DE102020212049A1 - Cleaning device with mass balance - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning device (100) is described, which comprises a cleaning nozzle (101) for cleaning a surface to be cleaned. The cleaning device (100) further comprises a rod (104) which is designed to enable a user of the cleaning device (100) to move the cleaning nozzle (101) over the surface to be cleaned. Furthermore, the cleaning device (100) comprises a body (205) which is movably mounted on the cleaning device (100) and has one or more functional components (111, 112) for cleaning operation of the cleaning device (100), the body (205) being movably mounted on the Cleaning device (100) is mounted so that to effect a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) via the rod (104) less force is required than if the body (205) were arranged immovably on the cleaning device (100).

Description

The invention relates to a particularly hand-held cleaning device, such as. B. a vacuum cleaner and / or a vacuum wiper.

A hand-held cleaning device, in particular a battery-operated and/or cordless cleaning device, usually has a relatively high weight, which the user of the cleaning device has to move during a cleaning process, in particular repeatedly accelerate and brake. This can be tiring and thus uncomfortable for the user.

The present document deals with the technical task of increasing the convenience of a cleaning device, in particular with regard to moving the cleaning device during a cleaning process.

The object is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claim. Advantageous embodiments are defined in particular in the dependent patent claims, described in the following description or shown in the attached drawing.

According to one aspect of the invention, a cleaning device is described which comprises a cleaning nozzle for cleaning a surface to be cleaned (in particular a floor to be cleaned). The cleaning nozzle can B. have a suction mouth, can be sucked over the dirt from the surface to be cleaned.

Furthermore, the cleaning device comprises a rod which is designed to enable a user of the cleaning device to move the cleaning nozzle over the surface to be cleaned. The wand may include or be a suction tube. The suction tube can be designed to guide a suction air flow caused by a fan of the cleaning device up to the suction mouth of the cleaning nozzle (to suck up dirt from the surface to be cleaned). The rod can be so long that a user can move the cleaning nozzle while standing over a floor to be cleaned. Furthermore, the rod can have a handle on the end facing the user, with which the cleaning device can be pushed or pulled by the user.

The cleaning device can thus be a hand-held cleaning device. Furthermore, the cleaning device can be designed as a suction and/or wiping device. Furthermore, the cleaning device can be a cordless and/or battery-operated cleaning device. For this purpose, the cleaning device can have an electrical energy store (e.g. an accumulator or a battery), which is designed to have one or more (functional) components of the cleaning device (in particular the fan, an electrically operated actuator and/or a control unit ) to supply with electrical energy. In this case, the electrical energy can be supplied in a self-sufficient manner from the electrical energy store (without an electrical supply cable having to be connected). The electrical energy storage can, for. B. have a storage capacity for a cleaning operation of 15 minutes or more, or 30 minutes or more.

Furthermore, the cleaning device comprises a body which is movably mounted on the cleaning device and has one or more functional components for the cleaning operation of the cleaning device. One or more relatively heavy functional components of the cleaning device are preferably part of the movably mounted body. The functional components (in particular the blower, a separator, a collection container, the electrical energy store, etc.) together can have a specific total weight. The part of the one or more functional components belonging to the movably mounted body can account for 50% more of the total weight. In particular, the electrical energy store can be part of the movably mounted body.

A cleaning device is thus described in which at least some of the functional components of the cleaning device (in particular the electrical energy store) are movably mounted on the cleaning device, in particular on the rod and/or on the handle of the cleaning device. In this way, the comfort of moving a (hand-held) cleaning device can be increased.

In particular, the body can be movably mounted on the cleaning device in such a way that less force has to be applied to effect a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle via the rod (by the user) than if the body were arranged immovably on the cleaning device. In a preferred example, the movably mounted body is movably mounted on the cleaning device in such a way that the body, due to its inertia, only partially changes the movement of the cleaning nozzle caused by the rod (by the user), does not do so at all, or does so with a delay. By storing part of the functional components of the cleaning device in this way (ie part of the Components that participate in the cleaning operation of the cleaning device), the comfort of moving a (hand-held) cleaning device can be increased in a particularly pronounced way.

