CN108392137B

CN108392137B - Suction head of vacuum cleaner with three positions

Info

Publication number: CN108392137B
Application number: CN201810122744.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 斯尔维恩·瑞纳德; 阿德里安·赞尼; 席尔瑞·浦鲁尼尔
Original assignee: SEB SA
Current assignee: SEB SA
Priority date: 2017-02-08
Filing date: 2018-02-07
Publication date: 2021-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-02-07
Also published as: EP3360453A1; CN108392137A; ES2767962T3; EP3360453B1; CN209595646U; FR3062562B1; FR3062562A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a suction head (1) of a dust collector, comprising: -a base (5), -at least one brush (13, 14), -a connecting sleeve (2), and-a fork (3) arranged between the base and the sleeve and mounted in a pivoting connection with respect to the base and the sleeve about a transverse axis (X1), the suction head comprising a lever (20) configured to actuate the mechanism according to three positions, in order to: in the first position, lowering and positioning at least one brush (13, 14) projecting from the lower surface (15) by pivoting the fork (3) with respect to the base (5); in the second position, raising and positioning at least one brush (13, 14) to retract from the lower surface (15) by pivoting the fork (3) relative to the base (5); in the third position, the at least one brush (13, 14) is kept retracted from the lower surface (15) by locking the fork (3) relative to the base (5). The invention also relates to a vacuum cleaner equipped with such a cleaning head (1).

Description

Suction head of vacuum cleaner with three positions

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners equipped with a suction head which allows to suck dust and small-sized waste present on a surface. The invention aims to design a suction head which is easy to adapt according to the property of the surface to be sucked.

Background

Suction cleaners equipped with a cleaner head are well known in the market which allow surfaces to be cleaned by suction to remove dust and small particle size waste adhering to such surfaces.

The surface to be cleaned may be, for example, a tile veneer, parquet, laminate, woven cut pile carpet or carpet. It is therefore appropriate to be able to adapt the suction head for cleaning a surface, preferably in accordance with the nature of the surface.

Conventionally, the suction head comprises a connecting sleeve and a base comprising a lower surface having a cavity extending laterally across the suction head, said cavity communicating with said sleeve via a rigid or flexible conduit. During use of the cleaner head, the lower surface of the base is located adjacent to a surface to be cleaned.

The known documents FR2442617a1, FR2439577, FR2967042a1, EP3047776 and CN205585956 allow the nozzle to be adapted according to the nature of the surface to be cleaned.

In patent application FR2442617a1, the suction head comprises a set of two brushes, arranged at the front and at the rear of the base, each brush being arranged at one side of the cavity. The mechanism actuated by the lever allows defining three positions of the set of two brushes. In accordance with a first position of the operating lever, which is advantageous for use on long-pile woven cut-pile carpets, the mechanism raises the brush so as to retract with respect to the lower surface of the base, which therefore rests on the suction surface. In accordance with a second position of the lever, which is advantageous for use on hard floors, the mechanism lowers the brushes so as to project with respect to said lower surface, which is thus disengaged from the suction surface, with which they are in contact. In accordance with a third position of the operating lever, which is advantageous for use on compact or short pile woven cut pile carpets, the mechanism tilts the set of brushes relative to the lower surface, the rear brush extends relative to the lower surface, and the front brush retracts.

In patent application FR2439577a1, the base of the suction head and the connecting sleeve are in communication with each other by means of a rigid tube in the form of a fork. The tube is hinged, on the one hand, to the sleeve at the axis of the supporting wheel on the surface to be cleaned and, on the other hand, to the base at an axis parallel to the axis of the wheel. The suction head comprises a mechanism actuated by a lever allowing a set of two brushes to be extended or retracted with respect to the lower surface of the base by lowering or raising them. One of the brushes is disposed at the front of the base and the other brush is disposed at the rear, each brush being disposed at one side of the cavity.

