JP7423838B2 - vacuum cleaner head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner, and in particular to a cleaner head having a motor-driven brush bar incorporating a motor.

A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner may be equipped with a brush bar, often referred to as an agitator. Brush bars generally include bristles that are utilized to agitate dust from floor surfaces and are particularly important for improving dust collection performance from carpeted floors. The brush bar is motor-driven, and may be driven by the motor via a belt. However, the assembly consisting of the drive and belt occupies valuable space in the cleaner head, which is why it is difficult for the cleaner head to include a brush bar that extends across the width of the cleaner head. may not be possible.

Recent developments have led to brush bar motors being built into the brush bar. Such an arrangement is disclosed in GB 2,498,351. In US Pat. No. 5,301,300, the brush bar is in the form of a hollow body, insertable through one side of the cleaner head, and adapted to cover a drive assembly that is cantilevered at the other end of the cleaner head. is slidably attached to.

FIG. 1 of the present application represents another example. FIG. 1 represents a vacuum cleaner head 1 having a suction chamber 2. FIG. The brush bar 3 is insertable into the suction chamber 2 through an opening 4 provided in the side wall of the cleaner head 1 . When the brush bar 3 is inserted into the suction opening as indicated by arrow A, the brush bar is slidably received in the support body 5. The support body 5 is fixed to the side wall opposite the suction opening at point 6 and extends through the center of the suction chamber 2 . The side wall at point 6 cantilevers the support body. When the brush bar is inserted into the suction chamber 2, a brush bar end cap 7 is secured to the housing via a bayonet connection to hold the brush bar in place.

Although integrating the motor into the brush bar has many advantages, removing the brush bar through the side of the cleaner head introduces several design constraints. Additionally, if a proper seal is not achieved, air may leak through the sides of the cleaner head for removing the brush bar. In this case, the head pressure inside the suction chamber is affected and the collection performance of the cleaner head is degraded.

A first embodiment of the invention is a stirrer comprising a suction chamber having a suction opening and a hollow body, the stirrer being supported inside the suction chamber by a support member. , the support member has a first end fixed to the side wall of the suction chamber and a second end free and slidably receivable for the hollow body of the stirrer. , an agitator; and a drive assembly forming part of a support member, the drive assembly being arranged to rotate the agitator about an axis. , a first end of the support member is pivotally secured to a side wall of the suction chamber, such that a second end of the support member is attached to the support member for removing and replacing the agitator. To provide a vacuum cleaner head, which is rotatable together with a supported agitator so as to project outwardly from a suction opening.

As a result, vacuum cleaner heads in which the brush bar motor is arranged inside the brush bar are made possible without the need to remove the brush bar through the side of the cleaner head. This in turn contributes to maintaining a higher head pressure inside the suction chamber, since it reduces the risk of air escaping through the sides of the cleaner head. As a result, collection performance is improved.

The suction opening faces downward. In this way, dirt is drawn through the suction opening from the floor surface on which the cleaner head is utilized, and the brush bar is accessible for removal and replacement.

A first end of the support member is pivotally secured to the side wall of the suction chamber by a pivot joint. As a result, the rotary joint allows for a controlled rotational movement, ensuring that the support member rotates only toward the desired point and not beyond the desired point, so that the vacuum cleaner head will not cause any damage.

A first end of the support member includes a wiring loom provided through the pivot joint for powering the drive assembly. As a result, the wiring loom is protected by the pivot point so that it will not be damaged even if the support member and the brush bar are pivoted out of the suction opening.

A cooling airflow passage extends through the pivot joint for providing cooling airflow to the drive assembly. As a result, the brush bar motor remains cool during operation and the airflow path is not obstructed by the pivot joint.

A drive assembly includes a drive dog configured to engage a complementary drive dog receiving portion on the agitator. Alternatively, the drive assembly is soft attached to the inner surface of the agitator. In either case, drive torque can be efficiently transmitted from the brush bar motor to the brush bar.

The cleaner head includes a retaining frame for preventing rotation of the support member and for holding the agitator in place on the cleaner head. As a result, the brush bar and support member are prevented from inappropriately pivoting outwardly from the cleaner head during use or when the cleaner head is lifted off the floor.

