CN111820813B

CN111820813B - Vacuum cleaner head

Info

Publication number: CN111820813B
Application number: CN201910306505.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 巴西特·亚历山大·安东尼·丹尼; 姚斌; 周辉
Original assignee: Conta sro
Current assignee: Conta sro
Priority date: 2019-04-17
Filing date: 2019-04-17
Publication date: 2022-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-17
Also published as: GB2583158B; GB201916359D0; CN111820813A; GB2583158A

Abstract

A vacuum cleaning head (10) has a chassis (11) with an elongate suction opening (12) on the underside of the chassis (11), an elongate floor cleaning drum (13) mounted across the suction opening (12), the elongate floor cleaning drum (13) having a plurality of cleaning fibres (20) and/or a plurality of bristles (21) on the outer surface thereof. An elongate roller cleaning element (19) on the chassis (11) has teeth which engage with the cleaning fibres (20) and/or bristles (21). In use, a motor (17) rotates the drum (13) about the longitudinal axis of the drum (13) and during a first mode of operation, hair or other fibrous matter is removed from the drum (13) by the cleaning elements (19). During a second mode of operation, when the direction of rotation of the drum (13) is reversed, any removed material collected on the drum cleaning elements (19) can then be cleaned. In this manner, both the roller and the elongated roller cleaning element can be used for cleaning so that the head always maintains cleaning efficiency.

Description

Vacuum cleaner head

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner.

Background

It is known for suction cleaners to include a floor-engaging head through which dirt and dust from a floor surface is drawn into the cleaner by an airflow directed through a motor and fan unit arranged within the cleaner body. The underside of such floor cleaning heads typically includes an elongate suction opening which extends in a direction perpendicular to a normal movement of the cleaner head during use.

It is known to mount a roller on the underside of the cleaner head, extending across or adjacent the suction opening, to enhance the cleaning provided by the cleaner. In use, the drum is drivingly engaged with the floor surface so as to clean the surface and direct any dirt or dust towards the suction opening and then subsequently drawn into the cleaner by the directed airflow. In the cleaner heads which are specifically directed to cleaning carpets, the drum, known as an agitator (agitator), has a plurality of bristles and/or beaters which project radially and which extend in the longitudinal direction of the agitator and sweep and beat the carpet in such a way that a plurality of carpet hairs are separated, so that deeply rooted dirt and dust can be sucked from the carpet by the directed air flow.

One problem with such agitators and other cleaning rollers is: hair, threads and other fibrous materials become entangled in the drum during cleaning, so that the degree of cleaning efficiency of the cleaner is deteriorated. Therefore, a user must regularly clean the drum to maintain the cleaning efficiency of the cleaner. It will be appreciated that the user may easily overlook cleaning of the cleaner. It will also be appreciated that the cleaning of the cylinder is a dirty and difficult procedure which often requires the use of multiple scissors or a knife to cut and release the entangled fibers from the cylinder. Furthermore, if the drum starts to rotate unexpectedly during cleaning, the user's fingers may be at risk of getting trapped.

European patent document EP2273906 attempts to overcome the above problems by the cleaner head having an elongate drum cleaning element mounted on a chassis of the cleaner head, which occasionally may come into contact with the rotating drum in an attempt to dislodge and remove any material that has accumulated on the drum.

The present inventors have appreciated the various limitations and disadvantages encountered with the head of a vacuum cleaner described in european patent document EP 2273906. Accordingly, in view of the above, the present invention has now devised an improved cleaner head and a cleaner incorporating the same.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a floor cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner, the head having an elongate suction opening at an underside thereof through which dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner during use, the head comprising: an elongate floor cleaning roller mounted across or adjacent to the suction opening; a rotating device for rotating the drum about a longitudinal axis of the drum itself; and an elongated roller cleaning element, wherein the head has a first mode of operation in which the roller contacts the elongated roller cleaning element and rotates in a first direction and a second mode of operation; in the second mode of operation, the roller contacts the elongated roller cleaning element and rotates in an opposite direction.

In use, during the first mode of operation, hair or other fibrous matter is removed from the cylinder by the cylinder cleaning element. Some of the removed material is then freely drawn into the cleaning machine by directing an airflow through the suction opening; some of the removed material may be collected onto the elongated cylinder cleaning element and subsequently removed when the direction of rotation of the roller is reversed during the second mode of operation. The removed material released from the elongate drum cleaning element is then drawn into the cleaning machine by directing an airflow through the suction opening. In this way, both the cylinder and the elongated cylinder cleaning elements can be kept free of hair and fibrous matter, so that the head always maintains cleaning efficiency.

The elongated roller cleaning element may include a plurality of tooth systems protruding towards the roller. In the first mode of operation, the tooth system extends obliquely towards the drum such that the tooth system is directed (i.e. towards) a first direction of rotation of the drum. In the above-described manner, hair and other fibrous matter on the roller is caught by the tooth system and pulled off the roller.