In patent application FR2967042, the base of the suction head and the connecting sleeve are connected by a link mounted in pivoting connection with the base on the one hand along a first axis and with the sleeve on the other hand along a second axis, said axes being parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation of the supporting wheel on the surface to be cleaned. The base includes two angular stops and the link includes an arm at its forward end that contacts the angular stops when the base is pivoted up or down relative to the link. The base includes two edges on a lower surface thereof, the two edges being disposed at a front and a rear of the cavity, respectively. Upon forward movement of the cleaner head, the arm comes into contact with the upper corner stop, which brings the leading edge into contact with the surface to be cleaned, while the trailing edge is slightly disengaged from the surface. Conversely, on retraction of the cleaner head, the arm comes into contact with the lower angular stop, which brings the rear edge into contact with the surface to be cleaned and the front edge slightly out of engagement with the surface. The contact of the edge with said surface allows to scrape the surface, whereas the detachment of the edge with respect to said surface allows to let the air flow enter the cavity.

In patent application EP3047776a1, the base of the suction head and the connecting sleeve are connected by a hinge which allows angular travel between the parts. The caster is mounted at the rear of the sleeve. When the cleaner head is pushed forwardly, the castor wheel is lifted from the surface to be cleaned, and vice versa when the cleaner head is pulled rearwardly. The mechanism actuated by the lever allows the two brushes, respectively arranged at the front and at the rear of the cavity, to be raised or lowered so as to extend or retract them with respect to the lower surface of the base, depending on the nature of the surface.

In application CN205585956, the base of the suction head and the coupling sleeve are connected by a coupling which allows angular travel between said parts. The link is pivotally connected relative to the base and includes a slot that receives a spindle disposed on the sleeve that pivots in the slot and slides along the slot. The mechanism actuated by the joystick allows the brush inside the base to be raised or lowered depending on the nature of the floor to be cleaned.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to devise a suction head which allows the best adaptation to the nature of the surface to be cleaned, this adaptation being done by the action of a single joystick, to facilitate the visualization of the use and the position of use of the cleaner.

To this end, the invention relates to a suction head of a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

-a base provided with a lower surface and a cavity, said cavity opening into the lower surface;

-at least one brush extending laterally on the base;

-a connection sleeve configured to communicate with the cavity through a flexible tube;

-a fork arranged between the base and the sleeve and mounted in a pivotal connection relative to the base and the sleeve about a transverse axis.

Further, according to the invention, the suction head comprises a mechanism and a lever configured to actuate the mechanism according to three positions, the mechanism being configured to:

-in a first position, lowering and positioning the at least one brush to protrude from the lower surface by pivoting the fork relative to the base;

-in a second position, raising and positioning the at least one brush to retract from the lower surface by pivoting the fork relative to the base;

-in a third position, the at least one brush is held retracted from the lower surface by locking the fork relative to the base.

The first position is advantageous for use on smooth ground, such as a tiled floor surface, a parquet surface or a laminate surface. The second position is advantageous for use on woven cut pile or carpeting. The third position advantageously allows the foot to be forced to tilt to a position that facilitates scraping of the surface to be cleaned. These different positions are obtained by simply actuating the lever, which greatly facilitates the use of the suction head.

In an embodiment of the nozzle according to the invention, the mechanism comprises two angular stops, which are configured to be relatively close to each other when the lever is actuated from the first position to the third position and, conversely, to be relatively far apart when the lever is actuated from the third position to the first position. In a preferred embodiment, a low angle stop is fixed and a high angle stop is movable, but a mechanism is contemplated in which both the high and low angle stops are movable and are in close proximity to each other. The purpose of these corner stops is to limit the pivoting of the fork relative to the base until a lock between the fork and the base is achieved at the third position of the lever.

In an embodiment of the nozzle according to the invention, the mechanism is configured such that in the third position of the lever the locking of the fork secures it in a position swung forwardly relative to the base, which tends to lift the fork and the sleeve relative to the base. In addition, the forks are configured to ballast the base, particularly as the forks and the sleeve are raised relative to the base, which forces the base to tilt rearwardly as a result of being secured, thereby positioning the base in a preferred position for scraping a surface to be cleaned. Preferably, the inclination is effected at an angle of 7 to 10 degrees, preferably 8 to 9 degrees.

In an embodiment of the nozzle according to the invention, the mechanism is configured such that in the second position of the lever the pivoting of the fork is limited when it swings backwards. This pivot restriction, along with the ballast created by the base and sleeve configuration, also forces the base to tilt backwards. Preferably, the inclination is realized at an angle between 1 and 3 degrees, preferably 2 degrees.

