CN112969396A

CN112969396A - Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Info

Publication number: CN112969396A
Application number: CN201980073693.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: K.金; M.辛德; A.辛克莱尔; M.朱普; J.哈维
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-09
Filing date: 2019-11-06
Publication date: 2021-06-15
Also published as: GB2578875B; GB2578875A; GB201818299D0; WO2020095046A1

Abstract

The vacuum cleaner includes a first electronic visual indicator and a second electronic visual indicator. The first electronic visual indicator and the second electronic visual indicator face different directions.

Description

Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners.

Background

Some vacuum cleaners are arranged to communicate information to a user via an electronic visual display. For example, the vacuum cleaner may have a single light indicating a fault condition, an array of lights indicating the battery charge remaining (in the case of a battery-powered vacuum cleaner), or a screen that may display more comprehensive information (e.g., text or pictures).

One problem with such vacuum cleaners is that the electronic visual display is only visible from certain angles, which means that the vacuum cleaner is unable to convey information to the user when viewed from other angles.

It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate the above disadvantages and/or to provide an improved or alternative vacuum cleaner.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising a first electronic visual indicator and a second electronic visual indicator, wherein the first electronic visual indicator and the second electronic visual indicator face in different directions.

Two electronic visual indicators facing in different directions may improve the chances that at least one of them will be visible during use of the vacuum cleaner, thereby increasing the likelihood that the vacuum cleaner can convey information to a user. For example, one electronic visual indicator may face in a direction that makes it particularly visible during normal use, while the other electronic visual indicator faces in a direction that makes it particularly visible during charging (e.g., the vacuum cleaner is in a charging dock).

An electronic visual indicator may be considered to be any electronic component capable of selectively providing one or more visual signals to a user, such as an LED or incandescent light bulb or screen.

The direction in which the electronic visual indicator faces may be considered to be the average direction of light emitted therefrom (or the direction of reflection in the case where the electronic visual indicator is not emitting light). For example, in the case of a screen, it faces in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the screen, or in the case of a conventionally shaped LED, it faces in a direction perpendicular to the outermost surface thereof (e.g., the top of a dome-shaped tip in the case of an LED in the general shape of a bulb).

Two electronic visual indicators may be considered to face different directions if the vectors representing the directions in which they face are not parallel. For example, two headlights of an automobile face in the same direction, because (generally) the vectors representing the directions in which they face are parallel to each other (in the forward direction). As another example, one of the headlights and one of the brake lights of an automobile do not face the same direction because the vectors representing the directions in which they face are anti-parallel to each other (i.e., one facing forward and one facing rearward).

The first electronic visual indicator may be an electronic visual display.

An electronic visual display is an electronic visual indicator capable of displaying at least three different conditions. For example, an array of lights that can be lit in different combinations (e.g., a single digit seven segment display that includes an array of elongated lights that can be lit in combination to display the numbers 0-9). Thus, the electronic visual display is different from a single light, e.g., a light can only show two conditions (on or off).

Vacuum cleaners having an electronic visual display can increase the amount of information that can be conveyed to a user.

The electronic visual display may be a screen.

This may further increase the amount of information that may be conveyed to the user. For example, the screen may show a schematic view of the vacuum cleaner or may display text, while a simpler type of electronic visual display (such as the seven-segment display described above) may have more limited functionality.

The screen may be an LCD screen (e.g. a TFT screen), an LED screen (e.g. an OLED screen), or any other type of screen (e.g. an 'electronic paper' screen).

The second electronic visual indicator may consist essentially of one or more discrete lights.

This may reduce the complexity of the vacuum cleaner, and thus the production cost, compared to a more complex vacuum cleaner with a second electronic visual indicator.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a third electronic visual indicator facing in a different direction than the first and second electronic visual indicators.

A vacuum cleaner having a third electronic visual indicator facing in a different direction than the first and second electronic visual indicators may further increase the angular range in which the vacuum cleaner can communicate information.

The electronic visual indicators may face in directions of not less than 10 degrees from each other, such as not less than 20 degrees or not less than 30 degrees.

Preferably, the electronic visual indicators face in a direction of not less than 40 degrees from each other, such as not less than 50 degrees, not less than 60 degrees, not less than 70 degrees, or not less than 80 degrees.

Electronic visual indicators facing in these different directions can further increase the range of angles in which the vacuum cleaner can communicate information.

The angle between the two directions can be calculated by translating the vectors in these directions so that they intersect and then measuring the angle defined between them.

The vacuum cleaner may further include:

a pistol grip positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner extending from a front end to a rear end thereof; and

an air inlet positioned in front of the pistol grip,

and one of the electronic visual indicators may face generally rearward.

In use, the user holds the vacuum cleaner by means of the pistol grip and then "points" the longitudinal axis at the area to be cleaned in a manner similar to aiming a pistol at a target, thereby directing the air intake (or a suction tool attached to the air intake) to that area. One of the electronic visual indicators faces generally rearward, meaning that it is more clearly visible to the user during use. In contrast, if the electronic visual indicators are all facing in other directions, the user may have to stop using and reposition the vacuum cleaner to gather information.

Preferably, the first electronic visual indicator faces generally rearwardly.

The electronic visual indicator may be located axially rearward of the pistol grip.

