CN110403518B

CN110403518B - Cleaning device

Info

Publication number: CN110403518B
Application number: CN201910332541.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M.科内利森
Original assignee: Vorwerk and Co Interholding GmbH
Current assignee: Vorwerk and Co Interholding GmbH
Priority date: 2018-04-27
Filing date: 2019-04-24
Publication date: 2022-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-24
Also published as: JP2019188134A; EP3560404A1; DE102018110221A1; ES2927227T3; EP3560404B1; CN110403518A; TW202002874A; DE102018110221B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning device (1) having a housing (2) and having an attachment interface (3) formed on the housing (2) for detachable connection with a mating connection piece (4) of a cleaning attachment (5), wherein the attachment interface (3) faces a surface to be cleaned in accordance with a normal use position of the cleaning device (1), wherein the cleaning device (1) has a handle (6) which is detachably arranged in the region of the attachment interface (3). In order to hold the cleaning device (1) in a stable and reliable manner, in particular during a cleaning operation from the ground, it is proposed that the handle base (10) of the handle (6) is arranged on the attachment interface (3) and/or on the connecting piece (4) of the cleaning attachment (5) and is clamped between the attachment interface (3) and the connecting piece (4).

Description

Cleaning device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a cleaning device having a housing and an attachment interface formed on the housing for detachable connection with a corresponding attachment of a cleaning attachment, wherein the attachment interface faces a surface to be cleaned in accordance with a normal position of use of the cleaning device, wherein the cleaning device has a handle detachably arranged in the region of the attachment interface.

Background

Cleaning devices of the above-mentioned type are well known in the art. These may be, for example, vacuum cleaners or wet wiping devices. Cleaning devices of this type usually have a base unit with a guide bar and/or a guide handle for guiding the cleaning device over the surface to be cleaned. For example, during cleaning, the base unit stands on an accessory device, which may be a brush or the like, connected to the accessory interface. Furthermore, the base unit can also be used for cleaning off-ground surfaces, wherein the base unit is usually supported or guided with the aid of a second hand.

For example, document DE 102015118621 a1 discloses a cleaning appliance having a guide handle arranged on a guide bar and a handle provided on the appliance housing, which can be rotated from a rest position into a use position. The additional handle may be used to carry the cleaning device or to guide the cleaning device during above ground cleaning.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from the prior art described above, the object of the invention is to advantageously develop a cleaning device such that, for example, the ground is cleaned

During which comfortable and stable guiding of the cleaning device is optimized. This should be achieved in particular in relatively large and heavy cleaning devices which are usually held by both hands for cleaning off the ground to prevent wobbling or one-sided tilting of the cleaning device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the invention proposes that the handle base of the handle is arranged on the attachment interface and/or the attachment of the cleaning attachment and is clamped between the attachment interface and the attachment.

It is proposed that the handle base of the handle is arranged on the attachment interface and/or the attachment of the cleaning attachment and is clamped between the attachment interface and the attachment. The handle has a handle base connected to a handle member of the handle. The handle base is for securing the handle to the cleaning appliance and the handle member is for grasping the handle by a user. For fastening to the cleaning appliance, the handle base is either provided on the attachment interface and/or on the cleaning attachment, which is in turn connected to the attachment interface. In this case, the handle base of the handle is clamped between the attachment interface and the attachment piece of the cleaning attachment, wherein subsequently the handle base of the handle is also fixed to the cleaning appliance at the same time as the attachment piece of the cleaning attachment is fixed to the attachment interface. When the handle base is arranged between the attachment interface of the housing and the connecting piece of the cleaning attachment, the material thickness of the handle base can advantageously be selected such that the base device is not too far from the cleaning attachment, but the user can advantageously carry out the connecting process in the usual way and still obtain substantially the same tactile sensation when reaching the final position of the attachment on the cleaning device. Depending on the material selected for the handle base of the handle, it may also be possible to provide a shock absorption and/or a gap minimization between the cleaning attachment and the attachment interface (that is to say, for example, between the attachment device and the base device of the cleaning device).