A retaining frame is pivotally attached to the edge of the suction opening. As a result, the holding frame can be moved such that the brush bar can be replaced after removal of the brush bar. This reduces the possibility of improper alignment difficulties when replacing the retaining frame, and thus also reduces the possibility of losing or damaging the retaining frame.

A catch engages the second end of the agitator to prevent the agitator from pivoting outwardly from the suction opening and to retain the agitator within the cleaner head. . This provides an additional or alternative method for holding the brush bar in place.

A second embodiment of the invention provides a vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner head that fits any one of the above descriptions. As a result, a vacuum cleaner that operates more efficiently and has improved collection performance can be achieved due to the advantages associated with the vacuum cleaner head described above.

A third embodiment of the invention provides a robotic vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner head that fits any one of the above descriptions. As a result, a mobile robotic vacuum cleaner that operates more efficiently and has improved collection performance may be achieved due to the advantages associated with the vacuum cleaner head described above. Furthermore, since the sides of the cleaner head are free of any features for removing the brush bar, such features can be utilized for other purposes important to autonomous mobile robotic devices.

The outer surface of the side of the cleaner head forms part of the outer surface of the robotic vacuum cleaner and is adapted to respond to physical contact with an obstacle. As a result, the robot vacuum cleaner has an improved sensitivity, and the side of the vacuum cleaner head has the role of detecting obstacles in the environment in which the robot vacuum cleaner operates. No “blind spots” are formed in the sensor system of vacuum cleaners.

A robotic vacuum cleaner includes at least one microswitch that is actuated when a side of the cleaner head makes physical contact with an obstruction.

For a better understanding of the invention, embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an example of a vacuum cleaner head according to the prior art; Figure 3 represents the vacuum cleaner head of the present invention during a brush bar removal operation. Figure 3 represents the vacuum cleaner head of the present invention during a brush bar removal operation. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the robot vacuum cleaner. Figure 4 depicts the robotic vacuum cleaner of Figure 3 during a brush bar removal operation; Figure 4 depicts the robotic vacuum cleaner of Figure 3 during a brush bar removal operation; Figure 4 depicts the robotic vacuum cleaner of Figure 3 during a brush bar removal operation;

2A and 2B depict a vacuum cleaner head 20. FIG. The cleaner head 20 includes a main body 21 and a mounting portion 22 for attaching the cleaner head to a vacuum cleaner, for example to the wand of a stick vacuum cleaner. The body 21 comprises a cover 23 and side surfaces 24A, 24B which together form a suction chamber inside the body 21. A suction opening 25 is provided on the lower surface of the main body 21 . However, in FIG. 2A, which represents the cleaner head during a brush bar removal operation, the brush bar extends partially outside the suction chamber and partially protrudes through the suction opening 25.

In use, the brush bar 26 acts to agitate the dust on the floor to be cleaned. The brush bar is equipped with a strip of nylon bristles and a row of carbon fiber bristles to contribute to improving the collection performance of the cleaner head. From time to time, brush bar 26 may become dirty. For example, hair may become wrapped around the brush bar 26. In such a situation, it is necessary to remove the brush bar 26 from the cleaner head 20 once cleaning is completed in order to return the brush bar 26 to its predetermined position on the cleaner head 20 after cleaning the brush bar 26.

The brush bar 26 is pivotable into and out of the cleaner head 20 through the suction opening 25, as represented by the double-headed arrow B. The brush bar 26 is pivoted such that one end of the brush bar 26, forming a free end 26A that can be grasped by the user, projects through the suction opening 25. The majority of the other end 26B becomes located inside the suction chamber as the other end 26B approaches the pivot point. A catch (not shown) is provided to hold one end 26A of the brush bar 26 inside the suction chamber. The catch may be in the form of a brush bar end cap, for example, and is adapted to engage a complementary engagement portion disposed on the inner surface of side wall 24A. The end cap may also include a bearing support for one end 26A of brush bar 26.

