CN109419448B

CN109419448B - Surface cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN109419448B
Application number: CN201810965394.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 亚当·乌迪; 安德烈·戴维·布朗; 约翰·弗雷塞; 帕特里克·克利里; 丹尼尔·迈尔; 丹尼尔·约翰·英尼斯; 詹森·索恩; 皮特·哈钦森; 戈登·贺维斯; 高文秀; 丹尼尔·R·德马德罗思安; 托马斯·D·福特; 欧文·R·约翰逊
Original assignee: Sharkninja Operating LLC
Current assignee: Sharkninja Operating LLC
Priority date: 2017-08-24
Filing date: 2018-08-23
Publication date: 2022-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-23
Also published as: EP3681362A4; AU2021201452A1; EP3681362B1; KR102369220B1; WO2019040623A3; CA3073677A1; KR20200038981A; WO2019040623A2; AU2018321947A1; AU2022204276A1; CN209437157U; JP7014890B2; EP3681362A2; CN109419448A; JP2020531128A; AU2018321947B2; CA3073677C; CN114521827A; CN114521827B

Abstract

A surface cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner includes a dual rotary agitator (e.g., a leading roller and a brushroll) and a removable cover for covering a top portion of the agitator and enabling access to the agitator from the top portion of the surface cleaning head. Dual agitators may be used to help trap debris in the air flow flowing into a suction duct at the underside of the surface cleaning head. The brush roll may be in the brush roll chamber and at least partially in an opening to the suction tube. A leading roller may be positioned adjacent to and forward of the suction tube opening such that the leading roller engages and moves debris toward the brush roll and opening. The leading roller may be removable from the housing and may be held in place by a removable cover. A separate latching mechanism may be used to couple the lid.

Description

Surface cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a partially-filed application of united states patent application serial No. 15/331,045 filed on day 10/21 of 2016, claiming the benefit of united states provisional patent application serial No. 62/244,331 filed on day 10/21 of 2015, united states provisional patent application serial No. 62/248,813 filed on day 10/30 of 2015, and united states provisional patent application serial No. 62/313,394 filed on day 3/25 of 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is also a partially-filed, co-pending application of international application No. PCT/US2016/058148 filed 2016, 21/10, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application is also a partially-filed continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application serial No. 14/867,599 filed on 9/28/2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner surface cleaning head having dual agitation members such as a leading roller and a brushroll.

Background

Vacuum cleaners typically include a suction duct having an opening at the underside of the surface cleaning head for drawing air (and debris) into and through the surface cleaning head. One of the challenges with vacuum cleaner design is controlling the engagement of the suction duct with the surface being cleaned to provide the desired amount of suction. If the suction tube is spaced too far from the surface, less suction may be drawn because air flows into the suction tube over a larger surface area. If the suction duct engages directly with the surface and is therefore closed on all sides, the flow of air into the suction duct will stop and, as a result, the suction motor may be damaged.

Vacuum cleaners also typically use agitation to loosen debris and help trap the debris in the air flow flowing into the suction duct. An agitator is typically used in the suction duct of the surface cleaning head, adjacent the dirty air inlet, to cause agitated debris to flow into the dirty air inlet. If the stirring members in the suction tube are not able to loosen the debris, or if the debris is too small, the suction tube may pass over the debris without removing the debris from the surface. In other cases, the surface cleaning head may push larger debris forward without allowing the debris to become caught in the flow flowing into the suction duct (sometimes referred to as snow removal). The rotating agitators may also cause debris to spread out from becoming caught in the air flow flowing into the dirty air inlet.