According to the suction head of the present invention, a pivoting connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the manoeuvring shaft and the base, the manoeuvring shaft preferably being arranged in the upper part of the base in order to provide access to the manoeuvring shaft by foot or hand. In addition, the mechanism comprises at least one high stop and means for fastening the stop on the lever, the fork comprising at least one abutment arranged to come into contact with the at least one high stop when the fork is swung backwards. Preferably, two high stops are distributed on the side of the suction head and two supports are arranged in correspondence with the stops.

According to the suction head of the present invention, said mechanism comprises at least one low stop, said fork comprising at least one bearing arranged to come into contact with said at least one low stop when said fork is swung forward. Preferably, two low stops are distributed on the side of the suction head and two supports are arranged in correspondence with the stops. Preferably, said at least one low stop is implemented directly by the upper part of said base, said at least one support of said fork being in contact with said stop.

According to the suction head of the present invention, a pivotal connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the manoeuvring shaft and the base, which pivotal connection is the same as previously defined. In addition, the mechanism includes:

-at least one driving pawl equipped with a slot and means for fastening the driving pawl on the operating lever;

-at least one connecting rod equipped with an upper portion housing a spindle housed in said slot;

-a support for said at least one brush, said support being mounted on said base by sliding connection along an axis perpendicular to said lower surface of said base, said link being equipped with a lower portion, said lower portion being pivotally mounted with respect to said support.

According to the suction head of the present invention, the suction head comprises a stop system for stopping the operating lever and the mechanism according to the three positions.

In an embodiment of the suction head, a pivotal connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the joystick and the base, which pivotal connection is as defined before. In addition, the detent system includes:

-a holding pawl and means for fastening the holding pawl on the operating lever, the holding pawl comprising a pin flexibly mounted, in particular due to the flexibility of the pawl;

-a circular groove arranged on the base, in which the pin is housed, the groove comprising a hole configured to receive the pin in the second position of the lever, the pin abutting against an end of the groove in the first and third positions of the lever.

In an embodiment of the suction head, the stop system comprises, in a supplementary or variant, at least one protrusion on the base and at least one stop plate in contact with the protrusion when the lever and the mechanism return to the first position. This ensures that the brush is properly stopped in a position projecting relative to the lower surface of the base.

According to the suction head of the present invention, the return means are configured to engage in the raising of said at least one brush when said manoeuvring bar is moved from said first position to said second position.

In a preferred embodiment, the suction head comprises two brushes, which are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the base, respectively, each brush being arranged on one side of the cavity.

According to the cleaner head of the present invention, said lower surface of said base comprises a front portion and a rear portion, said rear portion being inclined upwardly relative to said front portion. Thus, when the base is in the normal position, the front portion is substantially parallel to a surface to be cleaned, and when the base is swung rearwardly to the third position, an edge between the front portion and the rear portion contacts the surface. Preferably, the cavity is located in the front portion, a rear edge of the cavity corresponding to an edge defined between the front portion and the rear portion.

According to the invention, the suction head comprises at least one wheel, preferably two wheels, which are arranged in the pivot axis between the fork and the sleeve. It is envisaged that the axis of the at least one wheel is slightly offset relative to the pivot axis between the fork and the sleeve, depending on the shape of the element of the nozzle.

The invention also relates to a vacuum cleaner provided with a cleaner head comprising one and/or other of the features described above. The sleeve is connected to the suction system, even directly, by means of rigid or flexible pipes.

Drawings

The features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of an embodiment of the suction head based on the accompanying drawings, in which:

figures 1 to 3 show three positions of the operating lever of the cleaner head and a part of the mechanism of the cleaner head;

figures 4 to 7 show three positions of the operating lever of the cleaner head and another part of the mechanism of the cleaner head;

FIG. 8 shows a base;

figures 9 and 10 show two views of a first part of the mechanism;

FIG. 11 shows a second component of the mechanism incorporating the joystick;

figure 12 shows the fork assembled with the connecting sleeve and with the two wheels;

FIG. 13 shows a support for two brushes;

FIG. 14 shows the cleaner head with the joystick in a second position;

figure 15 shows a drive link for a mechanism for driving the simultaneous rotation of the first and second parts shown in figures 9 to 11;

FIG. 16 shows the links of the mechanism;

FIG. 17 shows the stop of the fork;

FIG. 18 shows another view of the base of FIG. 8;

figure 19 shows the cleaner head partially in the first position, the figure emphasizing the position of the stop of figure 17 relative to the fork;

figure 20 shows a bottom view of the cleaner head, emphasizing the presence of the cavity and the lower surface of the base.