This may allow the electronic visual display indicator to be viewed by the user, for example, avoiding the possibility of the pistol grip (or the user's hand) obscuring a portion of the electronic visual indicator.

As an alternative, the electronic visual indicator may be positioned axially in line with or in front of the pistol grip, in which case it may be displaced from the pistol grip in a radial direction about the longitudinal axis, thereby reducing the risk of the pistol grip (or the user's hand) obscuring it.

The vacuum cleaner may comprise a battery pack arranged to power the vacuum cleaner.

The presence of multiple electronic visual indicators on a battery powered vacuum cleaner can be somewhat counterintuitive, as power is at a premium, and therefore measures are typically taken to ensure that as much power as possible is delivered to the vacuum motor rather than to the peripheral systems. However, the inventors of the present application have found that the presence of the electronic visual indicator may allow the remaining power to be used more efficiently, and/or provide a higher level of "user-friendliness" to compensate for the power used by the electronic visual indicator itself.

The battery pack is removable from the vacuum cleaner.

The first electronic visual indicator and the second electronic visual indicator may be configured to display information related to the battery pack.

The battery-related information may be more time-related to the user than other information. For example, during use, a user may need to know when the battery is low, when to charge, and when to complete charging. Thus, it may be particularly beneficial for both the first electronic visual indicator and the second electronic visual indicator to convey such information.

The first and second electronic visual indicators may be configured to indicate that charging is in progress and/or charging is complete.

Alternatively, the information relating to the battery may be the remaining charge level of the battery pack, the temperature of the battery pack, or the expected usage time remaining before charging is required.

One of the electronic visual indicators may be disposed on the battery pack.

The electronic visual indicator disposed on the battery may allow for relatively easy transfer of power from the battery to the indicator, whereas if the indicator is disposed further, a longer wire length would be required. Furthermore, where the electronic visual indicator is configured to display information relating to the battery, it may be particularly intuitive for a user to view the battery when such information is desired.

The vacuum cleaner may be a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

Typically, during use, handheld vacuum cleaners are often viewed over a wider range of angles than upright vacuum cleaners or cylindrical vacuum cleaners, and therefore the benefits of multiple electronic visual indicators facing different directions (as described above) may be particularly beneficial.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stick type vacuum cleaner comprising:

a hand-held vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the invention;

a cleaning head defining a suction inlet; and

an elongate rigid wand defines a suction path extending from the cleaner head to an air inlet of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

In case the vacuum cleaner is a stick vacuum cleaner, including a handheld vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner can be viewed in an even wider range of angles during use. Thus, the benefits of multiple electronic visual indicators facing in different directions (as described above) may be even more beneficial.

According to an arrangement useful for understanding the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising:

an inlet through which dirty air may be drawn into the vacuum cleaner, and an exhaust through which clean air may be exhausted from the vacuum cleaner;

an air flow passage extending from the suction nozzle to the exhaust port through the dirt separator;

a vacuum motor arranged to draw an airflow from a suction nozzle through the vacuum cleaner to an exhaust, the vacuum motor comprising a motor and an impeller which rotates about a motor axis; and

an electronic visual display configured to display information relating to the vacuum cleaner,

wherein:

the vacuum motor is accommodated in a motor barrel located in the flow passage; and is

An electronic visual display is mounted to and supported by the motor bucket.

An electronic visual display mounted to and supported by the motor bucket may be beneficial because the motor bucket is typically a sturdy component (as it is required to house the vacuum motor, which is a relatively heavy component). Thus, the risk of detachment of the electronic visual display due to mechanical failure of the components supporting the electronic visual display may be reduced. In addition, since the motor bucket contains electrical wiring (to bring power to the motor), additional wiring to the electronic visual display can be relatively simple. In contrast, if the display is located elsewhere, the design of the vacuum cleaner may need to be modified to allow the necessary wiring to and from the display.

It should be understood that an electronic visual display is distinct from a single light. Such a lamp has two states, on or off, while the display device is capable of displaying at least three different states. For example, the display device may include an array of lights that are lit in different combinations (e.g., a single digit seven segment display that includes elongated lights that may be lit in combination to display the numbers 0-9).

The electronic visual display may be a screen.

This may provide an advantageous high resolution display, allowing more information and/or a larger range of different information to be presented to the user. For example, if the electronic visual display is a screen, it can show an image, whereas if the electronic visual display is a single digit seven segment display, the information that the display can show will be limited to the numbers 0-9 (possibly adding other modes, such as may represent the letters E, L, b, h, etc.).

Alternatively, the electronic visual display may comprise an array of individual lights (e.g., a seven-segment display of one or more digits (e.g., two, three, four, or more digits)). This may reduce the cost of the vacuum cleaner.

The electronic visual display may be configured to selectively display at least two different colors.

For example, where the display is a screen, the screen may be a full color screen.

Electronic visual displays capable of displaying different colors may allow more information to be displayed than a monotonic display and/or may allow information presented to a user to be more intuitive. For example, the display may display an error message in red and an all-clear message in green, so that the user is made aware of the status of the vacuum cleaner at a glance without having to rely on them to read the message.

Alternatively, the electronic visual display may be a monotonic display, such as an array of monochromatic lights, or a monochromatic screen. This may reduce the cost of the vacuum cleaner.

