the front wall, a rearward portion connected to the rear wall, and a central portion extending orthogonally in a straight line in the axial direction between the forward and rearward portions. The rearward portion deflects toward the first axial position of the outlet port to define a flow guide.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 376,877, filed September 23, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This utility model relates to a cable protection rib for the brush roller housing of the surface cleaning head of a vacuum cleaner. Utility Model Content

[0004] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner including a suction motor operable to move working air through a working air flow path from a suction inlet to a clean air outlet, a dirt separator positioned along the working air flow path to separate dirt from the working air, and a surface cleaning head. The surface cleaning head includes a brush roller rotatable about an axis defining an axial direction and a brush roller housing at least partially surrounding the brush roller. The brush roller housing includes an outlet port disposed at a first axial position of the brush roller housing and a bottom housing disposed on the bottom of the brush roller housing. The bottom housing includes a front wall, a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall to define a suction inlet, and at least one rib disposed below the brush roller and extending across the suction inlet between the front and rear walls. Each rib includes a forward portion connected to the front wall, a rearward portion connected to the rear wall, and a central portion extending orthogonally in the axial direction between the forward and rearward portions. The rearward portion deflects toward the first axial position of the outlet port to define a flow guide.

[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner including a surface cleaning head having a brush roller and a brush roller housing. The bottom housing of the brush roller housing includes a first rib and a second rib, which are disposed below the brush roller and extend transversely through a suction inlet between a front wall and a rear wall. Each of the first and second ribs includes a forward portion connected to the front wall, a rearward portion connected to the rear wall, and a central portion extending orthogonally in the axial direction between the forward and rearward portions. The rearward portion is deflected toward a first axial position toward an outlet port to define a flow guide. The first rib is located on a first axial side of the first axial position, and the second rib is located on a second axial side of the first axial position.

[0006] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a surface cleaning head having a brush roller and a brush roller housing. The bottom housing of the brush roller housing includes a plurality of ribs disposed below the brush roller. Each of the plurality of ribs includes a central portion extending orthogonally to the suction inlet between the front and rear walls, and a flow guide for guiding working air toward a first axial position of the outlet port.

[0007] Other aspects of this invention will become apparent from careful reading of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 The sectional view taken from line 2-2.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top view of the bottom housing of the brush roller housing of a vacuum cleaner.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A three-dimensional view of the bottom shell.

[0012] Figure 5 It is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view taken from line 5-5.

[0013] Figure 6 It is similar to Figure 5 A sectional view.

[0014] Figure 7 It is along Figure 1 The sectional view taken from line 7-7. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Before explaining any embodiment in detail, it should be understood that the application of this invention is not limited to the details of the construction and arrangement of the components described in the following description or shown in the drawings. This invention can have other embodiments and can be practiced or implemented in various ways.

[0016] Figure 1 A vacuum cleaner 10 according to one embodiment is shown. The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a surface cleaning head 12 and an upper body 14, the upper body 14 being pivotally connected to the rear end of the surface cleaning head 12 for pivoting between an upright, retracted position and a lowered use position. The upper body 14 includes a handle 16 held by an operator to move the vacuum cleaner 10 over a surface to be cleaned. The illustrated vacuum cleaner 10 is an upright vacuum cleaner. Other embodiments of the vacuum cleaner 10 may include a canister vacuum cleaner, a central vacuum system, a hard floor wet vacuum cleaner, a carpet extractor, a stick vacuum cleaner, a rod vacuum cleaner, or a handheld vacuum cleaner.

[0017] The upper body 14 also includes a suction motor (not shown) located within a motor housing 18 at a base of the upper body 14. The suction motor is oriented such that the axis of rotation 20 of the motor shaft (not shown) is horizontal. The suction motor operates to move working air through a working air flow path from a suction inlet 34 to a clean air outlet 36. The upper body also includes a dirt separator 22 positioned along the working air flow path to separate dirt and debris from the working air. The dirt separator 22 includes a dirt cup 24 removable from the upper body 14 for emptying. The dirt cup 24 includes a cylindrical wall 26, a pivoting bottom door 28, and an openable cover 30 with a handle 32. The dirt cup 24 includes a cyclone-type dirt separator (not shown) within the cylindrical wall 26. The cyclone-type dirt separator may include a single-stage cyclone separator, a two-stage cyclone separator assembly, or a multi-stage cyclone separator assembly having a second stage with a plurality of cyclone separators connected in parallel. The waste separator 22 may also include a filter bag or other non-cyclone waste separator.