Detailed Description

As shown in figures 1 to 3, the cleaner head 1 comprises a coupling sleeve, referred to in the following description as sleeve 2, to the end 2a of which sleeve 2 is attached a joint of rigid or flexible tubing which is connected to the suction system of a vacuum cleaner (not shown). Various variants of vacuum cleaners exist on the market and may be used with a cleaner head 1 according to the invention; such cleaners are known to the person skilled in the art and are not described in detail in this patent application.

The cleaner head 1 comprises a fork 3 and two wheels 4a-4b, as shown for example in fig. 12. The sleeve 2 is mounted in a pivoting connection with respect to the fork 3 along a transverse axis X1, the transverse axis X1 preferably corresponding to the axes of rotation of the wheels 4a-4b respectively provided at the sides of the fork 3 and of the sleeve 2. However, it is possible to provide a variant of the suction head 1 according to the invention in which the axes of rotation of the wheels 4a-4b are slightly offset downwards and/or backwards with respect to the pivot axis X1 between the fork 3 and the sleeve 2.

The cleaner head 1 comprises a base 5 as shown, for example, in figures 8 and 18. The fork 3 is mounted pivotally relative to the base 5 along a transverse axis X2. For this purpose, the fork 3 comprises two branches 6 and 7. Note that in fig. 12, the outer portion 6a of the first branch 6 comprises a hole 8; such a hole is also present on the outer portion 7a of the second branch 7, although this hole is not visible. These holes 8 in the branches 6 and 7 pivotally receive two joints 9a-9b, respectively, shown in fig. 18, which two joints 9a-9b are arranged opposite the two inner parts 5a-5b at the rear of the base 5.

Thus, the sleeve 2 can be swung backwards or forwards with respect to the fork 3, as indicated by the

arrows

10a and 10b, respectively, in fig. 1, and the fork 3 can also be swung backwards or forwards with respect to the base 5, as indicated by the

arrows

11a and 11b, respectively, in fig. 2.

The cleaner head 1 comprises a support 12, such as that shown in figure 13, on which support 12 two brushes 13-14 are mounted. These brushes 13-14 are positioned on the front side 5c and on the rear side 5d of the base 5, respectively, when the support 12 is mounted on the base 5, as shown for example in fig. 1 and 20. The support 12 is mounted on the base 5 in sliding connection along an axis X3 set perpendicular to the front portion 15a of the lower surface 15 of the base 5, as shown in fig. 1. This axis X3 is substantially vertical when the base 5 lies flat on the surface to be cleaned without any stress. The support part 12 comprises two guide slots 16a-16b shown in fig. 13, which two guide slots 16a-16b receive two complementary guide elements 17a-17b, respectively, arranged on the upper side of the base 5, as shown in fig. 8 and 18. Likewise, the support 12 comprises two guide holes 18a-18b, which two guide holes 18a-18b accommodate two guide rods 19a-19b arranged on the upper side of the base 5. Also shown in fig. 8 and 13 is the translation axis X3 between the support 12 and the base 5.

The suction head 1 comprises a manoeuvring shaft 20, which manoeuvring shaft 20 actuates a mechanism 21, an overall view of which mechanism 21 appears in fig. 1 to 7. The lever 20 is mounted in a pivoting connection with respect to the base 5 along a transverse axis X4, which allows it to pivot according to three positions and allows the mechanism 21 to move according to three different positions.

The mechanism 21 comprises two parts 22-23, which two parts 22-23 are each arranged at the side of the base 5, as shown for example in fig. 4-7. The mechanism 21 acts on the support 12 and on the fork 3 by moving the two parts 22-23 and the transmission member when the position of the operating lever 20 is changed, as described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 11, the first part 22 integrates the operating lever 20 and comprises a first housing 24 at right angles and a second semi-cylindrical housing 25. The first and second housings 24-25 receive a first end 26a, at right angles, of a transmission rod 26, shown in fig. 15, which allows the lever 20 to be fastened to the transmission rod 26. This assembly appears, for example, in fig. 19.