The body can be movably mounted on the cleaning device, in particular on the rod or on the handle, in such a way that the body can oscillate about at least one pendulum axis of the cleaning device when the cleaning nozzle changes its movement. The body can thus be designed as a pendulum body which is (possibly freely) mounted to oscillate about at least one pendulum axis. The pendulum axis can z. B. include the longitudinal axis of the rod of the cleaning device. Alternatively or additionally, the pendulum axis can be the transverse axis of the cleaning device, which runs transversely to the direction of movement provided for the cleaning device during cleaning operation. The intended direction of movement in the cleaning operation can e.g. B. be a direction in which the cleaning nozzle is advanced or retracted over the rod arranged perpendicular to the cleaning nozzle.

By arranging at least some of the functional components of the cleaning device as an oscillating pendulum body on the cleaning device, a particularly comfortable movement, in particular a change in movement, of the cleaning device can be made possible.

The movably mounted (pendulum) body can be connected via a pendulum arm to a bearing arranged on the pendulum axle. The pendulum arm can be designed in such a way that the length of the pendulum arm can be changed and/or adjusted (e.g. manually by the user). The cleaning device can thus be designed in such a way that the natural frequency of the vibration and/or the pendulum process of the movably mounted body can be changed and/or adjusted. In this way, the cleaning device can be adapted in a precise manner to the movement behavior of the user in order to further increase the comfort of the cleaning device.

The body can in particular be movably arranged on the cleaning device in such a way that the body can perform a pendulum movement in a specific pendulum direction about the pendulum axis. Furthermore, the body can be movably arranged on the cleaning device in such a way that to bring about a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle via the rod in a direction of movement that has at least one directional component that corresponds to the pendulum direction, less force is required than if the body were immovable on the Cleaning device would be arranged. In particular, in such a situation, the change in movement due to the mass inertia of the body can cause a pendulum movement in the pendulum direction, so that the body does not carry out the direction of movement completely and/or not immediately, and the user therefore does not have to exert the force to change the movement to effect the body. In this way, the convenience of the cleaning device can be further increased.

The cleaning device can comprise, as a movably mounted body, a blower unit with the blower for generating a suction air flow through the cleaning nozzle. The blower unit can be mounted so that it can rotate about the rod or about the longitudinal axis of the rod. Furthermore, the blower unit can have a center of mass which is arranged or concentrated on a center of gravity side of the rod, in particular on the side of the rod which faces the surface to be cleaned (or is directed downwards) during the cleaning operation of the cleaning device. A center of mass arranged in this way can be brought about in particular by arranging the electrical energy store in the blower unit on the side of the shear point. In this way, a pendulum body can be provided in an efficient and stable manner, which is designed to oscillate about the longitudinal axis of the rod of the cleaning device (in order to increase the comfort for a lateral movement or for a transverse movement of the cleaning device).

Alternatively or additionally, the movably mounted body can be mounted on the rod (e.g. on the upper third of the rod) and/or on the handle of the cleaning device arranged on the rod, in particular in such a way that the body can move when the cleaning nozzle changes its movement can oscillate about a bearing point on the rod and/or on the handle, and/or can oscillate about the transverse axis of the cleaning device. Such an arrangement can efficiently provide a pendulum body for pendulum movement about the transverse axis of the cleaning device (to increase the comfort for moving the cleaning device back and forth).

The cleaning device can include an actuator (e.g. an electric motor) which is set up to actively move the movably mounted body when and/or as a result of a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle, in particular in order to cause the cleaning nozzle to less force has to be applied to the rod than if the body were immovably arranged on the cleaning device. By providing an actor, a active movement of the movably mounted body can be effected. In this way, the comfort when moving the cleaning device can be further increased (in particular in order to reduce the force to be applied by the user (at least on average over time)).

The cleaning device can include a movement sensor (eg an inertial sensor) which is set up to acquire sensor data in relation to a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle caused by the rod. Furthermore, the cleaning device can include a control unit which is set up to operate the actuator as a function of the sensor data from the motion sensor in order to actively move the movably mounted body. A movement of the (pendulum) body can thus be actively brought about as a function of the change in movement of the cleaning nozzle caused by the user. In this way, the ease of movement of the cleaning device can be increased in a particularly reliable manner.

The cleaning device can include a user interface that enables the user of the cleaning device to define and/or influence one or more parameters, in particular an amplitude and/or a movement speed, of a movement of the movably mounted body caused by the actuator. In this way, the convenience for the user can be further increased.

It should be noted that any aspect of the cleaning device described in this document can be combined with one another in many different ways. In particular, the features of the patent claims can be combined with one another in many different ways.