The cleaning device has a handle on the end-side housing region, on which the cleaning attachment is usually arranged. Which in conventional floor cleaning with a cleaning device faces the surface to be cleaned. Thus, the user of the cleaning device no longer needs to directly grip the housing with the hand, which is often also difficult to achieve due to the size of the cleaning device, but obtains an additional handle by means of which the user can guide the cleaning device safely and accurately. This effectively prevents a swinging movement of the cleaning device and thus an accidental impact with an object in the environment. The handle is detachably arranged on the cleaning device, in particular on the attachment interface, so that the grip can also be optionally detached from the cleaning device, for example when it is no longer needed for a longer period of time. If the cleaning device is used only for conventional floor cleaning, wherein the cleaning device is located on the surface to be cleaned and is therefore supported by the surface, with a cleaning attachment provided on the attachment interface if necessary being arranged therebetween, the handle can be simply detached from the cleaning device, i.e. for example from the attachment interface. The handle may also be reattached to the cleaning device if desired. The term "in the region of the attachment interface" means that, for example, the handle contacts the attachment interface of the cleaning appliance at least in some regions, for example, is placed flat against the attachment interface, or contacts the attachment interface only tangentially, or is arranged adjacent to the attachment interface, or is fastened to a cleaning attachment which is in turn connected to the attachment interface, so that its connection by the cleaning attachment also brings about contact of the handle with the cleaning appliance.

According to one embodiment, it is proposed that the cleaning device is a vacuum cleaner having a dust chamber, a fan and an accessory interface, wherein a suction channel is formed between the accessory interface and the fan, through which suction can be fed into the dust chamber during a suction operation. The accessory interface of the cleaning appliance, to which the cleaning accessory can be connected, also has in this embodiment a suction opening or a suction channel interface, through which a fluid connection can be established between the accessory and the fan of the cleaning appliance. Thus, when using a cleaning device without an attached accessory, the accessory interface can optionally be in direct contact with a surface or object to be cleaned, for example to clean room corners, pedals, upholstered furniture, etc. Alternatively, the cleaner may be used in conjunction with a cleaning accessory connected to the accessory interface for this or other purposes. The cleaning attachment may be, for example, a soft pad brush or other cleaning attachment.

As an alternative to the embodiment of the vacuum cleaner, the cleaning device can also be a wiping device, a combined suction wiping device, a sanding or polishing tool or others. In particular, the invention is applicable to all cleaning devices which are also designed for cleaning off the ground, wherein the cleaning device is not supported by the surface to be cleaned, that is to say does not place its entire weight on the surface to be cleaned.

In particular, it is proposed that the handle base has a through-opening through which a partial region of the housing of the cleaning appliance and/or a partial region of the cleaning attachment is guided. In particular, the attachment interface and/or the connection piece of the cleaning attachment can be guided through the through opening of the handle base. According to this embodiment, the handle base therefore has a through-opening for inserting a partial region of the housing or of the accessory. For example, the handle base can be designed annularly and can be mounted externally on a cylindrical partial region of the housing and/or the cleaning attachment. The grip members of the handle, which are intended to be gripped by the hand of the user, project beyond the contour of the cleaning device in the relevant area, so that the user can grip the cleaning device at the grip members.

According to one possible embodiment, it is proposed that the handle is composed of a flexible material at least in an intermediate region between a handle base fixed to the cleaning device and a handle member designed to be gripped by a hand of a user, and/or that the handle member is movable relative to the handle base. For example, the handle may be made in one piece or only in the intermediate region be constituted by an elastomer or rubber component. The material should be tear resistant and should be as thin or deformable as possible in the region of the handle base to allow the handle to be arranged on the cleaning device, in particular the handle base, between the attachment interface and the attachment without significantly changing the geometry of the attachment interface or the attachment. When using an elastic material as the handle base, the following advantages are also provided: any gaps from the system that may be present in the fastening region of the connection piece and the attachment interface are taken up and thus the two components are connected together without play. The entire handle, in particular the middle region, can be made at least partially of rubber or elastomer. Alternatively, it is possible that a plastic film, for example a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film, is used for producing the handle. A two-component solution can also be provided in which the handle base is formed from a thin PET film, which is converted into an elastic material in the intermediate region between the handle base and the handle part, and the handle part is then formed from this elastic material. It is also achieved by the elastic material that the grip member is displaced in a preferred direction when the user no longer grips the grip member. Furthermore, the handle can also be made of an elastic material, at least in the central region.

In particular, it is proposed that the shape of the contact surface of the handle that can be placed on the cleaning device is adapted to the shape of the surface area of the cleaning device that is intended to contact the contact surface. The handle or at least the grip member of the handle is according to this embodiment constructed as a molded part, the shape of which is adapted to the outer shape of the cleaning device, against which the grip member rests.

In particular, it is proposed that the handle part can be placed flat against the cleaning device in the non-use position. By this design the handle member does not protrude from the housing in the non-use position.