One example of a stirring member is a scrub roller such as a brush roller. The scrub roller can be within the suction tube and/or can be on a leading side of the suction tube (e.g., a leading roller). One challenge with a scrub roller is the ability to access the scrub roller (e.g., to remove debris and/or replace the scrub roller). Other challenges include housing and driving two scrub rollers within a housing.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one embodiment, a surface cleaning head includes a housing having a front side, a back side, a first side, and a second side. The housing defines a suction duct having a suction duct opening on an underside of the housing between the front side and the rear side. The surface cleaning head also includes a brush roll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within the brush roll chamber and a leading roller mounted to the housing and in front of the brush roll. The suction tube passes through the brushroll chamber and at least a portion of the brushroll is positioned adjacent the opening of the suction tube. A removable cover is removably coupled to the housing to cover the brush roller chamber and the brush roller and at least partially cover the leading roller.

According to another embodiment, a surface cleaning head includes a housing having a front side, a back side, a first side, and a second side. The surface cleaning head also includes a brushroll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within the brushroll chamber, and the brushroll has a first brushroll end portion adjacent the first side surface and a second brushroll end portion adjacent the second side surface. The surface cleaning head further includes a leading roller mounted to the housing and in front of the brush roll, and the leading roller has a first leading roller end near the first side face and a second leading roller end near the second side face. A drive mechanism is coupled to the first brush roll end for rotating the brush roll, and a second brush roll end of the brush roll is coupled to a second leading roll end of the leading roll for transmitting rotation from the brush roll to the leading roll. The drive mechanism includes a drive motor.

According to other embodiments, a surface cleaning head includes a housing having a front side and a rear side and defining a brush roller chamber and a suction duct having a suction duct opening between the front side and the rear side on an underside of the housing. The suction tube extends from the suction tube opening through at least a portion of the brush roll chamber. The surface cleaning head also includes a brush roll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within the brush roll chamber, wherein at least a portion of the brush roll is adjacent an opening of the suction tube, and a vacuum channel extending from a rear side of the brush roll chamber such that the suction tube passes from the brush roll chamber and into the vacuum channel. The shelf structure is at a rear side of the brush roll chamber and includes a surface facing generally downward and toward an underside of the housing and opposite rotation of the brush roll. The shelf structure is configured and positioned to catch and de-energize debris moving at the rear side of the brush roll chamber to enable the debris to enter the vacuum channel via the air flow through the suction tube.

According to yet another embodiment, a surface cleaning head includes a housing having a front side and a rear side and defining a brush roller chamber and a suction duct having a suction duct opening between the front side and the rear side on an underside of the housing. The suction tube extends through at least a portion of the brush roll chamber. The surface cleaning head also includes a wheel coupled to the housing for supporting the housing on a surface to be cleaned, a brush roll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within the brush roll chamber with at least a portion of the brush roll extending through the suction tube opening, and a leading roller mounted to the housing and in front of the brush roll. The surface cleaning head further includes at least one floor closure strip along the rear side of the suction duct opening and along at least a portion of the side of the suction duct opening. A side air passage is formed between the leading roller and an end of the at least one floor closure strip and to the side of the suction duct. A floor on the underside of the housing defines at least a portion of the suction duct opening and has a gap from the surface to be cleaned when the wheels are supported on the surface to be cleaned. The brush roll extends beyond the floor by a distance less than or equal to the gap, and the at least one floor closure strip extends by a distance greater than the gap.

Drawings

These and other features and advantages will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a surface cleaning head including dual agitator members according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1, showing the removable cover and the lead roller that has been removed from the housing.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the removable cover shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1 with a side panel removed to show a latch mechanism for engagement with a removable cover.

Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the latch mechanism engaged with the cover and the cover securing the leading roller.

Fig. 9 is a top view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1 with the removable cover removed.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning head shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a shelf structure at the rear side of the brush roll chamber.

FIG. 11 is a top cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning head taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10 and further illustrating the shelf structure at the rear side of the brush roll chamber.

Fig. 12 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the housing defining a shelf structure in the surface cleaning head.

Fig. 13 is a front view of a portion of the housing shown in fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a top view of a drive mechanism for driving dual agitator members for use in the surface cleaning head of fig. 1.