• 1 eine beispielhafte handgeführte Reinigungsvorrichtung;
• 2 eine beispielhafte Reinigungsvorrichtung mit einer um das Saugrohr schwingbar gelagerten Masse; und
• 3a und 3b jeweils eine beispielhafte Reinigungsvorrichtung mit einer um eine Querachse schwingbar gelagerten Masse.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing. show:

• 1 an exemplary hand-held cleaning device;
• 2 an exemplary cleaning device with a mass mounted so as to be able to swing around the suction pipe; and
• 3a and 3b in each case an exemplary cleaning device with a mass mounted so that it can swing about a transverse axis.

As explained at the outset, the present document deals with increasing the comfort of a hand-held cleaning device, in particular with regard to moving the cleaning device during a cleaning process. In this context shows 1 an exemplary cleaning device 100 with a cleaning nozzle 101, which is designed to be moved over a surface to be cleaned, in particular over a floor to be cleaned. The cleaning nozzle 101 includes z. B. a suction mouth 102, can be sucked through the dirt, such as dust particles from the surface to be cleaned.

The cleaning nozzle 101 can be connected via a joint 103 to a tube 104 (generally to a (hollow) rod), in particular to a suction tube. The tube 104 has at the opposite end to the joint 103 a handle 105 which can be held by a user to move the cleaning device 100, in particular to move the cleaning nozzle 101 over the surface to be cleaned.

A blower unit 110 can be arranged on the pipe 104 , which comprises a blower 111 which is designed to bring about a suction air flow through the pipe 104 and through the suction mouth 102 of the cleaning nozzle 101 . Furthermore, a separator and/or a collection container 112 for receiving the sucked-up impurities can be arranged in the blower unit 110 . Furthermore, an electrical energy store 113 (eg a lithium-ion battery) can be arranged in the blower unit 110 .

For cleaning, the hand-held cleaning device 100 is moved by a user over the surface to be cleaned, in particular over the floor to be cleaned. For this purpose, depending on the desired direction of movement or axis of movement of the cleaning device 100 , the user must exert forces on the cleaning device 100 . In this case, the weight to be moved, in particular due to the arrangement of the blower unit 110 on the pipe 104 of the cleaning device 100, can be relatively large (in particular in comparison to a vacuum cleaner with a suction hose). This can lead to signs of fatigue on the user's body, particularly on the hand and arm.

Typically, the main weight of a hand-held cleaning device 100 (in particular the electrical energy storage device 113 and/or the blower 111) is arranged relatively close to the axes of rotation of the user's wrist, and thus relatively downstream on the handle 105 of the cleaning device 100, in order to reduce the moment of inertia of the cleaning device 100 to be kept as small as possible in the event of a change in movement of the cleaning device 100. Nevertheless, a change in movement of the cleaning device 100 caused by a user usually requires a relatively large amount of effort on the part of the user.

In the 2 and 3a until 3b cleaning devices 100 are each shown, each having a pendulum body 105 which is mounted on the cleaning device 100 in a movable, in particular swingable, manner. The pendulum body 105 can, for. B. the electrical energy store 113 of the cleaning device 100 include. The oscillatingly mounted pendulum body 105 is preferably arranged relatively close to the handle 105 of the cleaning device 100 (e.g. on the top third of the tube 104).

in the in 2 In the cleaning device 100 shown, the pendulum body 205 is mounted on the pipe 104 of the cleaning device 100 via one or more bearings 202 in such a way that the pendulum body 205 can oscillate around the pipe 104, in particular around the longitudinal axis of the pipe 104. The direction of vibration 201 is represented by the double arrow. If necessary, the entire blower unit 110 can be mounted so that it can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the tube 104 . The mass of the fan unit 110 may be concentrated on one side of the tube 104 such that the fan unit 110 has a center of mass on one side of the tube 104 which effectively forms a pendulum body 205 . For example, the electrical energy storage device 113 can be arranged on one side of the tube 104 within the fan unit 110 in order to cause the pivoted fan unit 110 to have its center of mass on one side of the tube 104 .

The cleaning device 100 can be designed in such a way that the natural or resonant frequency at which the pendulum body 205 oscillates (in particular oscillates about the longitudinal axis of the pipe 104) can be changed. For this purpose z. B. the distance 206 of the pendulum body 205 to the pendulum axis (z. B. to the longitudinal axis of the tube 104) can be adjusted. The adjustment of the natural or resonant frequency of the pendulum body 205 allows the user to adjust the vibration behavior of the pendulum body 205 to the movement habits of the user, z. B. to the speed at which the cleaning device 100 is moved by the user to adapt.