[0018] See further Figure 2 The surface cleaning head 12 includes a body 38, a brush roller housing 40 located at the front of the body 12, and a wheel 42 rotatably mounted at the rear of the body 38. The surface cleaning head 12 also includes a brush roller 44 mounted for rotation within the brush roller housing 40 about a brush roller axis 46, which generally surrounds the brush roller 44. The brush roller axis 46 defines an axial direction. The brush roller housing 40 includes a top housing 48 defining an upper portion of the brush roller housing 40 and a bottom housing 50 defining a lower portion of the brush roller housing 40. The top housing 48 includes an outlet port 52 upstream of the working airflow path from the dirt separator 22 and the suction motor. The outlet port 52 is located at a first axial position 54 along the brush roller axis 46. The outlet port 52 is offset from the axial center of the surface cleaning head 12; however, the outlet port 52 can be located at any axial position along the brush roller housing 40. Although the surface cleaning head 12 shown in the figure is the main surface cleaning head of the vacuum cleaner 10 shown in the figure, the surface cleaning head 12 can be an auxiliary surface cleaning head, such as an accessory tool that can be attached to the vacuum cleaner hose for cleaning above ground.

[0019] The surface cleaning head 12 also includes a belt guard 56 and a belt 58. The belt guard 56 extends from the rear of the body 38 to the brush roller housing 40. The belt 58 couples the motor shaft and the brush roller 44 such that when the suction motor is activated, the motor shaft rotates to drive the belt 58 and thus rotate the brush roller 44. The belt 58 and the belt guard 56 are located at a second axial position 70 spaced from a first axial position 54 of the outlet port 52. The surface cleaning head 12 may also include a brush roller closing mechanism to alternately couple and disconnect the belt connection via a tensioner between the motor shaft and the brush roller, to create slack in the belt 58, for example, to stop the rotation of the brush roller 44 when the upper body 14 is in an upright position. The brush roller closing mechanism can be manually actuated or automatically based on the position of the upper body 14 relative to the surface cleaning head 12.

[0020] See further Figure 5-7 The brush roller 44 includes a shaft 60, a hub 62 connected to and rotatable with the shaft 60, and bristles 64 extending radially outward from the hub 62 to agitate the surface to be cleaned during rotation of the brush roller 44. The shaft 60 is mounted to an end wall 66 of the brush roller housing 40 for rotation. In some embodiments, an end cap 68 is used to support a bearing that rotatably supports the shaft 60. In some arrangements, the end cap 68 may be removably mounted to the end wall 66, allowing the brush roller 44 to be removed from the brush roller housing 40. In addition to or in place of the bristles 64, the brush roller 44 may also include other configurations, including blades or microfiber fabric material for agitating the surface to be cleaned.

[0021] like Figure 3-6 As best shown, the bottom housing 50 includes a front wall 72 extending through a front surface of the bottom housing 50 and a rear wall 74 extending through a rear surface of the bottom housing 50. The front wall 72 and the rear wall 74 are spaced apart to define a suction inlet 34. The front wall 72 and the rear wall 74 are arranged to slide on the surface to be cleaned. The front wall 72 (including a top surface and a bottom surface) slopes downward toward the suction inlet 34, and the rear wall 74 (including a top surface and a bottom surface) slopes upward away from the suction inlet 34. The bottom housing 50 also includes a lower portion with a guard 56. Figure 6 As shown, the lower rear portion of the bottom housing 50 includes bristle strips 92 extending axially across the brush roller housing 40 to prevent dirt and debris from being thrown from the rotating brush roller 44 behind the rear wall 74, allowing such dirt and debris to be drawn into the suction port 34. In some embodiments, the bottom housing 50 may include rollers (not shown) positioned on the front wall 72, the rear wall 74, or both the front wall 72 and the rear wall 74.

[0022] See Figure 3The bottom housing includes a plurality of ribs 76 located below the brush roller 44 and extending across the suction inlet between the front wall 72 and the rear wall 74. The ribs 76 may also be referred to as “cable protection ribs” because if the surface cleaning head 12 moves across the power cord located on the surface to be cleaned, the spacing between the ribs 76 is close enough to prevent the cable from entering the brush roller housing 40 far enough to entangle the rotating brush roller 44.