Fig. 15 is a top view of a bleed valve mechanism in the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 16 is a top view of the bleed valve mechanism in the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1 and illustrates the bleed valve actuator.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of a wand vacuum cleaner including a surface cleaning head according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

Surface cleaning heads according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure include dual rotary agitators (e.g., leading roller and brush roller) and a removable cover for covering a top of the agitators and enabling access to the agitators from the top of the surface cleaning head. Dual agitators may be used to help trap debris in the air flow flowing into a suction duct at the underside of the surface cleaning head. The brush roll may be in the brush roll chamber and at least partially in an opening to the suction tube. A leading roller may be positioned adjacent to and forward of the suction tube opening such that the leading roller engages and moves debris toward the brush roll and opening. The leading roller may be removable from the housing and may be held in place by a removable cover. The removable cover may be coupled to the housing of the surface cleaning head using one or more latch mechanisms that are spaced from the brush roll chamber. The surface cleaning head may also include a drive mechanism that drives the brush roll at one end and the brush roll transfers rotation to the leading roll at the other end.

In other embodiments, the surface cleaning head includes a brush roll in a brush roll chamber and a deck structure at a rear side of the brush roll chamber to trap and de-energize debris and to facilitate movement of the debris into a vacuum channel extending from the rear side of the brush roll chamber. The vacuum passage may include a flared port in communication with the brush roll chamber, into which at least a portion of the shelf structure extends.

In other embodiments, the surface cleaning head may include features for improving the flow of air into the suction duct. The surface cleaning head may include a closure strip surrounding at least a portion of the opening to the suction duct on the underside, forming a side air passage between the closure strip and the leading roller. The surface cleaning head may be provided with a floor clearance sufficient to provide the required engagement of the carpet by the brush roll, and the surface cleaning head may have bristle bars extending from the underside to provide the required closure on a hardwood floor. The surface cleaning head may also include a dump valve having an actuator that can be actuated by the pull back stroke of the surface cleaning head to provide lower suction and facilitate operability.

Although various features and concepts are described in the context of example embodiments of a surface cleaning head, other embodiments of a surface cleaning head are within the scope of the disclosure, and the features and concepts described herein may be used in other embodiments of a surface cleaning head, alone or in combination. Embodiments of the surface cleaning head may be used in different types of vacuum cleaners, including but not limited to: vacuum cleaners of the "all in the head" type, upright vacuum cleaners, box vacuum cleaners, stick vacuum cleaners, robotic vacuum cleaners and central vacuum cleaning systems.

As used herein, "surface cleaning head" refers to an apparatus configured to contact a surface for cleaning the surface using a suction air flow, agitation, or a combination thereof. The surface cleaning head may be pivotably or steerably coupled to a wand by a swivel joint, the wand being used to control the surface cleaning head and the surface cleaning head may include a motorized attachment and a stationary surface cleaning head. It may also be possible to operate the surface cleaning head without the use of a wand or handle. As used herein, "closed" or "closed" means preventing a significant amount of air from passing through to the suction tube without requiring an air-tight seal. As used herein, "agitator" refers to any element, member, or structure capable of agitating a surface to help move debris into a suction airflow in a surface cleaning head. As used herein, "soft" and "softer" refer to the characteristics of a cleaning element that is more compliant or flexible than another cleaning element. As used herein, the term "flow path" refers to the path taken by air to the aspiration tube as the air is drawn by the aspiration. As used herein, the terms "above" and "below" are used with respect to the orientation of the surface cleaning head on the surface to be cleaned, while the terms "front" and "rear" are used with respect to the direction in which a user pushes the surface cleaning head on the surface to be cleaned (i.e., back to front). As used herein, the term "leading" refers to a position that is forward of at least one other component, but does not necessarily mean forward of all other components.