The brush bar 26 is supported inside the suction chamber in contact with the support member 27 and fits over the support member 27 like a sleeve. The support member 27 is visible in FIG. 2B, which represents the cleaner head 20 after the brush bar 26 has been removed from the support member 27. The support member 27 is rotatably fixed to the inner surface of the side surface 24B of the cleaner head 20. After pivoting the support member 27 and the brush bar 26 out of the suction chamber so that the free end 26A of the brush bar 26 protrudes through the suction opening 25 disposed on the underside of the cleaner head 20, in accordance with arrow C. The brush bar 26 is removed by sliding the brush bar 26 axially away from the support member 27 as shown. The brush bar of the cleaner head 20 is replaced by performing the steps described above in reverse order.

The support member 27 incorporates a brush bar motor for driving the drive dog 28. Drive dog 28 engages a formation disposed on the inner surface of brush bar 26 when brush bar 26 is in position over support member 27 . In use, rotation of the brush bar motor causes the drive dog 28 to rotate, which in turn rotates the brush bar 26 inside the suction chamber of the cleaner head 20.

If the brush bar 26 is removed by first pivoting the brush bar 26 out of the suction opening 25, there is no need to provide an opening in the side wall 24A, as is represented in the prior art example of FIG. 1, for example. Therefore, since the side wall 24A is formed together with the cover 23, the risk of air leaking through the side wall 24 is reduced. This contributes to maintaining head pressure inside the cleaner head 20 during use. This in turn contributes to improving the collection performance of the cleaner head.

There are clear advantages to pivoting the brush bar to the outside of the cleaner head for typical and conventional vacuum cleaners, such as the stick vacuum cleaners and/or upright vacuum cleaners mentioned above. However, there are even greater advantages to doing so in a robotic vacuum cleaner. This will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4A-4C.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the robot vacuum cleaner 30. The robot vacuum cleaner 30 includes a main body 31 and a cleaner head 32. The main body 31 houses a drive system including wheels 33 that can be driven differentially to allow the robotic vacuum cleaner 30 to autonomously tour the external environment. Although not shown, the main body 31 also includes a suction motor for drawing contaminated air from the cleaner head and a dust separation system for separating dust from the air flow generated by the suction motor. It should be noted that the robotic vacuum cleaner 30 includes several other components and systems commonly used in robotic vacuum cleaners. However, such components and systems are not the point of the invention and will not be described in detail herein. For example, the robotic vacuum cleaner 30 may further include a vision system, a sensor system, a patrol system, and a power supply, such as a battery pack.

Cleaner head 32 of robotic vacuum cleaner 30 shares many of the same features and components as cleaner head 20 depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The cleaner head 32 includes a cover and side edges 36A, 36B which together define a suction chamber 34 inside the cleaner head 32. The suction chamber 34 has a suction opening 35 facing the underside of the cleaner head 32 in a downward direction. The brush bar 37 is housed inside the suction chamber 34 and, in use, is driven by a brush bar motor to rotate about an axis. Similar to the brush bar 26 of the cleaner head 20, the brush bar 37 of the cleaner head 32 of the robotic vacuum cleaner 30 acts to agitate the dust on the floor surface to be cleaned. The brush bar 37 includes a strip of nylon bristles and a row of carbon fiber bristles to help improve the collection performance of the cleaner head. The brush bar 37 also includes a tufted material (not shown) that extends along the circumferential length and axial length of the region of the brush bar 37 between the nylon bristles and the carbon fiber bristles. It extends over almost the entire length of the area.

Sometimes the brush bar 37 can become dirty. For example, hair may become wrapped around the brush bar 26 or dust may become lodged inside the cleaner head 32. Such hair and dust must be removed and removed. Although it is desirable for the robot to be able to handle all tasks autonomously so that no user intervention is required, it is possible for the user to perform some inspection tasks, such as cleaning the brush bar or clearing obstructions. There are times when you cannot avoid situations where you have to do something. If this happens, the user will need to remove the brush bar 37 from the cleaner head 32 and return the brush bar 37 to a predetermined position inside the cleaner head 32 once cleaning and/or removal of the obstruction is completed.