The drum may include a central body having a plurality of radially protruding cleaning elements on an outer surface of the central body. The drum may comprise an outer surface of the fibers and/or a plurality of radially projecting bristles provided with the radially projecting cleaning elements. The elongate drum cleaning element may be configured to abut against the radially projecting cleaning element during the first and second modes of operation of the cleaner head.

In a preferred embodiment, the elongate roller cleaning element is in permanent contact with the roller, although it will be appreciated that the elongate roller cleaning element can be moved to contact the roller at least during the first and second modes of operation of the cleaner head.

The direction of rotation of the roller may be the first direction or the opposite direction during a floor cleaning mode of the head. In the former case, the first mode of operation may comprise the floor cleaning mode of the cleaner head. In the latter case, the second mode of operation may comprise the floor cleaning mode of the cleaner head.

The head may comprise a pair of said elongate drum cleaning elements having said tooth systems facing in opposite directions, said directions being substantially tangential to the drum.

During the second mode of operation, the rotational speed of the drum may be different from the floor cleaning mode and may be a maximum rotational speed of the drum. The rotational speed of the drum may be variable during the floor cleaning mode. For example, during the cleaning mode of operation, the rotational speed of the drum may be between 1500 to 4000 RPM; during the second mode of operation, the rotational speed of the drum is 4000 RPM.

The cleaner head may include a motor for rotating the drum. The head may comprise a control unit which causes the second mode of operation to be activated in a cylinder cleaning mode of the cleaning machine after the first mode of operation. The control unit may be connected to an actuator on the head that is actuatable by a user to cause the cylinder cleaning mode to be activated. Alternatively, the mode of operation of the cylinder cleaning can be started periodically according to a timer or a usage counter, or can be started as soon as the cleaner is turned on or off.

The rotation of the drum may be stopped during the direction change to avoid damage to the motor driving the drum or damage to any control elements.

There is also provided in accordance with the present invention a cleaner having a cleaner head as hereinbefore described.

The vacuum cleaner may comprise a main body connected to the head.

The cleaner body may include a motor for rotating the drum. The main body may include a control unit that enables the second operation mode to be activated in a drum cleaning mode of the cleaning machine after the first operation mode. The control unit may be connected to an actuator on the main body, which actuator may be actuated by a user to cause the cylinder cleaning mode to be activated.

There is also provided in accordance with the present invention a method of using a cleaner head as described above, the method including in the first mode of operation, the drum being in contact with the elongate drum cleaning element and rotating in the first direction about the longitudinal axis of the drum; and then in the second mode of operation, the cylinder contacts the elongate cylinder cleaning element and rotates in an opposite direction about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

The method may include operating the motor and fan unit of the vacuum cleaner during the first and second modes of operation so as to direct an airflow through the suction opening of the head.

Drawings

Various embodiments of the present invention are described herein by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view from the left and above of an embodiment of a cleaner head according to the present invention with a portion of the front cover of the cleaner head removed;

figure 2 is an exploded view of the head of figure 1;

figure 3 is a perspective view of a drum of the head of figure 1;

figure 4 is a bottom view of the front of the head of figure 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line vi-vi of FIG. 4; and

figure 7 is a cross-sectional view through an alternative cleaner head according to the present invention, the cross-sectional view being similar to that of figure 6.

Detailed Description

Referring to figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a head 10 according to the present invention, the head 10 comprising a base plate 11, the base plate 11 having a transversely extending elongate suction opening 12 disposed at the forward end of the base plate 11 on the underside of the head 10. An elongated roller 13 is mounted across the suction opening 12. A pair of floor engaging wheels 14 are mounted to a rear end of the head 10 adjacent a suction outlet 16, the suction outlet 16 being adapted to be removably connected to a main body of the cleaner (not shown) by means of an elongate tubular conduit. A motor and fan element in the cleaner body is arranged to draw air into the head 10 through the suction opening 12 in the underside of the head. The chassis 11 includes an upper portion 11A and a lower portion 11B, the upper portion 11A and the lower portion 11B together defining an airflow duct leading from the suction opening 12 to the suction outlet 16. An aesthetically pleasing hollow plastic housing 15 is provided to cover the top of the chassis 11. A motor 17 is provided inside the head 10, and the motor 17 is connected to the drum 13 by a belt 18, the belt 18 being used to rotate the drum 13 about the longitudinal axis of the drum 13.

Referring to fig. 3 of the drawings, the roller 13 includes an outer surface that is generally covered by a flock (flock) or other fibrous material 20, the other fibrous material 20 having short radially projecting fibers. The drum 13 further includes one or more elongated rows of bristles 21, the bristles 21 extending across the surface of the drum 13 from end to end. As shown in fig. 3, the or each row of bristles 21 may extend circumferentially or longitudinally of the drum.

Referring to figures 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, an elongate roller cleaning element 19 is mounted in the chassis 11 of the head 10 behind the roller 13 on a rear wall of the suction opening 12, the elongate roller cleaning element 19 extending along the full extent of the roller 13 and parallel to the roller 13. The elongate roller cleaning element 19 comprises a brush having an array of outwardly extending teeth systems, the distal ends of which extend to the roller 13 and are located between the bristles 21 and the fibres of the flocked material 20. The tooth system of the elongated roller cleaning elements 19 extends in the forward and tangential direction of the lower rear quadrant of the roller 13.