3a and 3b 10 show an exemplary cleaning device 100 with a pendulum body 205 which is designed to oscillate about the transverse axis of the cleaning device 100. FIG. The transverse axis is perpendicular to the image area 3a and 3b . The cleaning device 100 includes a bearing 302 via which the pendulum body 205 on the cleaning device 100, z. B. on the blower unit 110 ( 3a ) or on the handle 105 ( 3b ), is rotatably mounted. The pendulum body 205 may be attached to the bearing 302 via a pendulum arm 303 (e.g. via one or more threads). The pendulum body 205 (e.g. with the electrical energy store 113) can then execute a pendulum movement 301 about the transverse axis of the cleaning device 100. By adapting the length 206 of the pendulum arm 303, the natural frequency and/or the period of the pendulum movement 301 can be adjusted if necessary.

The pendulum body 205 can be designed to carry out a passive pendulum movement 201, 301 about one or more pendulum axes (e.g. about the longitudinal axis of the pipe 104 of the cleaning device 100 and/or about the transverse axis of the cleaning device 100). The passive pendulum movement 201, 301 can be caused by a change in movement of the cleaning device 100 (e.g. when the user changes the direction of movement of the cleaning device 100).

Alternatively or additionally, the cleaning device 100 can include an actuator 210 (e.g. an electric motor), which is designed to actively bring about a movement 201, 301 of the pendulum body 205. The cleaning device 100 can also include a motion sensor 211, e.g. an inertial sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), etc., which is set up to acquire sensor data relating to the movement of the cleaning device 100 . The actuator 210 can then be operated (e.g. by a control unit 212) depending on the sensor data of the movement sensor 211, in particular in order to reduce the moment of inertia caused to the user of the cleaning device 100.

A cleaning device 100 is thus described which has a movably mounted body 205, the movably mounted body 205 comprising at least some of the components 113, in particular the relatively heavy components 113, of the cleaning device 100. In particular, the movably mounted body 205 can include the electrical energy store 113 of the cleaning device 100 .

The movable arrangement of at least part of the mass of the cleaning device 100 (ie the movably mounted body 205) can have the effect that this part of the mass of the cleaning device 100 does not have to be moved (at least initially) when there is a change in movement caused by the user of the cleaning device 100 , since the movably mounted body 205 remains in its original movement and/or in its original position due to its inertia. As a result, the force that the user has to apply decreases to bring about the change in movement of the cleaning device 100 .

The natural frequency of the movably mounted body 205 can be adapted to the movement of the cleaning device 100 caused by the user (e.g. to a back and forth movement) in such a way that the body 205 remains in one position during the entire movement, and therefore does not have to be accelerated and, if necessary, braked again by the user. In this way, it can be made possible to move the cleaning device 100 in a particularly comfortable manner, in particular in a manner that is particularly energy-saving.

The control unit 212 of the cleaning device 100 can be set up to actively move the movably mounted body 205 as a function of the sensor data 211 of the motion sensor 211 of the cleaning device 100 such that (at least on average over time) the forces to be applied by the user to move the cleaning device 100 be reduced. For example, at least part of the required force can be applied by the actuator 210 in order to move the movably mounted body 205 as a function of the movement of the cleaning device 100 . The force applied by the actuator 210 then no longer has to be applied by the user.

The cleaning device 100 may include a user interface that allows the user to set one or more parameters and/or properties of the cleaning device 100, such as e.g. B. the natural frequency of the movably mounted body 205, the length 206 of the pendulum arm 303, the strength and/or the amplitude of a deflection of the movably mounted body 205, the speed of the movably mounted body 205, etc. It can thus be made possible for the user to adapt the cleaning device 100 to the needs of the user, in particular to the needs of the user in relation to the movement habits of the user. In this way, the convenience of the cleaning device 100 can be further increased.

A cleaning device 100 is thus described which has a reduced load on the body of a user and/or leads to reduced fatigue for a user.

The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the description and the figures are only intended to illustrate the principle of the proposed cleaning device 100 .