The handle is made of an elastic material, in particular rubber or an elastomer, in particular as a whole as a molded body. When the handle is not in use, the handle part rests flat against a suitable surface region of the cleaning appliance by a restoring force exerted on the molded part and can be gripped by a user when required and, due to the flexibility of the material, can be moved from an unused position into an operating position, which is produced by the geometry of the handle base, the handle part and, if necessary, an intermediate region between them and by the exerted weight. Due to the flexibility, the handle member preferably also adapts to the shape and size of the hand of the user.

It is also proposed that the handle part of the handle is rotatably mounted on a rotary shaft of a handle base associated with the handle, so that the handle part can be rotated out of the cleaning device and can be rotated toward the cleaning device. According to this embodiment, both the handle base of the grip and the handle piece can be designed to be rigid and can be rotated relative to each other by rotation about a rotation axis. In this case, the handle base is arranged either on the attachment interface of the housing of the cleaning appliance, on the connection piece of the cleaning attachment, or also between them. In particular, the handle base can again be a ring element which is pushed over the preferably conical partial region of the attachment interface or the connecting piece from the outside. The handle base can be made of a rigid material, for example hard plastic, or else of an elastic material which at the same time serves as a damping device or as a sealing element for reducing or eliminating gaps.

In particular, it is proposed that the handle, when not in use, rests against the cleaning appliance by means of a restoring force present in the handle material and/or by means of a restoring element associated with the handle. For example, the handle can be a molded part made of an elastic material, which, due to the material properties, has an inherent restoring force, which causes the preformed handle to return to its preferred position, which corresponds here, for example, to an unused position lying flat against the housing of the cleaning appliance, when the force exerted by the user is removed. Furthermore, the handle is alternatively or additionally provided with a separate restoring element, which is arranged, for example, between the attachment interface and the handle part or between the connecting piece and the handle part. The restoring element is, for example, a spring element. Alternatively, it is also possible for the restoring element to be a suitable magnet element, which on the one hand corresponds to the handle part and on the other hand corresponds to the cleaning device. The user can remove the handle part from the cleaning device against the restoring force, wherein the handle part automatically rests against the cleaning device again as a result of the restoring force when the user force is removed. By resetting the handle member when the cleaning device is not in use, it is possible to prevent the unused handle from protruding from the cleaning device and, for example, undesirably hitting objects in the environment.

Finally, it can be provided that the cleaning device has a second handle on a region of the housing facing away from the attachment interface, wherein the distance between the two handles is at least 20 cm. According to this embodiment, the detachably arranged handle is not the only handle of the cleaning appliance, but is advantageously supplemented by a further handle which is arranged on a further remote partial region of the housing of the cleaning appliance. Depending on the size and weight of the cleaning device and the size and weight of the cleaning attachments (in particular the attachment devices) arranged thereon, distances can be chosen which are significantly larger than 20cm, for example 30cm, 35cm, 40cm or even larger. The distance between the handles is at least 20cm, which prevents the cleaning device from being accidentally tilted or swung back and forth. In this embodiment, the user grasps two mutually separated partial regions of the cleaning device, so that the cleaning device can be guided in a stable and advantageous manner.

Drawings

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to examples. In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a cleaning device with a detachably arranged handle,

figure 2 shows the attachment of the cleaning attachment with a detachably arranged handle,

figure 3 shows the handle sandwiched between the attachment interface of the cleaning appliance and the attachment of the cleaning attachment,

fig. 4 shows a partial region of a cleaning appliance, which has a handle detachably arranged thereon in the position of use,

fig. 5 shows a part of a cleaning appliance, which has a handle according to another embodiment detachably arranged thereon in an unused position,

fig. 6 shows the handle according to fig. 5 in the position of use.

Detailed Description

The cleaning appliance 1 shown in fig. 1 is designed as a hand-held domestic vacuum cleaner which can be used both for cleaning floor surfaces and also for cleaning terrain surfaces or above-ground surfaces. The cleaning device 1 has a housing 2 with an attachment interface 3, to which attachment interface 3 an attachment 5, here designed as an attachment device, is connected. The accessory 5 has a connection 4 from itself for resting on the accessory interface 3.

The cleaning device 1 has in a conventional manner a dust chamber 7, a fan 8 and a suction channel 9, the suction channel 9 leading from the attachment interface 3 via the dust chamber 7 to the fan 8. At the attachment interface 3, the suction channel 9 transitions into a corresponding suction channel (not shown) of the attachment 5.

The cleaning device 1 has a guide bar 21, a handle 22 being arranged on the guide bar 21, the handle 22 being used for guiding the cleaning device 1 during cleaning of the floor. A switch 23 is also formed on the handle 22, which is used, for example, to switch the fan 8 on and off. The accessory 5 of the cleaning device 1, which serves as an accessory device, has wheels 20 for low-friction travel of the cleaning device 1 over the surface to be cleaned.