In use, as shown in figures 2, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings, the motor 17 rotates the drum 13 in a counterclockwise direction so that the drum 13 cleans a floor surface and pushes any dirt and dust on the drum 13 back through the drum 13 and is pulled upwardly through a directed airflow through the suction opening 12 towards the outlet 16. Any hairs, threads and other fibers picked up by the drum 13 from the floor are continuously removed by the teeth of the elongated drum cleaning element 19 to ensure that the head always maintains cleaning efficiency. Some of the hairs and other fibers removed by the elongated cylinder cleaning elements 19 are immediately pulled up into the suction opening 12 by the guiding air flow. However, some of the hair and other fibers will be entangled on the tooth system of the elongated roller cleaning element 19. To ensure that the hair and other fibers do not undesirably accumulate on the elongated cylinder cleaning elements 19, the direction of rotation of the cylinder 13 may be reversed in a cylinder cleaning mode to cause the fibrous material 20 and the bristles 21 to clean the hair and other fibers from the elongated cylinder cleaning elements 19. The removed hairs and other fibres are then sucked into the suction opening 12 by the guiding air flow. During the cylinder cleaning mode, the rotational speed of the cylinder of the cleaning machine may be increased to assist in the removal of the hair and other fibers: the increase in rotational speed may occur before and/or after the reversal of the drum 13.

The reversal of the direction of rotation of the drum may be effected manually by a user operating an actuator (not shown) provided on the head 10 of the machine for selecting the drum cleaning mode of the machine. Alternatively, the cylinder cleaning mode of the cleaning machine may be automatically performed after a certain period of time or after a certain number of uses of the cleaning machine. It is contemplated that the rotational speed of the drum 13 may be increased during cleaning of the drum.

Referring to fig. 7 of the drawings, in an alternative embodiment, the elongated cylinder cleaning element 190 comprises two sets of tooth systems, each directed in opposite directions of rotation of the cylinder 13, so that cleaning of the cylinder 13 and cleaning of the elongated cylinder cleaning element 19 will occur simultaneously regardless of the direction of rotation of the cylinder 13.

A vacuum cleaning head has a chassis with an elongate suction opening on the underside of the chassis through which dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner during use. An elongated floor cleaning cylinder having cleaning fibers and/or bristles on an outer surface thereof is mounted across the suction opening and a motor rotates the cylinder about a longitudinal axis of the cylinder. An elongated roller cleaning element on the chassis has teeth that engage the cleaning fibers and/or the bristles. In a first mode of operation, the cylinder is in contact with the elongate cylinder cleaning element and rotates in a first direction; and in a second mode of operation, the roller contacts the elongated roller cleaning element and rotates in an opposite direction.

A cleaner head according to the invention is simple and inexpensive in construction, but the cleaner head is able to achieve cleaning without the risk of hair and other fibres reducing the cleaning efficiency of the head.

Claims

1. A head for a vacuum cleaner, characterized by: the head having an elongate suction opening at an underside through which dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner during use, the head comprising: an elongate floor cleaning drum mounted across or adjacent to the suction opening; a rotating device for rotating the drum about a longitudinal axis of the drum itself; and an elongate roller cleaning element, wherein the cleaner head has a first mode of operation in which the roller contacts the elongate roller cleaning element and rotates in a first direction, and a second mode of operation; in the second mode of operation, the roller is in contact with the elongate roller cleaning element and rotates in an opposite direction; a rotational speed of the drum is different during the first and second modes of operation, wherein the elongated drum cleaning element comprises two sets of tooth systems, which are directed in opposite rotational directions of the drum, respectively.

2. A cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein: the elongated roller cleaning element includes a plurality of teeth projecting obliquely toward the roller.

3. A cleaner head according to claim 2, wherein: the cleaner head includes a pair of said elongate drum cleaning elements each having said teeth projecting obliquely in opposite respective directions towards the drum.

4. A cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein: the drum comprises a central body having a plurality of radially projecting cleaning elements on an outer surface thereof, the elongate drum cleaning elements being arrangeable to abut against the radially projecting cleaning elements during the first and second modes of operation of the head.

5. A cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein: the head includes means for enabling the second mode of operation to be activated in a drum cleaning mode of the head following the first mode of operation.

6. A kind of dust collector, characterized by: the cleaner has a cleaner head as claimed in claim 1.

7. A method of using a cleaner head according to claim 1, wherein: the method comprises the following steps: in a first mode of operation, the cylinder is in contact with the elongate cylinder cleaning element and rotates in a first direction about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder; and then in a second mode of operation, the cylinder contacts the elongate cylinder cleaning element and rotates in an opposite direction about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein: the method further comprises the following steps: operating a motor and fan unit of the cleaner during the first and second modes of operation so as to direct an airflow through a suction opening of the cleaner head.