[0023] Each rib 76 includes a forward portion 78 connected to the front wall 72, a rearward portion 80 connected to the rear wall 74, and a central portion 82 extending orthogonally in a straight line between the forward portion 78 and the rearward portion 80. The rearward portion 80 is deflected toward a first axial position 54 toward the outlet port 52 to define a flow guide. In the illustrated embodiment, the rearward portion 80 is angled 84 relative to the central portion 82 toward the first axial position 54 toward the outlet port 52 to define the flow guide. In other words, the rearward portion 80 is angled relative to the central portion 82, causing the rearward portion 80 to point toward the outlet port 52. In some embodiments, the angle 84 is between 30 and 60 degrees, between 40 and 50 degrees, or about 45 degrees. The forward portion 78 is aligned with the central portion 82. In other embodiments, the rearward portion includes an arcuate curve toward the first axial position 54 toward the outlet port 52 to define the flow guide.

[0024] Each rib 76 includes a thickness “t” measured in the axial direction and a height “h” measured in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In some embodiments, the height h is greater than the thickness t. For example, the height h may be greater than 3 mm and the thickness may be less than 2 mm. In some embodiments, the bottom housing 50 is integrally molded as a single piece including a front wall, a rear wall, ribs, and a portion with a protective element. Each rib 76 includes a rear edge 86 sloping downward from the top of the central portion 82 toward the top surface of the rear wall 74 and a front edge 88 sloping downward from the top of the central portion 82 toward the top surface of the front wall 72. The rear edge 86 slopes in the opposite direction to the top surface of the rear wall 74. The front edge slopes in the opposite direction to the top surface of the front wall 72. The top surface of the central portion includes a downwardly curved portion 90 that defines a recess to receive the brush roller 44 and prevent interference with the brush roller 44. The lower surface of the central portion 82 also includes rounded edges to maintain a substantially constant height h over the entire length of the rib 76.

[0025] See Figure 3 and Figure 5 The rear wall 74 of the bottom housing 50 includes a top surface that spans the distance between an intake port 34 adjacent to its front end and an outlet port 52 adjacent to its rear end. The rearward portion of each rib 76 defining the flow guide is positioned on the top surface of the rear wall 74 along this distance between the intake port 34 and the outlet port 52.

[0026] like Figure 3 As best shown, the first rib 76 (from left to right) is located on one side of the first axial position and includes a rearward portion 80 angled toward the outlet port 52 in the first axial direction. The second rib 76 is located on the opposite side of the first axial position and includes a rearward portion 80 angled toward the outlet port 52 in the opposite axial direction. The first rib 76 and the second rib 76 are mirror images of each other. The third rib 76 and the fourth rib 76 are configured similarly to the second rib. The fifth rib 76 is also configured similarly to the second rib 76, located on the rightmost axial side of the guard 56 opposite to the first to fourth ribs 76. Although five ribs 76 are shown, four or fewer ribs or six or more ribs may be used. Furthermore, although the angle 84, thickness t, and height h are the same for each of the plurality of ribs 76, these characteristic dimensions may vary on the ribs 76. For example, the size of the angle 84 may be increased or decreased relative to the distance of a single rib 76 from the first axial position 54.

[0027] Ribs 76 help deflect debris into the airflow, transferring dirt and debris into the working air path through the brush roller housing 40 to the outlet port 52. More importantly, the rearward portion 80 of each rib 76 eliminates dead air pockets formed by straight ribs, which would otherwise collect debris and prevent it from entering the working airflow path. Tables 1 and 2 provided below illustrate the benefits of cable protection ribs 76 with deflecting flow guides formed by the rearward portion 80. Table 1 is test data from a configuration with straight ribs but without flow guides formed by the rearward portion, while Table 2 is test data collected from two similar units (Unit 1 and Unit 2) configured with flow guides formed by the rearward portion.

