CN114521827B

CN114521827B - Surface cleaning head for vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN114521827B
Application number: CN202210063972.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 亚当·乌迪; 安德烈·戴维·布朗; 约翰·弗雷塞; 帕特里克·克利里; 丹尼尔·迈尔; 丹尼尔·约翰·英尼斯; 詹森·索恩; 皮特·哈钦森; 戈登·贺维斯; 高文秀; 丹尼尔·R·德马德罗思安; 托马斯·D·福特; 欧文·R·约翰逊
Original assignee: Sharkninja Operating LLC
Current assignee: Sharkninja Operating LLC
Priority date: 2017-08-24
Filing date: 2018-08-23
Publication date: 2024-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-23
Also published as: JP7014890B2; EP3681362A2; CA3073677C; CN109419448B; EP3681362A4; WO2019040623A2; KR102369220B1; AU2018321947A1; JP2020531128A; AU2018321947B2; AU2021201452A1; WO2019040623A3; CN114521827A; CN109419448A; EP3681362B1; CA3073677A1; AU2022204276A1; KR20200038981A; CN209437157U

Abstract

A surface cleaning head for a vacuum cleaner includes a dual rotating agitator (e.g., a leading roller and a brush roller) and a removable cover for covering the top of the agitator and enabling access to the agitator from the top of the surface cleaning head. The double agitator may be used to assist in capturing debris in the air stream flowing into the suction tube, which is on the underside of the surface cleaning head. The brushroll may be in the brushroll chamber and at least partially in an opening to the suction tube. The leading roller may be positioned adjacent to and forward of the suction tube opening such that the leading roller engages the debris and moves the debris toward the brush roller and opening. The leading roller may be removable from the housing and may be held in place by a removable cover. The cover may be coupled using a latch mechanism that is isolated.

Description

Surface cleaning head for vacuum cleaner

The present application is a divisional application of patent application with application number 201810965394.2, application date 2018, 8-23, and the name of the patent application "surface cleaning head for vacuum cleaner".

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner surface cleaning head having dual stirring elements such as a leading roller and a brush roller.

Background

Vacuum cleaners generally comprise a suction tube having an opening in the underside of the surface cleaning head for drawing air (and debris) into and through the surface cleaning head. One of the challenges with vacuum cleaner design is to control the engagement of the suction tube with the surface being cleaned to provide the required amount of suction. If the suction tube is spaced too far from the surface, less suction may be created because air flows into the suction tube through a larger surface area. If the suction duct is directly engaged with the surface and is thus closed on all sides, the air will cease to flow into the suction duct and as a result the suction motor may be damaged.

Vacuum cleaners also typically use stirring to loosen the debris and assist in capturing the debris in the air flow flowing into the suction duct. A whipping member is typically used in the suction tube of the surface cleaning head adjacent the dirty air inlet to cause whipped debris to flow into the dirty air inlet. If the whipping member in the suction tube is not capable of loosening the debris, or if the debris is too small, the suction tube may pass over the debris without removing the debris from the surface. In other cases, the surface cleaning head may push larger debris forward without allowing the debris to be caught in the flow into the suction tube (sometimes referred to as snow removal). The rotating whipping member may also cause debris to be dispersed without being caught in the air flow flowing into the dirty air inlet.

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

Disclosure of Invention

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

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

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

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

Drawings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fig. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning head shown in fig. 1, showing a shelf structure at the rear side of the brushroll chamber.

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 16 is a top view of the drain valve mechanism in the surface cleaning head shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating a drain valve actuator.

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

Detailed Description

A surface cleaning head according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure includes a dual rotating agitator (e.g., a leading roller and a brush roller) and a removable cover for covering the top of the agitator and enabling access to the agitator from the top of the surface cleaning head. The double agitator may be used to assist in capturing debris in the air stream flowing into the suction tube, which is on the underside of the surface cleaning head. The brushroll may be in the brushroll chamber and at least partially in an opening to the suction tube. The leading roller may be positioned adjacent to and forward of the suction tube opening such that the leading roller engages the debris and moves the debris toward the brush roller and opening. The leading roller may be removable from the housing and may be held in place by a removable cover. The removable cover may be coupled to the housing of the surface cleaning head using one or more latch mechanisms that are spaced from the brushroll chamber. The surface cleaning head may also include a drive mechanism that drives the brushroll at one end and the brushroll transfers rotation to the leading roller at the other end.