The motor bucket may be mounted to the vacuum cleaner in a cantilevered fashion.

The cantilever-mounted motor bucket may allow the motor bucket to act as a shock absorber, for example, when the vacuum cleaner is dropped. Upon application of an impact to the vacuum cleaner, the motor bucket may be slightly bent around its end attached to the vacuum cleaner. By mounting the display away from this end, the weight to which the display is subjected (and thus the risk of damage to the display) may be reduced.

The motor bucket may have an inlet configured to allow air to enter the motor bucket in a generally radial direction.

This may allow the motor bucket, and thus the vacuum cleaner as a whole, to be advantageously compact in an axial direction relative to the motor axis. Alternatively or additionally, it may allow an advantageous simple or efficient conduit to be provided to the motor bucket inlet.

The motor bucket may have an outlet configured to allow air to exit the motor bucket in a generally radial direction.

Also, this may allow the motor bucket, and thus the vacuum cleaner, to be advantageously compact in the axial direction, and/or may allow an advantageously simple or efficient conduit to be provided from the motor bucket outlet.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a control member configured to receive control inputs from a user, the control member being positioned adjacent the electronic visual display.

This may allow the same benefits discussed above with respect to the display to be provided with respect to the control member. In addition, the control member is adjacent to the electronic visual display, which may allow a user to view the display and operate the control member simultaneously without having to reorient the vacuum cleaner between viewing the electronic visual display and viewing the control member to operate the control member.

The control member may be, for example, a button, a rotatable knob, or a slider. The control member may be an on/off switch for the vacuum motor, a mode selection switch (e.g., vacuum motor speed control), and/or a switch configured to change the information displayed on the electronic visual display.

The vacuum cleaner may include a plurality of control members positioned adjacent to the electronic visual display.

The electronic visual display may be projected through or visible through an aperture in the removable component.

This may allow the user-removable component and the electronic visual display to be located in the same area of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., an area that is particularly clearly visible and/or easily accessible) without the need to mount the electronic visual display on the user-removable component (which may complicate the supply of power and/or data to the electronic visual display). Alternatively or additionally, the user-removable component may provide protection for the display against tapping or the like.

The aperture may be completely closed (e.g., it may be a circular through hole), or may be open-sided (e.g., the aperture may be U-shaped and surround only a portion of the outer perimeter of the electronic visual display).

The user-removable part may be substantially annular. For example, the user-removable component may fit around a component of the vacuum cleaner (e.g., the motor housing or a component thereof, such as the motor bucket), like a sleeve.

The user-removable component may be removed from the vacuum cleaner by moving in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

The user-removable component may include a pre-motor filter, which may be located in the fluid path downstream of the vacuum motor.

The pre-motor filter may preferably be located downstream of the dirt separator.

Alternatively or additionally, the user-removable component may comprise a post-motor filter, which may be located in the fluid path downstream of the vacuum motor.

The removable component may provide an air outlet of the vacuum cleaner.

A removable component comprising both a pre-motor filter and a post-motor filter may be particularly advantageous, as both filters may be removed together for cleaning or other maintenance, which may make the vacuum cleaner more user-friendly.

Alternatively, the screen may be visible through or projected through an aperture in the non-removable component. The non-removable component may be a filter assembly including a pre-motor filter and/or a post-motor filter.

The removable component may be removable in the axial direction and slidingly engage the motor bucket.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a pre-motor filter located in the air flow path upstream of the vacuum motor, the pre-motor filter axially overlapping and radially outward of the motor bucket.

This may provide an advantageous compact arrangement, or an arrangement that may be assembled or disassembled with advantageous speed or ease. Alternatively or additionally, it may provide aerodynamic advantages, such as reduced flow losses or noise.

As described above, the pre-motor filter may be part of a user-removable component.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a post-motor filter located in the air flow path downstream of the vacuum motor, the post-motor filter axially overlapping and radially outward of the motor bucket.

As described above, the post-motor filter may be part of a user-removable component.

The motor bucket may be generally cylindrical.

This may allow for an advantageously simple assembly/disassembly of the vacuum cleaner, for example in case an assembly such as a user detachable part is fitted around the motor bucket by moving in a radial direction (e.g. by sliding engagement). Alternatively or additionally, it may allow for a more radially compact arrangement. In contrast, if the motor bucket has a large variation in diameter along its axial length, the components that fit around the motor bucket must have holes with an inner diameter as large as the maximum diameter of the machine tube. The space between the hole and the narrower portion of the motor bucket may be wasted.

An electronic visual display may be supported on an axial end surface of the motor bucket.

This may allow for a more secure or compact attachment mechanism to be used. In contrast, if the electronic visual display is attached to the arc-shaped outer surface of the power bucket, the contact area between the display and the motor bucket may be relatively small, which reduces the strength of the attachment, and space between the display and the non-contact portion of the motor bucket may be wasted.

The vacuum cleaner may also include an electrical cord to or from the electronic visual display that extends within the motor bucket.

Thus, the motor bucket can protect the wires from wear and/or knocks, compared to an arrangement in which the wires extend along the outside of the motor bucket.

The vacuum cleaner may be a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

In such vacuum cleaners space is particularly valuable and the increased compactness discussed above may be particularly advantageous.