4A, 4B, and 4C represent various stages of a brush bar removal operation. The cleaning head 32 of the robotic vacuum cleaner 30 includes a holding frame 40 which is rotatably fixed to the front edge of the suction opening 35 . Retention frame 40 is held in place by a spring-loaded catch mechanism. The catch mechanism is adapted to be disengaged by an actuating slider 41. When the catch is disengaged, retention frame 40 is allowed to pivot away from suction chamber 34, as shown by arrow D in FIG. 4A. By rotating the holding frame 40 in this manner, the brush bar 37 is exposed so that the brush bar 37 can be removed from the cleaner head 32. In addition to the retaining frame 40, a catch is utilized to retain the brush bar 37 inside the cleaner head 32. As described above in connection with the vacuum cleaner head 20 depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a catch (not shown) is provided for retaining the end 37A of the brush bar 37 inside the suction chamber; 36A, and is adapted to engage a complementary engagement portion disposed on the inner surface of side wall 36A, for example.

FIG. 4 represents the brush bar 37 being pivoted out of the suction chamber 34 as represented by arrow E such that the free end 37A projects out of the suction opening 35. From this position, the user can grasp free end 37A of brush bar 37 and remove free end 37A of brush bar 37 from support member 42, as shown by arrow F in FIG. 4C. The support member 42 supports the brush bar 37 during normal use and is connected at one end to the cleaner head 32 so that the free end of the support member 42 can be pivoted out of the suction chamber 34. It is rotatably fixed to the inner surface of the side wall 36B. A drive assembly in the form of a brush bar motor 43 is provided as part of the support member 42. The drive assembly depicted in FIG. 4C differs from the drive assembly of the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B. This is because the brush bar motor 43 is not built into the support member 42, but forms a part of the outer surface of the support member 42. Furthermore, instead of driving a drive dock as in the embodiments described above, the brush bar motor 43 has an outer rotor configuration in which the outer surface of the brush bar motor 43 is softly attached to the inner peripheral surface of the brush bar 37. , rotates relative to the rest of the support member 42 to directly drive the rotation of the brush bar 37. The brush bar motor 43 may be a brushed motor or a brushless motor.

The brush bar 37 can be replaced by performing the steps described above and illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C in reverse order.

The front edge of the robot vacuum cleaner 30 is provided with a bumper 50. Bumper 50 is configured to detect any physical contact between robotic vacuum cleaner 30 and any object or obstruction located within the environment that robotic vacuum cleaner 30 is circulating. . In order for the robot vacuum cleaner 30 to autonomously patrol within the environment without fear of damaging the robot vacuum cleaner 30 or damaging other objects during the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner 30, physical contact is not required. Detection is important. The front bumper, such as bumper 50, is of critical importance. This is because the robot vacuum cleaner is most likely to come into contact with an obstacle while moving forward. However, it is very beneficial to be able to detect physical contact from the side. This allows physical contact to be detected when the robot vacuum cleaner is moving along boundaries, such as walls, and also when cutting curves. It is from. The outer surfaces of the side edges 36A, 36B of the cleaner head 32 are therefore responsive to physical contact. This is accomplished as the side edges 36A, 36B do not include such things as brush bar removal ports. By making the brush bar 37 removable by pivoting the brush bar 37 outwardly through the suction opening, the side edges 37A, 37B are responsive to physical contact and thus the robotic vacuum. The side edges 37A, 37B are free to span the entire length of the vacuum cleaner's bumper sensor system.

The outer surfaces of the side edges 36A, 36B of the cleaner head form part of the outer cover of the robotic vacuum cleaner 30. Side edge portion 36A. The outer surface of 36B is deformable and a microswitch is positioned behind the deformable outer cover. As a result, when the robot vacuum cleaner 30 and an obstacle come into physical contact, the microswitch is activated and the robot vacuum cleaner 30 is operated to notify the robot vacuum cleaner 30 that the contact has occurred. to send signals to the control system. The outer surfaces of side edges 36A, 36B are made deformable by utilizing springs to bias the outer cover away from the microswitch. Upon contact with an obstacle, the biasing force of the spring is overcome and the outer cover contacts the microswitch. In an alternative embodiment, a spring is not required because the outer cover is formed from a material that has a biasing force as an internal force. Additionally, other alternative embodiments utilize strain gauges to measure strain in the deformable material to detect physical contact instead of microswitches. Other alternatives to physical contact sensors