As shown in fig. 8, for example, the base 5 includes seven rolling bearings 27a to 27g, two of which 27b and 27f are disposed at the upper ends of the guide rods 19a to 19b, and five other rolling bearings (27a, 27c to 27e and 27g) are disposed at the ends of the five extending claws 28 to 32, respectively. These rolling bearings 27a-27g define an axis X4 and rotatably house drive rod 26, as shown for example in fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 9, the second part 23 also comprises a first housing 33 at right angles and a second semi-cylindrical housing 34, the first housing 33 and the second housing 34 housing the second end 26b at right angles of the transmission rod 26, as shown in fig. 15, which allows to fasten said second part 23 to the transmission rod 26 and therefore to the first part 22 integrating the operating lever 20. This assembly appears, for example, in fig. 19.

Thus, the manipulation of the lever 20 allows the simultaneous pivoting of the transmission rod 26 and of the two parts 22-23 about the axis X4.

The first part 22 comprises a driving pawl 35 provided with a slot 36, as shown in fig. 11. Likewise, the second part 23 comprises a driving pawl 37 equipped with a slot 38, as shown in fig. 9 and 10. These two driving

pawls

35 and 37 are respectively arranged opposite the two ends 26a-26b of the driving rod 26 at right angles, on the side of the base 5, as shown for example in fig. 19.

As shown for example in fig. 13, 14 and 16, the support 12 comprises, on its lateral faces 12a-12b, two housings 39a-39b each of which pivotally houses, along a transverse axis X5, a first portion 40a of the link that remains pivotally connected thanks to the connecting shaft 41. In fig. 13, only one of the connecting rods 40 is shown on the side 12b of the support 12 to emphasize the housing 39a and the connecting shaft 41 on the other side 12 a; of course, the connecting rod 40 is positioned in this housing 39a before the connecting shaft 41 is arranged.

As shown in fig. 16, each link 40 comprises, on its second portion 40b, a slot 42 in which the driving pawl 35 of the first part 22 on the side 12b of the support 12 is housed and, likewise, the driving pawl 37 of the second part 23 on the side 12a of said support 12 is housed in said slot 42. The spindle 43 shown in fig. 14 is received in the hole 44 in the second portion 40b of the link 40 and in the slot 36 of the driving pawl 35 on the first part 22, and likewise in the slot 38 of the driving pawl 37 on the second part 23. Thus, the second portion 40b of the link 40 can pivot and slide in the

respective slots

36 and 38.

As shown with reference to fig. 8, 13 and 18, the support 12 comprises two hollow cylindrical portions 45a-45b provided with guide holes 18a-18b, respectively, in which springs (not shown) are housed, which house the guide rods 19a-19b and rest on crosses 46a-46b arranged on the upper side of the base 5, which force the support 12 to return upwards with respect to the base 5 when no object is holding said support 12.

In the first position of lever 20 and mechanism 21 shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, driving

pawls

35 and 37 allow support member 12 to translate downwards with respect to base 5 through connecting rod 40, which allows brushes 13-14 to be removed and set in extension with respect to lower surface 15. The brushes 13-14 can rest on the surface S to be cleaned and the lower surface 15 of the base 5 remains separated from said surface S.

In the second position of the lever 20 and mechanism 21, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, the drive pawls 35 and 37 pivot, which moves the

slots

36 and 38 upward and rearward, as shown in fig. 2. In this position, the link 40 tends to remain in the position shown in FIG. 1, that is, at the first ends 36a and 38a of the

slots

36 and 38 on the driving

pawls

35 and 37. However, the presence of the above-mentioned (not shown) spring forces the support 12 to rise and the link 40 to be positioned as shown in fig. 2, that is to say, to the second ends 36b and 38b of said

slots

36 and 38. In this second position, the brushes 13-14 are retracted from the underside 15 of the base 5, the lower surface 15 resting on the surface S to be cleaned.

In the third position of the lever 20 and mechanism 21, as shown in fig. 3 and 7, the driving

pawls

35 and 37 continue to pivot rearwardly and upwardly, and the link 40 is positioned as shown in fig. 3, that is, at the first ends 36a and 38a of the

slots

36 and 38 on the driving

pawls

35 and 37. Support 12 has been raised relative to base 5 by the action of springs (not shown) when passing through the second position, and therefore support 12 remains in the raised position with brushes 13-14 retracted relative to lower surface 15 of base 5.