Referring to fig. 1-4, a surface cleaning head 100 is shown and described in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Surface cleaning head 100 includes a housing 110 having a front side 112, a rear side 114, first and second side faces 116a, 116b, an upper side 118, and a bottom or underside 120. The housing 110 defines a suction duct having an opening 111 (shown in fig. 2 and 4) on the underside 120 of the housing 110. The suction duct is an interior space defined by interior walls in the housing 110 that receives and directs air drawn, for example, by suction from a suction motor (not shown) in the surface cleaning head 100 or at another location in the vacuum cleaner. The suction duct opening 111 is where the suction duct meets the underside 120 of the housing 110.

The surface cleaning head 100 includes dual

rotary agitators

122, 124, such as a brushroll 122 and a leading roller 124. Although the example embodiments include dual whisk, some of the features and concepts described herein may also be used in surface cleaning heads having only a single whisk or having more than two whisks. The brushroll 122 and the leading roller 124 may be configured to rotate about a first axis of rotation and a second axis of rotation. The rotating brushroll 122 is in the brushroll chamber 119, while the leading roller 124 is positioned in front of and spaced apart from the brushroll 122. The brushroll chamber 119 defines a portion of the suction tube and the brushroll 122 is at least partially within the suction tube opening 111. Thus, the brushroll 122 is in the main airflow path into the suction tube opening 111.

The leading roller 124 is generally forward of and outside of the suction duct opening 111, but at least a portion of the leading roller 124 may be exposed to the primary air flow flowing into the suction duct opening 111. In certain embodiments, an inner upper portion (e.g., upper half) of the leading roller 124 is not exposed to the main airflow path into the opening 111 of the suction duct, but at least an inner side of a bottom portion of the leading roller 124 is exposed to the main airflow path into the opening 111 of the suction duct. In other variations, it is possible that different portions of the leading roller 124 may or may not be exposed to the flow path into the suction duct. In other embodiments, for example, the flow path may enable air to flow over an upper portion of the leading roller 124.

The rotating brushroll 122 may have bristles, fabric, or other cleaning elements, or any combination thereof, around the outside of brushroll 122. Examples of brushrolls and other stirring members are shown and described in more detail in U.S. patent No. 9,456,723 and U.S. patent application publication No. 2016/0220082, which are fully incorporated herein by reference. One example of a rotating brushroll 122 may include a combination of shorter, stiffer bristles for engaging a carpet and longer, softer bristles for engaging a hard surface. In particular, the rotating brushroll 122 may include one or more shorter stiffer bristle arrangements or bristle groups and one or more longer softer bristle arrangements or bristle groups, wherein the longer softer bristles are longer and softer than the shorter stiffer bristles.

The leading roller 124 may be selected to be substantially softer than the bristles of the brushroll 122. The softness, length, diameter, arrangement, and resiliency of the bristles and/or pile of the leading roller 124 may be selected to form a seal with a hard surface, while the bristles of the brush roller 122 may be selected to agitate carpet fibers or the like. The softness can be determined, for example, based on the flexibility of the bristles or pile used. The leading roller 124 may also have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the brush roller 122. Examples of leader roll 124, including the dimensions and materials used, are described in more detail in U.S. patent application publication No. 2017/0127896, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The leading roller 124 can include a relatively soft material (e.g., soft bristles, fabric, felt, fluff, or velveteen) arranged in a pattern (e.g., a spiral or helical pattern) to help capture debris. In one example, a thin helical strip of stiffer, longer bristle material may be used with a wider helical strip of softer bristle material. The leading roller 124 rotates with the helical strip of stiffer, longer bristles and thus may create an air channel that helps to capture the movement of debris. In this example, the softer bristles may comprise nylon bristles having a length in the range of 4mm to 12mm and a diameter of less than 0.08 mm. Examples of longer stiffer bristles include nylon bristles having a length in the range of 6mm to 16mm and a diameter in the range of 0.06mm to 0.20 mm.

The surface cleaning head 100 may also include a combing unit 129 having combing protrusions or teeth that engage the leading roller 124 to remove hair and other similar debris from the leading roller 124. Examples of the combing unit are described in more detail in U.S. patent application publication No. 2017/0127896, which is fully incorporated herein by reference, and U.S. patent application serial No. 15/492,320.