In both vacuum cleaner head embodiments described in connection with the vacuum cleaner head depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B and the robotic vacuum cleaner depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4A-4C, the pivot joint 27 , 42 are connected to the side wall. The pivot joint allows the support members 27, 42 to pivot relative to the rest of the cleaner head while providing some degree of cantilever support for the brush bars 26, 37 when the support members are positioned inside the suction chamber. Exercise is possible. The pivot joint of this embodiment provides a protected passageway through which the wiring loom can pass. The wiring loom provides power and control signals to the brush bar motor. By passing the wiring loom through the pivot joint, the wiring ream is protected and the risk of damage to the wiring loom due to pivoting movements of the support members 27, 42 is significantly reduced. Since brush bar motors reach high temperatures during use, it is beneficial to utilize cooling airflow to cool the brush bar motors. By passing the cooling airflow through the duct passing through the pivot joint, the risk of damage to the duct and obstruction of the cooling airflow due to the pivoting movement of the support members 27, 42 is greatly reduced.

Although specific examples and embodiments have been described, it should be noted that various modifications, including those described above, are possible without departing from the technical scope of the invention as defined in the claims. It is.

1 Vacuum cleaner head 2 Suction chamber 3 Brush bar 4 Opening 5 Support body 6 points 7 Brush bar end cap 20 Vacuum cleaner head 21 Main body (of the vacuum cleaner head 20) 22 Mounting part (of the vacuum cleaner head 20) 23 (The main body 21) ) Cover 24A (of the main body 21) side surface 24B (of the main body 21) side surface 25 (of the main body 21) suction opening 26 Brush bar 26A (of the brush bar 26) free end (one end)
26B Other end (of the brush bar 26) 27 Support member 28 Drive dog 30 Robot vacuum cleaner 31 Main body 32 Vacuum cleaner head 33 Wheel 34 Suction chamber 35 Suction opening 36A Side edge (of the vacuum cleaner head 32) 36B ( Side edge (of vacuum cleaner head 32) 37 Brush bar 37A End (of brush bar 37) 40 Holding frame 42 Support member 43 Brush bar motor 50 Bumper

Claims (14)

a suction chamber having a suction opening;
A stirrer having a hollow shape , the stirrer being supported inside the suction chamber by a support member, with an inner surface of the stirrer in contact with the entire outer surface of the support member , The agitator fits over the support member, one end of the support member is fixed to a side wall of the suction chamber , the other end of the support member is a free end , and the agitator the agitator being slidable on the support member ;
a drive assembly provided as part of the support member for driving the agitator to rotate about an axis;
A vacuum cleaner head comprising:
The one end of the support member is rotatably fixed to the side wall of the suction chamber, such that the other end of the support member can be used for removing and replacing the agitator. . A vacuum cleaner head, characterized in that it is rotatable together with the agitator supported by the support member so as to protrude outward from the suction opening. A vacuum cleaner head according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction opening faces downwardly. 3. A cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the support member is rotatably fixed to the side wall of the suction chamber by a pivot joint. 4. The one end of the support member includes a wiring loom provided through the pivot joint for powering the drive assembly. Vacuum cleaner head as described. 5. A cleaner head as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a cooling airflow passage passes through the pivot joint for supplying a cooling airflow to the drive assembly. 6. According to any one of claims 1 to 5, the drive assembly comprises a drive dog configured to engage a structure provided on the inner surface of the agitator. vacuum cleaner head. A cleaner head according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive assembly is attached to the inner surface of the agitator. 8. The vacuum cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner head is provided with a holding frame for preventing rotation of the support member and for holding the agitator in a predetermined position on the vacuum cleaner head. The vacuum cleaner head described in item (1) above. 9. A vacuum cleaner head as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the retaining frame is rotatably attached to the edge of the suction opening. A catch is provided at the other end of the agitator to prevent the agitator from pivoting outwardly from the suction opening and to retain the agitator inside the vacuum cleaner head. A cleaner head according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it engages with a portion of the cleaner head. A vacuum cleaner comprising the cleaner head according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A robotic vacuum cleaner comprising the vacuum cleaner head according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 12. The outer surface of the side surface of the vacuum cleaner head forms part of the outer surface of the robotic vacuum cleaner and is adapted to respond to physical contact with an obstacle. The robot vacuum cleaner described in . 14. The robotic vacuum of claim 13, wherein the robotic vacuum cleaner comprises at least one microswitch that is activated when a side surface of the vacuum cleaner head comes into physical contact with an obstacle. Vacuum cleaner.