The presence of an electronic visual display on a handheld vacuum cleaner can be somewhat counterintuitive, as such vacuum cleaners are typically battery powered and therefore very expensive in power, and measures are typically taken to ensure that as much power as possible is delivered to the vacuum motor rather than to the peripheral systems. However, the inventors of the present application have found that the presence of the electronic visual display may allow the remaining power to be used more efficiently (e.g. by alerting the user that the vacuum cleaner is blocked so that they do not waste power trying to continue to use) and/or provide a higher level of "user friendliness" thereby compensating for the power used by the electronic visual display itself.

The handheld vacuum cleaner may further comprise a pistol grip and a battery pack arranged to power the vacuum motor and/or the electronic visual display, and the motor bucket and the battery pack may be located at opposite ends of the pistol grip.

Having the vacuum motor and battery pack located at opposite ends of the pistol grip positions the vacuum motor and battery pack (typically the heaviest two components of the vacuum cleaner) on opposite sides of the user's wrist. This may make the vacuum cleaner more mobile and/or easier to use for a longer period of time.

Optionally, the vacuum cleaner comprises: a pistol grip positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner extending from a front end to a rear end thereof; an air inlet located forward of the pistol grip; and a generally rearward facing electronic visual display.

In use, a user holds such a vacuum cleaner by means of a pistol grip and then "points" the longitudinal axis at the area to be cleaned in a manner similar to aiming a pistol at a target, thereby directing the air intake (or a suction tool attached to the air intake) to that area. The electronic visual display is generally facing rearward, which means that it is more clearly visible to the user during use. In contrast, if the electronic visual display is facing a different direction, the user may have to deactivate and reposition the vacuum cleaner to view the electronic visual display.

Reference to a handheld vacuum cleaner having a longitudinal axis is not intended to imply that the handheld vacuum cleaner is elongated or comprises elongated components. Rather, the longitudinal axis of the handheld vacuum cleaner can be considered as the direction in which the user "points" the vacuum cleaner for guidance. However, in some cases, the handheld vacuum cleaner may comprise an elongate body, the longitudinal axis of which is co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner. The elongated body can be, for example, a main body, a motor housing, a rotational axis of a dirt separation stage, or an elongated duct portion of an air intake.

For the avoidance of doubt, reference to a vacuum cleaner discharging clean air is intended to mean that some of the dirt entrained therein has been removed by the dirt separator. This is not meant to imply that the "clean" air has removed all of the dirt.

The pistol grip is preferably positioned at an angle greater than 50 degrees, such as greater than 60 degrees or greater than 70 degrees, relative to the longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the pistol grip can be positioned substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. However, the pistol grip is preferably positioned at an angle of less than 85 degrees or less than 80 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis. This may allow the position of the user's hand to be more naturally located, making the handheld vacuum cleaner more comfortable over extended periods of use.

The pistol grip is preferably positioned such that the longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to (e.g., in line with) the forearm of the user when the user grips the pistol grip with the straight wrist. This may make the handheld vacuum cleaner more comfortable to use and/or more intuitive to point in different directions.

The electronic visual display may be substantially planar and positioned at an angle of no greater than 20 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis.

For example, the electronic visual display may be positioned at an angle of no greater than 10 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis, and may be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This may increase the visibility of the electronic visual display by decreasing the viewing angle when the user looks along the longitudinal axis.

The electronic visual display may be located axially behind the pistol grip.

This may make the electronic visual display easier for the user to view, for example, avoiding the possibility of the pistol grip (or the user's hand) obscuring a portion of the electronic visual display.

As an alternative, the electronic visual display may be positioned axially in line with or in front of the pistol grip, in which case it may be displaced from the pistol grip in a radial direction about the longitudinal axis, thereby reducing the risk of the pistol grip (or the user's hand) obscuring it.

When the longitudinal axis is horizontal, the pistol grip can be positioned in a substantially vertical orientation, the pistol grip extending from a lower end configured to be held by a little and/or ring finger of a user to an upper end configured to be held by an index and/or middle finger of the user, and the electronic visual display can be located radially above the pistol grip.

This may advantageously position the electronic visual display close to the line of sight of the user during use. For example, the electronic visual display may be located in a position equivalent to the rear view of a pistol.

Alternatively, the electronic visual display may be located to one side of the pistol grip (whereby the user may more clearly view the display by slightly rotating the vacuum cleaner about the longitudinal axis).

Where the vacuum cleaner comprises a control member, the control member may face generally rearwardly.

For example, where the control member is a push button, the push button may generally move in a direction parallel to (e.g., collinear with) the longitudinal axis, or where the control member is a rotatable knob, the knob may protrude along and be rotatable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis.

This may make the control member particularly easy to operate when viewing the electronic visual display, and/or may make it easier for a user to view the state of the control member (e.g., the rotational position of the knob) when viewing the electronic visual display.

Alternatively, the control member may face in any other suitable direction. For example, the control member may be a generally laterally protruding rotation, and may rotate "up" or "down" when the user views the electronic visual display.

The longitudinal axis may intersect the electronic visual display.

This may make the electronic visual display easier to see when viewed along the longitudinal axis by a user than if the electronic visual display were positioned offset relative to the longitudinal axis.