The surface cleaning head 100 includes one or

more wheels

130, 132, 134 to support the housing on a surface to be cleaned. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, a larger rear wheel 130 is disposed adjacent the rear side 114, a smaller rear wheel 132 is disposed between the larger rear wheel and on the underside 120 of the housing 110, and a smaller front wheel 134 is disposed on the underside 120 of the housing 110 and adjacent the front side 112. Other wheel configurations may also be used. The

wheels

130, 132, 134 may provide primary contact with the surface being cleaned and assist in moving the surface cleaning head 100 along the surface to be cleaned. The larger rear wheels 130 may also enable a user to easily tilt or pivot the surface cleaning head 100 (e.g., the brushroll 122 and/or the leading roller 124) away from the surface to be cleaned. When the surface cleaning head 100 is positioned on a surface to be cleaned, the leading roller 124 may also be placed on the surface to be cleaned, as will be described in more detail below.

The surface cleaning head 100 also includes one or more floor closure strips 136, 138 on the underside 120 of the housing 110 to assist in sealing against the surface being cleaned (e.g., a hard surface) and to assist in directing air to the suction duct opening 111 (see fig. 2, 4 and 10). The floor closure strips 136, 138 may comprise bristle strips formed from soft bristles or may comprise a fabric material, rubber material or other material capable of contacting the surface being cleaned to substantially prevent airflow into the suction duct opening 111. The closure strips 136, 138 may also include a combination of elements or materials, such as bristles in combination with a cloth or rubber strip (e.g., with longer bristles) extending between the bristles along the strip to improve closure.

The floor closure strips 136, 138 may comprise one or more sections that extend downwardly from the housing 110 and have a length sufficient to contact a hard surface being cleaned when the surface cleaning head 100 is supported on the hard surface. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the closure strips 136, 138 have a length that is greater than the gap or height H of the floor 137 to enable a more closed on hard surfaces. The gap or height H of the floor 137 and the extent to which the brush roll 122 extends beyond the floor allow the carpet to engage the brush roll 122 well, but with minimal engagement of the brush roll with hard surfaces. Thus, the brushroll 122 extends beyond the floor 137 a distance equal to or less than the gap or height H of the floor 137, and the floor closure strips 136, 138 extend a distance equal to or greater than the gap or height H of the floor 137. In one example, the gap or height H of the floor 137 is in the range of 1.5mm to 7.0mm, the distance the brush roll 122 extends beyond the floor is in the range of 3mm to 6mm, and the floor closure strips 136, 138 extend a distance in the range of 5mm to 10 mm.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the closure strips 136, 138 are arranged to provide a closure around a portion of the suction duct opening 111 while also providing a side air passage as indicated by arrow 139. The rear closure strip 136 extends along the rear side of the suction duct opening 111, while the side closure strip 138 extends from the rear closure strip 136 along at least a portion of the side of the suction duct opening 111. Although separate closure strips are shown, a single closure strip may extend along both sides and the rear of the suction duct opening. The leading roller 124 provides a seal along the front side of the suction tube opening 111, and the space between the side seal bar 138 and the leading roller 124 defines a side air passage 139, thereby causing the directed air flow to flow into the suction tube opening 111 at a location (e.g., between the brushroll 122 and the leading roller 124) that facilitates capturing debris in the air flow. The increased velocity of the air flow directed through the side air passage 139 also enhances edge cleaning. In the illustrated embodiment, the side closure strip 138 extends just short of the suction duct opening 111 to form a side air passage 139 that is laterally directed toward the opening 111. Other configurations of the closure strips 136, 138 are also contemplated, for example, the side closure strips 138 may be longer or shorter.