The first part 22 comprises a stop finger 47, the stop finger 47 being located below the lever 20, as shown in fig. 11. Likewise, the second part 23 comprises a stop finger 48. The branches 6-7 of the fork 3 each comprise an end 6c-7c, which ends 6c-7c extend beyond the axis X2 of pivoting of said fork 3 with respect to the base 5, as shown in fig. 12. These ends 6c-7c each include support fingers 49-50. Stop fingers 47-48 are disposed in the range of rotation of support fingers 49-50, respectively.

In the first position of the lever 20 and the mechanism 21, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the stop fingers 47-48 are at the highest point, which allows the fork 3 to swing backwards in the direction of the arrow 11a shown in fig. 2 by pivoting relative to the base 5 until the support fingers 49-50 come into contact with the stop fingers 47-48, as shown in fig. 5. The fork 3 can, in turn, be swung forwards in the direction of the arrow 11b shown in fig. 2 until the bearing fingers 49-50 come into contact with two stops 51-52 provided on the upper surface 53 of the base 5.

In the second position of the lever 20 and the mechanism 21 shown in fig. 6, the stop fingers 47-48 are pivoted downwards relative to their position shown in fig. 4 and 5. In this fig. 6, the fork 3 swings back in the direction of the arrow 11a shown in fig. 2. Note that the bearing finger 50 on the fork 3 is in contact with the stop finger 48 on the second part 23; the same is true between the support finger 49 and the stop finger 47, which does not appear in fig. 6 due to the presence of the operating lever 20. The choice of the stop position of these stop fingers 47-48 in the second position has the effect of substantially limiting the swinging back of the fork 3 with respect to the base 5. Due to this limitation the wheels 4a-4b tend to lift from the surface S to be cleaned, the mass of the fork 3, wheels 4a-4b and sleeve 2 then having the effect of ballasting the base 5 and causing it to swing backwards in the direction of arrow 54 shown in figure 3 until the wheels 4a-4b come into contact with said surface S. The lower surface 15 of the base 5 comprises a rear portion 15b inclined upwards with respect to the front portion 15a thereof; the ballast thus formed allows the front portion 15a of the base to be inclined at an angle α 1 relative to the surface S, as shown in fig. 2. This allows air flow into the cavity 55 of the base 5 shown in figure 20. Preferably, the stop position of

stop fingers

47 and 48 will be selected to have an angle α 1 between 1 and 3 degrees (1 ° < α 1<3 °), preferably equal to 2 degrees (α 1 ═ 2 °).

In the third position of the lever 20 and the mechanism 21 shown in fig. 7, the stop fingers 47-48 are pivoted fully downwards and the support fingers 49-50 of the fork 3 are clamped between said stop fingers 47-48 and stops 51-52 on the upper surface 53 of the base 5. Thus, the fork 3 is locked in this position of fig. 7 with respect to the base 5. During the actuation of the lever 20 from the second position to the third position, the stop fingers 47-48 of the members 22-23 abut against the bearing fingers 49-50 of the fork 3, which forces said fork 3 to swing forward in the direction of the arrow 11b shown in fig. 2 and tends to disengage the wheels 4a-4b from the surface S to be cleaned. As previously described, the ballasting of the base 5 caused by the mass of the forks 3, the wheels 4a-4b and the sleeve 2 forces said base 5 to swing backwards in the direction of the arrow 54 shown in fig. 3, which tilts the front portion 15a of the lower surface 15 of the base 5 by the angle α 2 shown in fig. 3. This angle α 2 corresponds substantially to the angle of inclination of the rear portion 15b with respect to the front portion 15a on the lower surface 15, which allows to bring said rear portion 15b into contact with the surface S to be cleaned, as shown in fig. 3. Preferably, the angle α 2 is between 7 degrees and 10 degrees (7 ° < α 1<10 °), preferably between 8 degrees and 9 degrees (8 ° < α 1<9 °).

In this third position, as shown in figures 3 and 20, the edge 15c between the front portion 15a and the rear portion 15b on the lower surface 15 of the base 5 allows scraping of the surface S to be cleaned. The edge 15c corresponds generally to the rear edge 55a of the cavity 55. This cavity 55 communicates with a connector 56, as shown in fig. 20, which connector 56 is connected to the sleeve 2 by means of a flexible conduit 57, schematically shown in broken lines in fig. 1.