The dirt separator may have a generally cylindrical outer wall positioned substantially concentrically about the longitudinal axis.

Alternatively, the dirt separator may take any other suitable form. For example, it may define an outer wall of any other suitable shape, or may define a substantially cylindrical outer wall positioned about an axis parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

The outer wall may define the dirt container.

Alternatively or additionally, the outer wall may define the perimeter of an inertial separator (e.g. a cyclonic separator).

The longitudinal axis may intersect the suction inlet. The air inlet may define an inlet axis. The inlet axis may be parallel to, e.g. collinear with, the longitudinal axis of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The motor may define an axis about which its rotor rotates, said axis being parallel to (e.g. collinear with) the longitudinal axis.

An electronic visual display may be located behind the vacuum motor.

The vacuum cleaner may be a stick vacuum cleaner comprising the hand-held vacuum cleaner described above, a cleaner head defining a suction inlet, and an elongate rigid stick defining a suction path extending from the cleaner head to an air inlet of the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

The rod may be positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. For example, the rod may be substantially collinear with the longitudinal axis.

The wand is preferably removably connectable to the handheld vacuum cleaner and the cleaner head.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stick vacuum cleaner according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hand-held vacuum cleaner of the stick vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1;

figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the hand-held vacuum cleaner of figure 2;

figure 4 is a perspective view of the hand-held vacuum cleaner of figures 2 and 3 with the removable components separated therefrom; and

figure 5 is a rear view of the lower portion of the hand-held vacuum cleaner of figures 2-4.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding features throughout the specification and drawings.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a stick type vacuum cleaner 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wand vacuum cleaner comprises a hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 which is connected to a floor tool 6 in the form of a cleaning head by an elongate rigid wand 8. In this case, the wand may be attached to the air inlet 10 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner and the rear duct 12 of the cleaner head. The wand 8 is generally tubular and the space inside forms a suction path which extends from the cleaner head 6 to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4.

The cleaner head 6 has a sole plate 14 which is configured to engage a floor surface and which has a suction opening (not visible) through which dirty air (i.e. air with entrained dirt) from the floor surface can be drawn into the cleaner head 6. A vacuum motor (not visible) comprising an electric motor and an impeller is accommodated in the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4. In use, the motor rotates the impeller about a motor axis (not visible), which causes an airflow to be drawn through an air flow passage defined within the vacuum cleaner 2. Dirty air from the floor surface is drawn into the cleaner head 6 through a suction opening (not visible) in the sole plate 14 and then travels along the interior of the wand 8 and into the air inlet 10 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

The wand 8 is releasably attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 so that the handheld vacuum cleaner can be used independently (or with a tool attached to the air inlet 10). The wand 8 is also releasably attached to the cleaning head 6 so that different floor tools can be fitted to the wand. In addition, the rear duct 12 of the cleaner head may be attached directly to the air inlet 10 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner so that the cleaner head 6 may be used in conjunction with the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 and is not limited to use as part of the wand vacuum cleaner 2.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 defines a longitudinal axis 16 which is collinear with the motor axis mentioned above. The motor/longitudinal axis 16 extends from a front end 18 to a rear end 20 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner and intersects the air inlet 10. When the wand 8 is attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, the wand 8 is parallel to (in this case co-linear with) the longitudinal axis 16. The handheld vacuum cleaner also includes a pistol grip 22 positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. The pistol grip 22 is located rearward of the air intake 10, i.e., the pistol grip is axially located closer to the rear end 20 than the air intake. In other words, the air intake 10 is located forward of the pistol grip 22 (i.e., the air intake is axially located closer to the front end 18 than the pistol grip).

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 will now be described in more detail with reference to fig. 2 to 4, which fig. 2 to 4 show the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 in isolation in connection with fig. 1.

As noted above, the pistol grip 22 is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. In this case, the pistol grip 22 is positioned at an angle of about 75 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 16. As shown in fig. 1-4, with the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 positioned with the longitudinal axis 16 horizontal, the pistol grip 22 may be positioned in a generally vertical orientation, extending from a lower end 24 to an upper end 26. The upper end 26 has a trigger 28 which forms an on/off switch for the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 includes a first housing 30 located at the upper end 26 of the pistol grip 22 and a second housing 32 located at the lower end 24 of the pistol grip 22. The first and

second housings

30, 32 are attached to one another by the pistol grip 22 and the support strut 34, the support strut 34 in this case extending generally parallel to the pistol grip 22.

In this embodiment, the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 is battery powered. An array of batteries (not visible) is disposed in the second housing 32, the batteries and the second housing 32 forming a battery pack. In some embodiments, the battery pack may be removable, but in this case it is permanently attached. The batteries are rechargeable and can be recharged on site by plugging a charging cable into a charging port (not shown) of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4.

The first housing 30 includes a motor housing 38 and a separator support 40. The motor housing 38 is generally elongate and defines a longitudinal axis that is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16 (and thus the motor axis). The motor housing 38 houses a vacuum motor 42 in the motor bucket 38a and supports a filter assembly 44. As described above, the vacuum motor 42 includes the motor 46 and the impeller 48. The motor 46 is configured to receive power from a battery (not visible) to drive the impeller 48 for rotation about the motor axis 16. The rotation of the impeller 48 creates an airflow through the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 (as discussed in more detail below) and thereby creates a suction force at the air inlet 10.