In other embodiments, the surface cleaning head includes a brushroll in the brushroll chamber and a frame plate structure at the rear side of the brushroll chamber to catch and de-energize debris and to assist in moving debris into a vacuum channel extending from the rear side of the brushroll chamber. The vacuum channel may include a flared mouth in communication with the brushroll chamber into which at least a portion of the shelf structure extends.

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

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

As used herein, a "surface cleaning head" refers to a device configured to contact a surface for cleaning the surface by using a suction air stream, agitation, or a combination thereof. The surface cleaning head may be pivotably or steerable coupled by a swivel joint to a wand for controlling the surface cleaning head and may include motorized attachments as well as a fixed surface cleaning head. It may also be possible to operate the surface cleaning head without the use of a wand or handle. As used herein, "closed" or "closed" refers to preventing substantial amounts of air from passing through to the suction tube but does not require an airtight seal. As used herein, "whipping member" refers to any element, component, or structure capable of whipping a surface to assist in moving debris into the suction air stream in a surface cleaning head. As used herein, "soft" and "softer" refer to the characteristics of a cleaning element that is more compliant or pliable than another cleaning element. As used herein, the term "flow path" refers to the path taken by the air to the suction tube as it is pumped by suction. As used herein, the terms "above" and "below" are used with respect to the orientation of the surface cleaning head over the surface to be cleaned, while the terms "front" and "rear" are used with respect to the direction in which the user pushes the surface cleaning head over the surface to be cleaned (i.e., from rear to front). As used herein, the term "leading" refers to a position in front of at least another component, but does not necessarily mean in front of all other components.

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

The surface cleaning head 100 includes dual rotary agitators 122, 124, such as a brushroll 122 and a leading roller 124. While the example embodiments include dual agitators, some of the features and concepts described herein may also be used in surface cleaning heads having only a single agitator or having more than two agitators. The brushroll 122 and the leading roller 124 may be configured to rotate about a first axis of rotation and a second axis of rotation. The rotating brushroll 122 is in the brushroll chamber 119, while the leading roller 124 is positioned forward of the brushroll 122 and spaced apart from the brushroll. The brushroll chamber 119 defines a portion of the suction tube and the brushroll 122 is at least partially in the suction tube opening 111. The brushroll 122 is thus in the primary air flow path into the suction tube opening 111.

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

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

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

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

The surface cleaning head 100 may also include a comb unit 129 having comb protrusions or teeth engaged with the front guide roller 124 for removing hair and other similar debris from the front guide roller 124. Examples of comb units are described in more detail in U.S. patent application publication No. 2017/0127896 and U.S. patent application serial No. 15/492,320, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The surface cleaning head 100 includes one or more wheels 130, 132, 134 to support the housing on a surface to be cleaned. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, a larger rear wheel 130 is disposed adjacent the rear side 114, a smaller rear wheel 132 is disposed between the larger rear wheels and on the underside 120 of the housing 110, and a smaller front wheel 134 is disposed on the underside 120 of the housing 110 and adjacent the front side 112. Other wheel configurations may also be used. The wheels 130, 132, 134 may provide primary contact with the surface being cleaned and assist in moving the surface cleaning head 100 along the surface to be cleaned. The larger rear wheel 130 may also enable a user to easily tilt or pivot the surface cleaning head 100 (e.g., the brushroll 122 and/or the leading roller 124) away from the surface to be cleaned. When the surface cleaning head 100 is positioned on a surface to be cleaned, the leading roller 124 may also be positioned on the surface to be cleaned, as will be described in more detail below.

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

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

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

In one embodiment, the surface cleaning head 100 includes a removable cover 140, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, coupled to the housing 110 and covering the top of the stirring elements 122, 124. The cover 140 is removable to enable access to the whippers 122, 124, to clean debris entangled with the whippers 122, 124 and/or to remove the whippers. The cover 140 covers the brush roller chamber 119 and the brush roller 122, and covers a top portion of the front guide roller 124 and exposes a front portion of the front guide roller 124. The cover 140 is removed to allow access to the brushroll 122 and leading roller 124 for the purpose of removing debris, such as hair. The cover 140 may include a transparent window at least over the brushroll 122, which enables visual inspection of the brushroll 122 during use.