As shown for example in fig. 9 to 11, the first part 22 comprises a catch 58 equipped with a pin 59 and the second part 23 further comprises a catch 60 equipped with a pin 61. These

pins

59 and 61 are arranged to face each other when the

parts

22 and 23 are mounted on the transmission rod 26. The

dogs

58 and 60 are flexible or pliable on the

parts

22 and 23. As shown in fig. 8, the extending claw 29 on the upper surface 53 of the base 5 includes a groove 62 of a circular shape on the outer side 29a thereof. Likewise, the extension claw 31 comprises a circular groove on its outer side 31a, not visible in the figures, but identical to the groove 62. These grooves 62 each include an aperture 63-64 located generally in the central portion of the groove 62, as shown in FIG. 8. When the parts 22-23 are mounted on the base 5, the

pins

59 and 61 are received in the grooves 62, respectively, said pins 59 and 61 bearing slightly in the bottom of these grooves 62. Due to the flexibility of the blocking pawls 58 and 60, the

pins

59 and 61 enter the inside of the holes 63-64 when they are in correspondence, which stops the position of the parts 22-23 and therefore of the lever 20. In this configuration, the lever 20 and mechanism are in the second position. The flexibility of the

dogs

58 and 60 allows the release of the

pins

59 and 61 out of the holes 63-64 by applying a slight pressure on the lever 20 to move it to the first or third position, thus allowing the actuator 21 and lever 20. The

pins

59 and 61 then move in the respective grooves 62 until abutting in one direction against a first end 62a of said grooves 62, in which the lever 20 and the mechanism 21 have reached the first position, or in the other direction against a second end 62b of said grooves 62, in which the lever 20 and the mechanism 21 have reached the third position.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, members 22-23 each include stop plates 65-66. As shown in fig. 4 and 8, the extending

claws

28 and 32 on the base 5 include projections 67 to 68 on the

outer sides

28a and 32a thereof. In the first position of the operating lever 20 and the mechanism 21, the stop plates 65-66 abut against these projections 68-67, respectively, as shown in fig. 4 and 5. This allows the lever 20 and the mechanism 21 to be stopped precisely against greater forces, the lever 20 often being manipulated by the user's foot. These stop plates 65-66 and projections 68-67 ensure a suitable distribution of force over the width of the base 5 in association with the grooves 62 and the

pins

59 and 61 when the operating lever 20 is returned to the first position.

As shown in fig. 9, the second part 23 comprises a pawl 69, which pawl 69 is provided on its outer side 69a with a projection 70, which projection 70 abuts against the inner side 28b of the extension pawl 28 on the base 5, as shown in fig. 7. This allows the part 23 to be fixed to the base 5 by holding the pin 61 properly against the groove 62.

The cleaner head 1 further comprises a stop 71, shown in figure 17, which stop 71 is secured to the base 5 and comprises a recess 72, in which recess 72 the rear brush 14 is received, as shown in figure 19. As mentioned before, in the first position of the operating lever 20, the bearing fingers 49-50 on the fork 3 abut against the stop fingers 47-48 on the parts 22-23, which define and stop the position of the said fork 3 swinging backwards with respect to the base 5. However, it is conceivable in a variant that the stopping of the fork 3 in the swung position is achieved by a stop 71, in which case the lower surface 6b-7b of the branch 6-7 of the fork 3 shown in fig. 12 will abut against the upper surface 71a of said stop 71, as can be imagined with reference to fig. 19.

It is also conceivable to disengage said stop fingers 47-48 sufficiently with respect to said support fingers 49-50 not to limit the swinging back of the fork 3 with respect to the base 5 to the second position of the lever 20, in which the front portion 15a of the lower surface 15 of the base 5 is kept flat on the surface S to be cleaned.

Embodiment variants are conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a base (5) equipped with a lower surface (15) and a cavity (55) open to the lower surface; at least one brush (13, 14); a connecting sleeve (2) configured to communicate with the cavity; and a fork (3) arranged between and mounted in pivotal connection about a transverse axis with respect to the base and the sleeve, characterized in that the suction head comprises a mechanism (21) and a lever (20) configured to actuate the mechanism according to three positions, the mechanism being configured to:

-lowering and positioning said at least one brush (13, 14) projecting from said lower surface (15) in a first position by pivoting said fork (3) with respect to said base (5);

-in a second position, raising and positioning said at least one brush (13, 14) retracted from said lower surface (15) by pivoting said fork (3) with respect to said base (5);

-in a third position, keeping said at least one brush (13, 14) retracted from said lower surface (15) by locking said fork (3) with respect to said seat (5).