The separator support 40 supports a dirt separator 50 configured to remove dirt from air drawn into the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 through the air inlet 10. The dirt separator 50 of this embodiment includes a first separation stage 52 and a second separation stage 54. The first separation stage 52 has a single cyclone chamber 56 formed by the upper portion of a transparent tank 58, a perforated cylindrical shroud 60, and a first dirt collection chamber 62 formed by the lower portion of the tank 58 and an openable cover 64. The box 58 takes the form of a cylindrical outer wall that is concentrically positioned about the longitudinal axis 16. With the bins 58 concentrically positioned, the rotational axis of the first separation stage 52 (i.e. the rotational axis of the cyclones formed inside the cyclone chamber 56) is collinear with the longitudinal axis.

Behind the shroud 60 is an air passage 66 which surrounds an inner wall 68 and leads to the second separation stage 54. The second separation stage 54 has a plurality of cyclone chambers 70 arranged in parallel. The cyclone chamber 70 has respective tangential inlets 72 branching from the air passage 66, an open end 74 configured as a dirt outlet and an air outlet in the form of a vortex finder 76. The second separation stage 54 also has a second dirt collection chamber 78 defined between the inner wall 40 and a duct 80 of the air intake 10. The conduit 80 is generally elongate, defining an inlet axis that is parallel to, and in this case co-linear with, the longitudinal axis/motor axis 16.

The filter assembly 44 includes a housing 82, a pre-motor filter 84, and a post-motor filter 86. The housing 82 defines a pair of grill-like air outlets 88, through which air outlet 88 clean air (i.e. air from which at least some entrained dirt is separated) is discharged from the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4. The pre-motor filter 84 is located upstream of the vacuum motor 42 and downstream of the dirt separator 50 and is configured to filter out small dirt particles that are not removed by the dirt separator 50 before they can reach the vacuum motor 42. The pre-motor filter 84 comprises a layered mass of porous felt, which in this case comprises a layer of electrostatic felt, for example sold under the name 'Technostat'. A post-motor filter 86 is located downstream of the vacuum motor 42 and upstream of the air outlet 88. The post-motor filter 86 is configured to filter any dirt particles (e.g., debris from the carbon brushes of the motor 46) that may be released by the motor 46. In this case, the post-motor filter 86 is a pleated fiberglass HEPA filter. The

filters

84, 86 are annular and share a common axis, which in this embodiment is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16. Alternatively, the entire filter assembly 44 is annular and positioned substantially concentrically about the longitudinal axis 16.

In this embodiment, the filter assembly 44 is a user-removable component that allows a user to remove the filter assembly in order to clean or replace the

filters

84, 86. The dirt separator 50, the first housing 30 and the filter assembly 44 together form an elongate body 93 whose longitudinal axis is co-linear with the longitudinal axis 16 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner. The filter assembly 44 can be removed from the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 by moving it in the direction of the longitudinal axis 16.

When attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, the filter assembly 44 fits radially around the cylindrical motor bucket 38a of the motor housing 38, like a sleeve, so that both the pre-motor filter 84 and the post-motor filter 86 axially overlap the motor bucket 38a, and the pre-motor filter 84 protrudes into the outer cover 38b of the motor housing.

The motor bucket 38a is most clearly visible in fig. 4. As described above, the motor bucket 38a houses the vacuum motor 42. The motor bucket 38a is located in an airflow path along which airflow passes through the vacuum cleaner 4. It has a front array of apertures 90 which provide motor bucket inlets through which air can flow in a radial direction (in this case radially inwards). The inlet formed by the orifice 90 provides fluid communication between the pre-motor filter 84 and the vacuum motor 42. The motor bucket 38 also has a rear array of apertures 92, which provide motor bucket outlets through which air can flow in a radial direction (in this case radially outward). The outlet provided by the orifice 92 provides fluid communication between the vacuum motor 42 and the post-motor filter 86.

The motor bucket 38a is mounted to the vacuum cleaner 4 in a cantilevered fashion-the forward axial end 99 of the motor bucket 38 is fixed to the remainder of the motor housing 38 and the rear axial end 101 projects in an unsupported manner (axially rearward in this case).

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 comprises a first electronic visual indicator 100, more particularly an electronic visual display, which in this embodiment faces rearwardly such that it faces generally towards the user during use. In this case, the electronic visual display 100 is a screen, more particularly a flat full-color backlight TFT screen. The screen 100 is configured to receive power from a battery (not visible) and display information to a user. The screen may be configured to display any suitable information to the user (e.g. an error message, an indication of the mode in which the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 is in, etc.). In this case, the information related to the battery pack may be included in the information that the screen 10 can display. More particularly, when the vacuum cleaner 4 is in use, the screen 10 is configured to display the remaining run time (for the power level at which the vacuum cleaner is in use) left in the battery. In addition, when the vacuum cleaner is being charged, the screen 100 displays an icon to show that charging is in progress and to show the percentage charge level of the battery.

The screen 100 is mounted on and supported by the motor bucket 38 a. More particularly, the screen 100 is secured to an axial end surface defined by the rear end 101 of the motor bucket 38a, behind the vacuum motor 42. The screen 100 is positioned such that it intersects the motor/longitudinal axis 16. Thus, the screen 100 is located above the pistol grip 22 for ease of viewing, and for the same reason, axially behind the pistol grip 22.