For carrying the cleaning device 1, for example, for storing the cleaning device 1 in a room, or during off-ground cleaning, the cleaning device 1 has a further handle 19, which handle 19 and the handle 22 are arranged in the use position shown in fig. 1 in an upper region of the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1, here for example in the housing region 18 at a height between the dust chamber 7 and the fan 8.

In order to hold the cleaning device 1, in particular during off-ground cleaning, the cleaning device 1 also has a handle 6, the handle 6 being arranged in the region of the attachment interface 3 of the housing 2. The handle 6 is clamped in a partial region between the attachment interface 3 of the housing 2 and the connecting element 4 of the attachment 5, so that the handle 6 can also be fixed while the attachment interface 3 and the connecting element 4 are connected. For this purpose, the handle 6 has a handle base 10 (see fig. 2) and a handle part 13, wherein in the view according to fig. 1 only the outwardly projecting handle part 13 is visible. The handle 6 is made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber) in general and is designed as an elastic molding which, in the inoperative position of the handle 6 shown in fig. 1, rests in a form-fitting manner on a surface region 15 of the housing 2 (see fig. 3). For this purpose, the handle part 13 has a contact surface 14 (see fig. 2) which, in the non-use position, lies flat against the surface region 15.

Figure 2 shows a handle 6 arranged on the cleaning attachment 5. The handle base 10 of the handle 6 is pushed over a partial region 11 of the connecting element 4 for connection to the cleaning attachment 5. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a through-opening, the inner contour of which is adapted to the outer contour of the subregion 11. To secure the handle 6 to the cleaning device 1, the cleaning attachment 5 is secured to the attachment interface 3 of the cleaning device 1 by virtue of the position and orientation of the handle 6 as shown in fig. 2. For this purpose, the attachment interface 3 of the cleaning device 1 is pushed onto the attachment 4 of the attachment 5. This simultaneously also connects the suction channel 9 of the cleaning appliance 1 to the subregion 11 of the connecting piece 4. The grip member 13 of the handle 6 remains outside when the cleaning attachment 5 is secured to the cleaning device 1, so that the grip member 13 can be gripped by a user. The handle member 13 has a handle opening 24 into which a user can manually insert.

In the exemplary embodiment of the handle 6 shown in fig. 2 to 4, the handle 6 is produced, for example, from the same material in one piece, here, for example, from rubber or an elastomer. The handle base 10 and the handle piece 13 are connected by a middle region 12, the middle region 12 representing a rotation region by means of which the handle piece 13 can be rotated relative to the handle base 10 and thus also relative to the cleaning appliance 1 or the cleaning attachment 5.

Fig. 3 and 4 show the handle member 13 in different rotational positions, i.e. in a non-use position on the one hand (fig. 3) and in a use position on the other hand (fig. 4). In the non-use position, the handle member 13 is not gripped by the user or subjected to the weight of the cleaning device 1. The handle piece 13 is thus in this case in a preferred position resting against a surface portion 15 of the housing 2, which corresponds to the unloaded shape of the grip 6. In contrast, fig. 4 shows the use position of the handle 6, in which the handle member 13 is moved away from the surface area 15, since the user grips the handle opening 24 of the handle member 13 with his hand and the cleaning device 1 is at least partially lifted by the handle 6. In this case, the handle piece 13 is deformed by the elastic material, so that the shape of the handle opening 24 also matches the hand of the user, if necessary, depending on the rigidity of the material.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, since the handle base 10 is clamped between the attachment 4 of the cleaning attachment 5 and the attachment interface 3 of the housing 2, the handle base 10 can be used as a shock absorbing element or a sealing element. In addition, the handle base 10 may also eliminate or minimize the gap that exists between the housing 2 and the cleaning attachment 5. For this purpose, the handle base 10 is preferably of a malleable material. However, in order to keep the distance formed between the accessory interface 3 and the connecting piece 4 as small as possible, in particular for applications without a handle in between, the handle base 10 should have as small a material thickness as possible. In particular, it is recommended that the thickness of the handle base 10 is less than 2mm, in particular less than 1 mm. According to an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to form the grip 6 from two distinct parts, namely on the one hand a particularly thin grip base 10, which may be formed for example from a film, and on the other hand a grip piece 13, which consists of a thicker rubber material. The intermediate region 12 formed between the handle base 10 and the handle piece 13 can also be made of rubber in order to withstand the rotational load of the grip 6. The film material of the handle base 10 may be, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

Fig. 5 and 6 show a further embodiment of the invention, in which the handle 6 is made of a handle piece 13 and a handle base 10, which are rotatably arranged relative to each other. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a rotational axis 16, on which rotational axis 16 the handle member 13 is rotatably supported. The handle part 13 and the handle base 10 are both made of hard plastic, for example. The handle base 10 is formed here in the form of a ring which can be pushed onto the attachment interface 3 of the housing 2 of the cleaning appliance 1 from the outside. The attachment interface 3 is conically configured and widens in the opposite direction to the connecting piece 4 of the cleaning attachment 5. Thus, when the handle base 10 is pushed onto the accessory terminal 3, the handle base 10 is automatically clamped in the shown final position. The attachment 4 of the attachment 5 is then plugged in and locked in front of the handle base 10 to fix the position.