2. Suction head (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism (21) comprises at least one stop finger (47, 48) and at least one stop (51, 52), the at least one stop finger (47, 48) and the at least one stop (51, 52) being configured to be relatively close to each other when driving the lever (20) from the first position to the third position and, conversely, to be relatively far apart when actuating the lever from the third position to the first position.

3. Suction head (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanism (21) is configured so that, in the third position of the manoeuvring bar (20), the locking of the fork (3) fixes it in a position of forward swinging with respect to the base (5).

4. Suction head (1) according to claim 3, wherein the fork (3) is configured to ballast the base (5) to force it to tilt backwards due to the fixing, the tilting being effected at an angle (a 2) of 7 to 10 degrees.

5. Suction head (1) according to claim 3, wherein the fork (3) is configured to ballast the base (5) so as to force it to tilt backwards due to the fixing, the tilting being effected at an angle (a 2) of 8 to 9 degrees.

6. Suction head (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mechanism (21) is configured such that, in the second position of the manoeuvring shaft (20), the pivoting of the fork (3) is limited when it is swung backwards.

7. Suction head (1) according to claim 6, wherein the fork (3) is configured to ballast the seat (5) so as to force it to tilt backwards due to said constraint, said tilting being effected at an angle (a 1) comprised between 1 and 3 degrees.

8. Suction head (1) according to claim 6, wherein the fork (3) is configured to ballast the seat (5) so as to force it to tilt backwards due to the constraint, the tilting being effected at an angle (α 1) of 2 degrees.

9. Suction head (1) according to claim 1, wherein a pivotal connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the manoeuvring shaft (20) and the base (5), the mechanism (21) comprising at least one stop finger (47, 48) and means for fastening the stop finger on the manoeuvring shaft, the fork (3) comprising at least one bearing (49, 50) arranged to come into contact with the at least one stop finger when the fork is swung backwards.

10. Suction head (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism (21) comprises at least one stop (51, 52) and the fork (3) comprises at least one bearing (49, 50) arranged to come into contact with said at least one stop when the fork is swung forward.

11. Suction head (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pivoting connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the manoeuvring shaft (20) and the base (5), the mechanism (21) comprising:

-at least one driving pawl (35, 37) equipped with a slot (36, 38) and means for fastening the driving pawl on the operating lever (20);

-at least one connecting rod (40) equipped with an upper portion (40b) housing a spindle (43) housed in said slot;

-a support (12) for said at least one brush (13, 14), mounted on said base (5) by sliding connection along an axis (X3) perpendicular to the lower surface (15) of said base, said link (40) being equipped with a lower portion (40a) pivotally mounted with respect to said support (12).

12. Suction head (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it comprises a stop system (58 to 64) for stopping the manoeuvring shaft (20) and the mechanism (21) according to the three positions.

13. Suction head (1) according to claim 12, wherein a pivoting connection about a transverse axis is arranged between the manoeuvring shaft (20) and the base (5), the arresting system comprising at least:

-a holding pawl (58, 60) and means for fastening the holding pawl on the operating lever, the holding pawl comprising a flexibly mounted pin (59, 61);

-a circular groove (62) arranged on the base, in which the pin is housed, the groove comprising a hole (63, 64) configured to house the pin in the second position of the lever, the pin abutting against an end (62a, 62b) of the groove in the first and third positions of the lever.

14. Suction head (1) according to claim 12, wherein the stop system comprises at least one protrusion (67, 68) on the base (5) and at least one stop plate (65, 66) in contact with the protrusion when the lever (20) and the mechanism (21) return to the first position.

15. Suction head (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising return means configured to participate in the raising of the at least one brush (13, 14) when the manoeuvring bar (20) is moved from the first position to the second position.

16. Suction head (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one wheel (4a, 4b) arranged in a transverse axis between the fork (3) and the sleeve (2).

17. A vacuum cleaner equipped with a cleaner head (1) according to any of claims 1-16.