[0028]

[0029]

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner, characterized in that, include: A suction motor, operable to move working air from a suction inlet to a clean air outlet via a working air flow path; A dirt separator, positioned along the working air flow path to separate dirt from the working air; and Surface cleaning head, the surface cleaning head comprising: A brush roller, the brush roller being rotatable about an axis defining an axial direction; A brush roller housing, the brush roller housing at least partially surrounding the brush roller and having: An outlet port is disposed at a first axial position of the brush roller housing, and a bottom housing is disposed on the bottom of the brush roller housing, the bottom housing comprising: Front wall, Rear wall, spaced apart from the front wall to define the suction inlet, and At least one rib, the at least one rib being disposed below the brush roller and extending across the suction inlet between the front wall and the rear wall, wherein the at least one rib includes a forward portion connected to the front wall, a rearward portion connected to the rear wall and deflected toward the first axial position of the outlet port to define a flow guide, and a central portion extending orthogonally to the axial direction between the forward portion and the rearward portion.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein, The at least one rib includes a thickness and a height greater than the thickness.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein, The height is greater than 3mm.

4. Vacuum cleaner according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that The rearward portion forms an angle between 30 and 60 degrees relative to the central portion.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the handle is pivotally coupled to the body. The rearward portion is at an angle between 40 and 50 degrees.

6. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The first axial position is not centered on the brush roller housing along the axial direction.

7. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The rearward portion includes a rear end that slopes downward toward the rear wall.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein, The forward portion includes a front end that slopes downward toward the front wall.

9. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The top surface of the rear wall is inclined upwards away from the suction inlet.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, A portion of the top surface of the front wall slopes downward toward the suction inlet.

11. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The at least one rib includes a first rib located on a first axial side of the first axial position and a second rib located on a second axial side of the first axial position.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein, The first rib and the second rib are mirror images of each other.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein, The rearward portion of the first rib and the rearward portion of the second rib are angled toward each other.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein, The at least one rib includes a third rib located on the second axial side of the first axial position.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein, The rearward portions of the second rib and the third rib are parallel.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein, The surface cleaning head includes a brush roller belt positioned at a second axial position, wherein the second rib and the third rib are located on opposite sides of the second axial position.

17. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, Each of the at least one rib includes a downwardly curved portion for accommodating the brush roller.

18. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The brush roller housing includes a top housing coupled to the bottom housing to at least partially surround the brush roller, wherein the outlet port is positioned along the rear wall of the top housing.

19. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The bottom shell is integrally molded as a single piece including the front wall, the rear wall, and the at least one rib.

20. A vacuum cleaner comprising: include: A suction motor, operable to move working air from a suction inlet to a clean air outlet via a working air flow path; A dirt separator, positioned along the working air flow path to separate dirt from the working air; and Surface cleaning head, the surface cleaning head comprising: A brush roller, the brush roller being rotatable about an axis defining an axial direction, and A brush roller housing, the brush roller housing at least partially surrounding the brush roller and having: An outlet port is provided at a first axial position of the brush roller housing, and a bottom housing is provided on the bottom of the brush roller housing, the bottom housing including a front wall. Rear wall, spaced apart from the front wall to define the suction inlet, and First and second ribs, disposed below the brush roller and extending transversely across the suction inlet between the front and rear walls, wherein each of the first and second ribs includes a forward portion connected to the front wall, a rearward portion connected to the rear wall and deflected toward the outlet port at a first axial position to define a flow guide, and a central portion extending orthogonally to the axial direction between the forward and rearward portions. The first rib is located on the first axial side of the first axial position, and the second rib is located on the second axial side of the first axial position.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 20, wherein, The first rib and the second rib are mirror images of each other.

22. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 20 or 21 wherein, The rearward portion of the first rib and the rearward portion of the second rib are angled toward each other.

23. A surface cleaning head characterized by, include: A brush roller, the brush roller being rotatable about an axis defining an axial direction; and A brush roller housing, the brush roller housing at least partially surrounding the brush roller and having: An outlet port is provided at a first axial position of the brush roller housing, and a bottom housing is provided on the bottom of the brush roller housing, the bottom housing including a front wall. Rear wall, spaced apart from the front wall to define the suction inlet, and A plurality of ribs are disposed below the brush roller, wherein each of the plurality of ribs includes a central portion extending orthogonally to the axis between the front wall and the rear wall and transversely through the suction inlet, and a flow guide deflected to direct working air toward a first axial position of the outlet port.

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