The screen 100 receives power from a battery (not visible) via a PCB 103 mounted on the motor 46 of the vacuum motor 42. Wires 105 extend from the PCB 103 to the screen, passing through the interior of the motor bucket 38 a. Accordingly, damage to the electrical wiring (e.g., when the user installs and removes the filter assembly 44) may be prevented.

The screen 100 is visible through an aperture 102 in the filter assembly 44 in the form of a circular through hole in the housing 82 of the filter assembly 44. In this case, the screen 100 is slightly recessed relative to the housing 82 so that the screen can be seen when viewed through the aperture 102. However, in other cases, the core 38 of the motor housing 30 may extend slightly further rearward such that the screen 100 protrudes through the aperture 102 and out of the housing 82.

A pair of

control members

104a, 104b are located below the screen 100 (in a vertical direction defined by the pistol grip 22), each located near the screen 100 and configured to receive control inputs from a user. In this case, each

control member

104a, 104b takes the form of a button (and thus the control input is the user pressing the button). Each

control member

104a, 104b faces rearward, as does the screen. Thus, the

control members

104a, 104b are pressed by pushing them forward in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 16.

In this particular embodiment, each

control member

104a, 104b is configured to change the mode of the vacuum cleaner. More specifically, pressing the right hand control member 104b increases the speed level of the vacuum motor 42 (and thus increases the suction level), while pressing the left hand control member 104a decreases the speed level of the vacuum motor 42.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 also has a second electronic visual indicator 106 (visible in figures 2 and 4) and a third electronic visual indicator 108 (visible in figure 1), each in the form of a single discrete LED light. The second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 are substantially identical to each other, and therefore only the second electronic visual indicator 106 will be described in detail.

A second electronic visual indicator 106 is located on the battery pack. More specifically, it is positioned within a recess in the angled surface 110 of the second housing 32 of the battery pack such that the outer surface of the indicator 106 is flush with the surface.

A battery control PCB (not visible) located within the second housing 32 selectively illuminates the second electronic visual indicator 106 to display information related to the battery pack. More particularly, the second electronic visual indicator 106 pulses quickly when the battery pack is empty, pulses slowly when the battery is charging, and remains off when charging has been completed.

It is apparent that the second electronic visual indicator 106 (and thus the third electronic visual indicator 108) does not provide any information that is not available from the screen 100. In fact, the screen 100 provides information (percentage of charge of the battery) that is not available from the second and third electronic

visual indicators

106, 108. Thus, the second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 may appear seemingly redundant, at least wasting power. However, the user is not always able to easily see the screen 100. The second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 face in a different direction than the screen 100 (the first electronic visual indicator) and therefore they may be visible to the user without the screen being visible.

For example, when charging a battery pack, the user may store the vacuum cleaner upright (e.g. in a charging stand), at which time the position of the screen may be too high to see. However, when stored in such a location, one or both of the second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 may be readily visible. Thus, the user can determine whether charging is in progress or is complete (or neither, which may indicate that the charger is not connected to a power supply) when attempting to charge the vacuum cleaner 4.

In this embodiment, the first electronic visual indicator 100 and the second electronic visual indicator 106 face in distinctly different directions from one another. Referring to fig. 2 and 4, the screen faces rearward along the longitudinal axis 16. The second electronic visual indicator 106 faces in the direction of arrow a (which is perpendicular to the outer surface of the indicator and perpendicular to the angled surface 110).

Arrow a has no component in the axial direction. Thus, the vectors in the two directions will be perpendicular to each other-if the vectors (one traveling in the axially rearward direction and the other traveling in the direction of arrow a) are translated such that they intersect, they will define a 90 degree angle therebetween. Thus, the first electronic visual indicator 100 and the second electronic visual indicator 106 face in a direction 90 degrees from each other. The third electronic visual indicator 108 is a mirror image of the second electronic visual indicator 106 and therefore faces a direction that is also 90 degrees from the direction that the screen 100 faces.

The second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 also face in distinctly different directions from one another. This is shown in figure 5 which shows the lower part of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 from the rear. The direction (arrow a) in which the second electronic visual indicator 106 faces is about 35 degrees from vertical. As a mirror image thereof, the direction (arrow B) in which the third electronic visual indicator 108 faces is about 35 degrees in the opposite direction. Thus, if vectors extending in these directions are to be translated such that they intersect each other, they will define an angle 112 of about 70 degrees therebetween. Thus, the second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 face in a direction 70 degrees from each other.

It is apparent that the second electronic visual indicator 106 and the third electronic visual indicator 108 are each a single light, which greatly limits the amount of information they can convey. It seems therefore preferable to replace each lamp with a small screen or the like. However, this will increase the cost and complexity of the vacuum cleaner and may increase its power consumption. In many cases, the added functionality is overruled by the resulting disadvantages. For example, in this embodiment, the screen 100 is located on the back of the machine, meaning that it is visible during normal use and may only be obscured when the vacuum cleaner is charged (i.e. when the vacuum cleaner is not held by the pistol grip). It is relatively unlikely that, when charging the vacuum cleaner 4, the user wants to know anything other than whether charging is ongoing or has been completed. Thus, the added functionality may be of limited use and thus not commensurate with the additional cost and complexity.