In one embodiment, the surface cleaning head 100 includes a removable cover 140, shown in fig. 5 and 6, that is coupled to the housing 110 and covers the tops of the

agitator members

122, 124. The cover 140 is removable to enable access to the

paddles

122, 124 to clear debris that is tangled on the

paddles

122, 124 and/or to remove the paddles. The cover 140 covers the brush roller chamber 119 and the brush roller 122, and covers a top portion of the leading roller 124 and exposes a front portion of the leading roller 124. Removal of the cover 140 allows access to the brushroll 122 and the leading roller 124 for the purpose of removing debris such as hair. Cover 140 may include a transparent window at least above brushroll 122, which allows visual inspection of brushroll 122 during use.

The cover 140 includes a bumper 142 that extends outwardly beyond the leading roller 124 and extends just forward of the leading roller 124, thereby providing a leading edge. As shown, the bumper 142 may extend laterally along a majority of the front side 112 and downwardly adjacent each

side face

116a, 116 b. The bumper 142 may be made of a more compliant and flexible material than the other materials used for the cover 140 to enable the bumper 142 to flex, for example, when contacting a wall surface. In one example, the cover 140 may be made of a hard plastic or hard polymer material such as Polycarbonate (PC) or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), while the bumper 142 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

The bumper 142 is configured to partially close against a vertical surface (e.g., a wall) during use while creating airflow paths in certain locations to improve front edge cleaning. When in contact with a vertical surface, the bumper 142, for example, may direct air through a front edge path that is below the edge of the bumper 142. The bumper 142 may also include one or more pressure bearing elements 143 (e.g., ribs) that form air passages. When the bumper 142 is pushed against a vertical surface, the bearing elements 143 first come into contact with the vertical surface and locally push the bumper 142 further back than the rest of the bumper 142, thereby forming a gap on both sides of the bearing elements 143. The gaps on both sides of the pressure bearing member 143 form an air path that enables air to be drawn down in front of the leading roller 124, which can cause turbulence to the dust and debris so that the dust and debris can be directed into the air flow path towards the suction duct opening 111.

The removable cover 140 also includes a closure member 144 on the underside of the cover 140 and configured to engage the housing 110 around the upper periphery of the brushroll chamber 119 to close the brushroll chamber 119 at the top side of the housing 110. By closing the brush roller chamber 119 at the top side, the suction and the air flow into the suction tube opening 111 can be improved. The removable cover 140 may be held securely against the housing 110 to maintain the closure. In the illustrated embodiment, the removable cap 140 includes one or more tabs 146a-c at the rear end of the cap 140 for engaging respective slots 113a-c in the housing 110 and one or more protrusions 147 on the inside of the cap 140 and at the sides of the front end of the cap 140 for engaging respective latch fingers 150 at the side faces 116a, 116b of the housing 110. The latch fingers 150 may be retracted toward the housing by respective latch actuators 152 to release and remove the cover 140.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, an embodiment of a latch mechanism on one side 116b is shown and described in detail. In this embodiment, latch finger 150 is at one end of slide member 154, and latch actuator 152 is engaged with the other end of slide member 154. Latch actuator 152 includes or is connected to a portion 153 that extends downward to engage a slide member 154. A resilient member 156, such as a spring, biases the slide member 154 and the latch finger 150 outwardly and away from the housing 110 and into engagement with the protrusion 147 on the inside of the cap 140. By sliding latch actuator 152 rearward in the direction of the arrow, latch finger 150 can be retracted against the bias of resilient member 156. The latching fingers 150 include angled top surfaces 151 to enable the protrusions 147 to slide over the latching fingers 150 and push the latching fingers 150 rearward against the bias of the resilient members 156 when the cover 140 is moved downward into engagement with the housing 110. When the projection 147 moves past the latch fingers 150, the latch fingers 150 are biased to a position above the projection 147, thereby engaging the projection 147 and catching the front end of the cap 140. Other types of latch mechanisms are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The latch mechanism is isolated from the brushroll chamber 119 and therefore does not affect the suction into the suction tube opening 111. Specifically, as shown in fig. 9, the latch actuator 152 is spaced from the opening to the brushroll chamber 119.