The handle member 13 is designed to form fit with a surface area 15 of the housing 2. The surface region 15 is provided here, for example, with a material recess into which the handle part 13 is sunk in the non-use position shown in fig. 5. The handle part 13 is secured in this position by a restoring element 17, the restoring element 17 having, for example, corresponding magnets, which are arranged in the surface regions 15 of the handle part 13 and the housing 2. Alternatively or additionally, for example, spring elements which pull the handle part 13 back onto the surface region 15 when the user releases the grip 6 can also be used as the restoring element 17.

Also in the embodiment according to fig. 5 and 6, the handle 6 is detachably arranged on the accessory interface 3. However, since the handle base 10 does not protrude between the connector 4 and the accessory mount 3, but is fixed to the accessory mount 3 from the outside, the material thickness of the handle base 10 is not necessarily required to be as small as possible.

Furthermore, a hybrid form between the two embodiments according to fig. 1 to 4 and 5 to 6 is possible. For example, the grip 6 provided in fig. 5 and 6 can also be made of an elastic material, so that the pivot axis 16 can be dispensed with and the possibility of pivoting the grip piece 13 relative to the grip base 10 is achieved by the elastic central region 12.

List of reference numerals

1 cleaning device

2 casing

3 Accessory interface

4 connecting piece

5 cleaning accessories

6 handle

7 dust chamber

8 blower fan

9 suction channel

10 handle base

11 partial region

12 middle area

13 handle piece

14 contact surface

15 surface area

16 rotating shaft

17 reset element

18 shell area

19 handle

20 wheel

21 guide rod

22 handle

23 switch

24 handle opening

Claims

1. A cleaning device (1) having a housing (2), a cleaning attachment (5) with a connecting piece (4) and an attachment interface (3) formed on an end region on the housing (2) for detachable connection with the connecting piece (4) of the cleaning attachment (5), wherein the cleaning attachment (5) is an attachment device, wherein the attachment interface (3) faces a surface to be cleaned when cleaning a floor by means of the cleaning attachment (5) depending on a customary position of use of the cleaning device (1), wherein the cleaning device (1) has a handle (6) which is detachably arranged in the region of the attachment interface (3), characterized in that a handle base (10) of the handle (6) is arranged on the attachment interface (3) and/or the connecting piece (4) of the cleaning attachment (5) and is clamped between the attachment interface (3) and the connecting piece (4), the handle base (10) has a through-opening, through which the attachment interface (3) and/or the connecting element (4) is guided.

2. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device (1) is a vacuum cleaner having a dust chamber (7), a fan (8) and an attachment interface (3), wherein a suction channel (9) is formed between the attachment interface (3) and the fan (8), through which suction can be conveyed into the dust chamber (7) during a suction operation of the cleaning device (1).

3. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the handle (6) is constructed of a flexible material at least in an intermediate region (12) between a handle base (10) fixed to the cleaning device (1) and a handle member (13) designed to be gripped by a hand of a user, and/or the handle member (13) is movable relative to the handle base (10).

4. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the shape of a contact surface (14) of the handle (6) which can be placed on the cleaning device (1) is adapted to the shape of a surface area (15) of the cleaning device (1) which is determined for contacting the contact surface (14).

5. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the handle part (13) in the non-use position lies flat against the cleaning device (1).

6. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the handle (6) has a handle base (10) and a handle part (13), wherein the handle part (13) of the handle (6) is rotatably mounted on a rotary shaft (16) associated with the handle base (10) of the handle (6) such that the handle part (13) can be rotated out of the cleaning device (1) and can be rotated towards the cleaning device (1).

7. Cleaning device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle (6) rests on the cleaning device (1) when not in use by a restoring force present in the material of the handle (6) and/or by a restoring element (17) assigned to the handle (6).

8. A cleaning device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device (1) has a second handle (19) on a housing region (18) facing away from the attachment interface (3), wherein the distance between the two handles (6, 19) is at least 20 cm.