That said, it may be important in many cases that the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 be able to convey more complex information from some angle (i.e. when the screen 100 is visible), rather than the user never having access to this information. Thus, in many cases, the first electronic visual indicator 100 is a screen, and thus capable of conveying complex information, sufficiently advantageous to be commensurate with increased cost and complexity, as compared to machines in which all three electronic

visual indicators

100, 106, 108 are formed of one or more discrete lights.

For the sake of completeness, the general use of the stick vacuum cleaner 2 (and expanded to a handheld vacuum cleaner 4) will now be described with reference to fig. 1-4. The user holds the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 by means of the pistol grip 22, the upper end 26 by the index and middle fingers and the lower end 24 by the ring and little fingers. This will cause the longitudinal axis 16 to be substantially aligned with the forearm of the user when the user's wrist is straightened. The user can then direct the longitudinal axis 16 of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 (by moving his forearm and/or wrist) towards the area of the floor to be cleaned, thereby directing the air inlet 10, wand 8 and cleaning head 6 towards that area.

When the user squeezes the trigger 28 with the index finger, power from the battery is transferred through a wire (not visible) to the motor 46, and the motor 46 rotates the impeller 48. The impeller creates an airflow through the vacuum cleaner, drawing air into the air inlet 10 and expelling it from the air outlet 88. As previously described, this creates a suction force at the air inlet 10, drawing air into the cleaner head 6 and up the wand 8.

Dirty air entering the air inlet 10 from the cleaner head 6 through the wand 8 passes along the duct 80, the end 94 of the duct 80 turning the airflow radially outwards and then directing it tangentially into the cyclone chamber 56 of the first separation stage 52. The air then spirals around the cyclone chamber 56 where the coarser dirt is separated from the air by centrifugal action and deposited into the first dirt collection chamber 62. The air separated from the coarser dirt then passes through the shroud 60, the air passage 66 and into the second separation stage 54. The air is then divided into a series of flows, each of which enters one of the cyclone chambers 70 through its inlet 72 and forms a cyclone therein. Finer dirt is centrifugally separated and falls out of the open end 74 of the cyclone chamber 70 into a second dirt collection chamber 78, while the finer dirt-removed air exits the cyclone chamber 70 through the vortex finder 76 of the cyclone chamber 70. The separated flow is then directed from the vortex finder 76 into the filter assembly 44. The air is then directed generally radially inward, through the pre-motor filter 84, through the apertures 90, and into the motor 46. It then passes through the impeller 48, through the aperture 92 and through the post-motor filter 86 in the axial direction of the motor 46. The cleaned air is then exhausted from the hand-held vacuum cleaner 4 through the air outlet 88. Intermittently, the cover 64 is opened in a known manner to allow dirt to be cleared from the

dirt collection chambers

62, 78.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the

control members

104a, 104b increment the speed of the vacuum motor 42 up or down. However, in other embodiments, they may be configured differently. For example, the

control members

104a, 104b may be switched between different display modes, in which the screen 100 displays different information, without affecting the cleaning characteristics of the handheld vacuum cleaner. As another example, one of the

control members

104a, 104b may switch between vacuum motor speeds while the other may switch between display modes. As another example, one of the

control members

104a, 104b may turn the screen 100 on and off, while the other may turn the backlight on or off.

As another example, although in the above described embodiment the motor bucket is the only housing positioned around the vacuum motor 42, in other embodiments the vacuum motor may have a housing around it that is located inside the motor bucket.

For the avoidance of doubt, the above optional and/or preferred features may be used in any suitable combination, particularly in the combinations set out in the appended claims. Features described in relation to arrangements useful for understanding the invention may also be applied to the invention, and/or features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may be applied to another aspect of the invention, where appropriate.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising a first electronic visual indicator and a second electronic visual indicator, wherein the first electronic visual indicator and the second electronic visual indicator face in different directions.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first electronic visual indicator is an electronic visual display.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the electronic visual display is a screen.

4. The vacuum cleaner of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second electronic visual indicator is comprised of one or more discrete lights.

5. The vacuum cleaner of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a third electronic visual indicator facing a different direction than the first and second electronic visual indicators.

6. The vacuum cleaner of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic visual indicators face in directions that are not less than 30 degrees from each other.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the electronic visual indicators face in directions that are no less than 60 degrees from each other.

8. The vacuum cleaner of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

an air inlet located forward of the pistol grip,

wherein one of the electronic visual indicators faces generally rearward.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the electronic visual indicator is located axially rearward of the pistol grip.

10. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a battery pack arranged to power the vacuum cleaner.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the first and second electronic visual indicators are configured to display information related to the battery pack.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the first and second electronic visual indicators are configured to indicate that charging is in progress and/or charging is complete.

13. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 10-12, wherein one of the electronic visual indicators is disposed on the battery pack.

14. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a hand-held vacuum cleaner.

15. A stick vacuum cleaner comprising:

the hand-held vacuum cleaner of claim 14;

a cleaning head defining a suction inlet; and

an elongate rigid wand defining a suction path extending from the cleaning head to an air inlet of the hand-held vacuum cleaner.