In an example embodiment, the lead roller 124 is removable and held in place by the cover 140. The downwardly extending portion 148 of the cover 140 engages the non-rotating end 126 of the lead roller 124 on one side (see fig. 5 and 7). The non-rotating end 126 includes an outwardly extending tab 128, and an inside portion of the lid 140 engages the tab 128 when the lid 140 is held in place by the latching mechanism (see fig. 8). The leading roller 124 may be configured to be removable and may have a driven end and an undriven end, e.g., similar to the removable brushroll described in U.S. patent application publication No. 2016/0220082, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. Although brushroll 122 is not removable in the exemplary embodiment of surface cleaning head 100, similarly brushroll 122 may be removable in other embodiments.

Referring to fig. 10-13, other embodiments of the surface cleaning head 100 may include a shelf structure 160 at the back side of the brushroll chamber 119. The shelf structure 160 may have a variety of configurations and shapes, but includes at least a surface that faces generally downward and toward the underside 120 of the housing 110, and that opposes the rotation of the brushroll 122. As debris is dispersed around the brush roll chamber 119 due to the rotation of the brush roll 122, the shelf structure 160 traps and de-energizes the debris to help trap the debris in the air flow passing through the suction tube, as indicated by the arrows. Although the deck structure 160 is shown in the illustrated embodiment of the surface cleaning head 100 as including

dual agitator members

122, 124, the deck structure may be used in other surface cleaning heads, for example, without the leading roller 124.

In this embodiment, a vacuum channel 162 extends from the rear side of the brush roll chamber 119 to further define the suction tube. Thus, a suction tube passes from the suction tube opening 111 through a portion of the brush roller chamber 119 and through the vacuum channel 162. The illustrated embodiment of the vacuum channel 162 includes a flared port 164 at the intersection with the brushroll chamber 119 that provides a dirty air inlet that receives dust and debris that is drawn through the suction tube with the air. As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the shelf structure 160 may extend into at least a portion of the flared mouth 164 of the vacuum channel 162.

Fig. 12 and 13 show a portion 110a of the housing that defines the rear side of the brush roller chamber and the flared mouth 164 of the vacuum channel 162. As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the shelf structure 160 may include a shelf portion 160a extending into the flared opening 164 and a shelf portion 160b extending along at least a portion of the rear side of the brush roller chamber. The shelf plate structure 160 may have a depth of about 5-10mm and a height of about 12-20 mm. The shelf portion 160a extending into the flared mouth 164 may be deeper than the shelf portion 160b extending along the rear side of the brush roller chamber.

Referring to fig. 14, embodiments of the surface cleaning head 100 may also include driving the brush roll 122 and the leading roll 124 at opposite ends. The drive mechanism 170 directly drives the brushroll 122 at the first brushroll end 121 (e.g., via a first drive belt 172), while the leading roller 124 is driven from the second brushroll end 123 of the brushroll 122 at the second leading roller end 127 (e.g., via a second drive belt 174). The drive mechanism 170 includes a drive motor 171 for providing rotation, and a first drive belt 172 and a second drive belt 174 are used to transmit the rotation. In other embodiments, gears may be used to transmit rotation. By driving the leading roller 124 at the opposite end, the leading roller 124 need not be offset and may be more centrally located in the housing 110.

Referring to fig. 15 and 16, embodiments of the surface cleaning head 100 may also include a motion actuated bleed valve 180. The motion actuated bleed valve 180 includes a pivoting actuator 181 that includes surface engaging elements 182 (shown in fig. 2 and 4), such as stiff bristles, that are configured to catch on the surface being cleaned during a pull back stroke. The pivoting actuator 181 is coupled to a pivoting valve member 184 that covers an aperture 186 at the side of the vacuum passage 162. The pivoting valve member 184 is biased to a closed position covering the aperture 186, for example by a resilient member (not shown) such as a torsion spring. When the surface engaging element 182 catches on a surface during a pull-back stroke, the pivot actuator 181 pivots and causes the valve member 184 to pivot away from the aperture 186, thereby enabling air to flow or bleed out of the vacuum passage 162. This airflow reduces suction and enables the surface cleaning head 100 to be pulled more easily (i.e. when the surface cleaning head is attached to the wand of a vacuum cleaner). The bleed valve is useful on heavier upright vacuum cleaners, especially with higher suction forces such as those produced by the techniques described herein.