The cover 140 includes a bumper 142 that extends outwardly beyond the leading roller 124 and just forward of the leading roller 124, thereby providing a leading edge. As shown, the bumper 142 may extend laterally along a majority of the front side 112 and downwardly adjacent each side face 116a, 116 b. The bumper 142 may be made of a material that is more compliant and flexible than other materials used for the cover 140 to enable the bumper 142 to flex, for example, when contacting a wall surface. In one example, the cover 140 may be made of a hard plastic or hard polymer material such as Polycarbonate (PC) or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), while the impact member 142 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

The bumper 142 is configured to partially close against a vertical surface (e.g., a wall) during use while creating an air flow path at some locations to improve front edge cleaning. When in contact with a vertical surface, the bumper 142 will direct air, for example, through a leading edge passage below the edge of the bumper 142. The bumper 142 may also include one or more pressure elements 143 (e.g., ribs) that form an air passageway. When the impact member 142 is pushed against the vertical surface, the pressure-bearing element 143 first contacts the vertical surface and locally pushes the impact member 142 back farther than the rest of the impact member 142, thereby forming voids on both sides of the pressure-bearing element 143. The gaps on both sides of the pressure-bearing element 143 form an air path that enables air to be extracted in front of the leading roller 124, which may disturb the dust and debris so that the dust and debris may be guided into the air flow path towards the suction duct opening 111.

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

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

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

In an example embodiment, the leading roller 124 is removable and held in place by the cover 140. The downwardly extending portion 148 of the cover 140 engages the non-rotating end 126 of the leading roller 124 on one side (see fig. 5 and 7). The non-rotating end 126 includes an outwardly extending tab 128 and an inner portion of the cover 140 engages the tab 128 when the cover 140 is held in place by the latch mechanism (see fig. 8). The leading roller 124 may be configured to be removable and may have a driven end and an undriven end, e.g., similar to the removable brushroll described in U.S. patent application publication 2016/0220082, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. While the brushroll 122 is not removable in the exemplary embodiment of the surface cleaning head 100, similarly, the brushroll 122 may be removable in other embodiments.

Referring to fig. 10-13, other embodiments of the surface cleaning head 100 can include a shelf structure 160 at the rear side of the brushroll chamber 119. The shelf structure 160 can have a variety of configurations and shapes, but includes at least a surface that generally faces downward and toward the underside 120 of the housing 110, and that is opposite the rotation of the brushroll 122. As the debris spreads around the brushroll chamber 119 due to rotation of the brushroll 122, the shelf structure 160 traps and de-energizes the debris to help trap the debris in the air flow through the suction duct, as indicated by the arrows. Although the rack structure 160 is shown to include dual stirring members 122, 124 in the illustrated embodiment of the surface cleaning head 100, the rack structure may be used in other surface cleaning heads, for example, without the leading roller 124.

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

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

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

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

Figure 17 illustrates one type of vacuum cleaner 1700 that may include a surface cleaning head 1702 in accordance with embodiments described herein. The surface cleaning head 1702 having the leading roller 1724 may be used on a stick vacuum cleaner 1700 having a hand-held cleaner 1701 removably coupled at one end to a wand 1704, such as the type described in U.S. patent application publication 2015/0135574, which is commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The surface cleaning head with leading roller may also be used on an upright vacuum cleaner (not shown) having a cartridge removably coupled to a wand, such as the type described in U.S. patent application publication 2015/0351596, which is commonly owned and fully incorporated herein by reference. The surface cleaning head according to embodiments described herein may also be used in robotic vacuum cleaners of the type described in U.S. patent application serial No. 62/511,099, which is commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Thus, embodiments of a surface cleaning head according to the present disclosure can improve suction and air flow, improve front cleaning and edge cleaning, improve versatility on carpeting and hard surfaces, improve access to dual paddles for cleaning and removal, and/or improve operability.

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

Claims

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

a housing having a front side, a rear side, a first side face, a second side face, an upper side and a lower side; the housing further includes a suction tube having a suction tube opening in the underside of the housing;

a brushroll rotatably mounted to the housing and mounted within the brushroll chamber, and having a first brushroll end adjacent the first side face and a second brushroll end adjacent the second side face;

a leading roller mounted to the housing and forward of the brushroll, and having a first leading roller end near the first side face and a second leading roller end near the second side face; wherein the inner upper portion of the leading roller is not exposed to the main air flow path into the opening of the suction tube, but at least the inner side of the bottom portion of the leading roller is exposed to the main air flow path into the opening of the suction tube; and

a drive mechanism coupled to the first brushroll end via a first drive belt for rotating the brushroll, wherein a second brushroll end of the brushroll is coupled to a second front guide roller end of the front guide roller via a second drive belt for transmitting rotation from the brushroll to the front guide roller, the drive mechanism comprising a drive motor; wherein the drive mechanism is further configured to rotate the brushroll and the leading roller in the same direction.

2. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the leading roller is centered between the first side face and the second side face.

3. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein,

the housing defining the brushroll chamber and the suction tube having the suction tube opening on the underside of the housing between the front side and the rear side, wherein the suction tube passes from the suction tube opening through at least a portion of the brushroll chamber;

the surface cleaning head further comprises:

a vacuum channel extending from a rear side of the brushroll chamber such that the suction tube passes from the brushroll chamber and into the vacuum channel; and

a shelf structure at the rear side of the brushroll chamber, the shelf structure including a surface generally facing downward and toward the underside of the housing and opposite the rotation of the brushroll, wherein the shelf structure is configured and positioned to catch and de-energize debris moving at the rear side of the brushroll chamber to enable the debris to enter the vacuum channel via an air flow through the suction tube.

4. A surface cleaning head according to claim 3 wherein the shelf structure extends at least partially into the vacuum channel.

5. The surface cleaning head of claim 3 wherein the vacuum channel includes a flared mouth at the brushroll chamber and wherein the shelf structure extends along at least a portion of the flared mouth.

6. The surface cleaning head of claim 5 wherein the shelf structure further extends from the flared mouth along at least a portion of the rear side of the brushroll chamber.

7. The surface cleaning head of claim 3 further comprising a rear floor closure strip along an opening to the suction duct and adjacent a rear side of the brushroll chamber, a first side floor closure strip and a second side floor closure strip along at least a portion of an opening to the suction duct and adjacent the first side face and the second side face of the housing.

8. The surface cleaning head of claim 7 wherein the first and second side floor closing strips are adjacent the rear floor closing strip and spaced apart from the leading roller to form a side air passageway to the opening of the suction duct.

9. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein,

the housing defining the brushroll chamber and the suction tube having the suction tube opening on the underside of the housing between the front side and the rear side, wherein the suction tube passes through at least a portion of the brushroll chamber;

the surface cleaning head further comprises:

a wheel coupled to the housing for supporting the housing on a surface to be cleaned;

at least one floor sealing strip along a rear side of the suction tube opening and along at least a portion of a side of the suction tube opening, wherein a side air passage is formed between the leading roller and an end of the at least one floor sealing strip and on a side of the suction tube; and

a floor plate on the underside of the housing and defining at least a portion of the suction tube opening, wherein the floor plate has a gap from the surface to be cleaned when the wheel is supported on the surface to be cleaned, wherein the brush roll extends a distance beyond the floor plate less than or equal to the gap, and wherein the at least one floor closing strip extends a distance greater than the gap.

10. The surface cleaning head of claim 9 wherein the at least one floor closing strip comprises at least one bristle strip.

11. The surface cleaning head of claim 10 wherein the bristle bar includes bristles and a strip of another material extending between the bristles along the bristle bar.

12. The surface cleaning head of claim 9 wherein the leading roller has a smaller diameter than the brushroll.

13. The surface cleaning head of claim 9 wherein the at least one floor sealing strip includes a rear sealing strip along the rear side of the suction tube opening and a side floor sealing strip along the at least a portion of the side of the suction tube opening.

14. The surface cleaning head of claim 9 wherein the side air passageway is generally directed sideways toward the space between the leading roller and the brushroll.

15. The surface cleaning head of claim 9, further comprising a motion actuated drain valve comprising a pivot actuator configured to engage a surface to actuate the drain valve in response to movement of the housing over the surface.

16. The surface cleaning head of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable cover coupled to the housing for covering the brushroll chamber and the brushroll and at least partially covering the leading roller; and

at least one latch mechanism configured to engage with the removable cover to connect the removable cover to the housing; wherein the latch mechanism includes a latch finger, and a latch actuator; the latch finger is configured to engage with the removable cover proximate the front of the housing when the removable cover is coupled to the housing; the latch actuator is configured to: retracting the latch finger and releasing the removable cover.