Fig. 17 illustrates one type of vacuum cleaner 1700 that can include a surface cleaning head 1702 according to embodiments described herein. The surface cleaning head 1702 with the leading roller 1724 may be used on a wand vacuum cleaner 1700 having a hand-held cleaner 1701 removably coupled at one end of a wand 1704, such as the type described in U.S. patent application publication No. 2015/0135474, which is commonly owned and fully incorporated herein by reference. The surface cleaning head with leading roller may also be used on an upright vacuum cleaner (not shown) having a cartridge removably coupled to a wand, such as the type described in U.S. patent application publication No. 2015/0351596, which is commonly owned and fully incorporated herein by reference. Surface cleaning heads according to embodiments described herein may also be used in robotic vacuum cleaners such as the type described in U.S. patent application serial No. 62/511,099, which is commonly owned and incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Accordingly, embodiments of surface cleaning heads according to the present disclosure can improve suction and air flow, improve front and edge cleaning, improve versatility on carpets and hard surfaces, improve access to the manner of dual agitator for cleaning and removal, and/or improve maneuverability.

While the principles of the invention are described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein, other embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the claims.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning head, the surface cleaning head comprising:

a housing having a front side, a rear side, a top side, a lower side, a first side, and a second side, the housing defining a suction duct having a suction duct opening on the lower side of the housing between the front side and the rear side;

a brushroll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within a brushroll chamber, wherein the suction tube passes through the brushroll chamber and at least a portion of the brushroll is adjacent the suction tube opening;

a leading roller mounted to the housing and in front of the brush roller;

a removable cover removably coupled to a top side of the housing to cover the brush roller chamber and the brush roller and to at least partially cover the leading roller, wherein the cover is configured to be removable to enable access to the brush roller and the leading roller;

at least one latch mechanism configured to engage with the removable lid to removably couple the lid to the housing, wherein the latch mechanism comprises:

a latch finger configured to engage with the removable cover near the front of the housing when the removable cover is coupled to the housing; and

a latch actuator configured to retract the latch finger and release the lid;

wherein the removable cover comprises: at least one tab extending from a rear portion of the removable cover for engagement with at least one slot formed in the housing; and a protrusion inside the removable cover and at one side of the front end of the cover for engaging the latch finger; and is

Wherein the removable cover engages at least one end of the leading roller and retains the leading roller in the housing, the removable cover including a bumper that extends outwardly beyond and in front of the leading roller to provide a leading edge of the surface cleaning head.

2. The surface cleaning head of claim 1, wherein the latch mechanisms include first and second latch mechanisms proximate the first and second side faces, respectively.

3. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism is isolated from the brushroll chamber.

4. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the removable cover includes a closure that engages with a periphery of the housing surrounding the brush roller chamber.

5. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the leading roller is removable when the removable cover is removed.

6. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the removable cover is completely removable from the housing.

7. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the removable cover includes a bumper at a front side of the housing when the removable cover is coupled to the housing.

8. The surface cleaning head of claim 7 wherein the bumper includes at least a portion that extends forward of the leading roller.

9. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the leading roller includes a cleaning element that is softer than the cleaning element of the brush roll.

10. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the leading roller has a smaller diameter than the brush roller.

11. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the brush roll comprises at least one arrangement of shorter stiffer bristles and at least one arrangement of longer softer bristles, wherein the longer softer bristles are longer and more flexible than the shorter stiffer bristles.