Reference List

100

cleaning device

101

cleaning nozzle

102

suction mouth

103

joint

104

Rod

105

handle

110

blower unit

111

Functional component - fan

112

Functional component - collection tank

113

Functional component - electrical energy storage

201

pendulum motion

202

camp

205

body

206

length

210

actuator

211

motion sensor

212

control unit

301

pendulum motion

302

camp

303

dipper arm

Claims (15)

Cleaning device (100) comprising - A cleaning nozzle (101) for cleaning a surface to be cleaned; - a wand (104) configured to enable a user of the cleaning device (100) to move the cleaning nozzle (101) over the surface to be cleaned; and - A body (205) which is movably mounted on the cleaning device (100) and has one or more functional components (111, 112, 113) for a cleaning operation of the cleaning device (100); wherein the body (205) is movably mounted on the cleaning device (100) in such a way that a lower force is required to bring about a change in the movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) via the rod (104) than when the body (205) is immovable on the cleaning device (100) would be ordered. Cleaning device (100) according to claim 1 , The body (205) being movably mounted on the cleaning device (100) in such a way that the body (205) when causing a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) by at least one Pendulum axis of the cleaning device (100) can commute. Cleaning device (100) according to claim 2 , wherein the pendulum axis comprises - a longitudinal axis of the rod (104); and/or - a transverse axis of the cleaning device (100), which runs transversely to a direction of movement provided for the cleaning device (100) in the cleaning operation. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 2 until 3 , wherein - the movably mounted body (205) is connected via a pendulum arm (303) to a bearing (202, 302) arranged on the pendulum axis; and - a length (206) of the pendulum arm (303) can be changed and/or adjusted. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 2 until 4 , wherein a natural frequency of an oscillation and/or an oscillating process of the movably mounted body (205) can be changed and/or adjusted. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of claims 2 until 5 , wherein the body (205) is movably arranged on the cleaning device (100) that - the body (205) can perform a pendulum movement (201, 301) in a pendulum direction about the pendulum axis; and - in order to bring about a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) via the rod (104) in a movement direction which has at least one directional component that corresponds to the pendulum direction, a smaller force has to be applied than when the body (205) is immovable on the cleaning device (100 ) would be arranged, in particular due to inertia of the body (205). Cleaning device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more functional components (111, 112, 113) of the cleaning device (100), which are part of the movably mounted body (205), an electrical energy store (113) for electrical energy supply, in particular for self-sufficient electrical energy supply, the cleaning device (100) include. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - The cleaning device (100) as a movably mounted body (205) comprises a fan unit (110) with a fan (111) for generating a suction air flow through the cleaning nozzle (101); - The fan unit (110) is rotatably mounted about the rod (104); and - the blower unit (110) has a center of mass which is arranged on a center of gravity side of the rod (104), in particular on the side of the rod (104) which faces the surface to be cleaned during the cleaning operation of the cleaning device (100). Cleaning device (100) according to claim 8 , wherein an electrical energy store (113) of the blower unit (110) is arranged on the shear point side. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - The movably mounted body (205) is mounted on the rod (104) and/or on a handle (105) of the cleaning device (100) arranged on the rod (104), in particular in such a way that the body (205) when causing a Change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) can oscillate about a bearing point on the rod (104) and/or on the handle (105), and/or can oscillate about a transverse axis of the cleaning device (100). Cleaning device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cleaning device (100) comprises an actuator (210) which is set up to actively move the movably mounted body (205) when and/or as a result of a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101). , in particular to ensure that when the cleaning nozzle (101) changes its movement via the rod (104), less force has to be applied than if the body (205) were arranged immovably on the cleaning device (100). Cleaning device (100) according to claim 11 , wherein the cleaning device (100) comprises, - a movement sensor (211) which is set up to detect sensor data in relation to a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle (101) brought about by the rod (104); and - a control unit (212) which is set up to operate the actuator (210) as a function of the sensor data of the motion sensor (211) in order to actively move the movably mounted body (205). Cleaning device (100) according to any one of Claims 11 until 12 , wherein the cleaning device (100) comprises a user interface which enables a user of the cleaning device (100) to set one or more parameters, in particular an amplitude and/or a movement speed, of a movement of the movably mounted body ( 205). Cleaning device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the movably mounted body (205) is movably mounted on the cleaning device (100) in such a way that the body (205), due to its inertia, causes a change in movement of the cleaning nozzle ( 101) only partially, not at all or with a delay. Cleaning device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - the cleaning device (100) is a hand-held cleaning device (100); - The cleaning device (100) is a cordless and/or battery-operated cleaning device (100); and or - The cleaning device (100) is designed as a suction and/or wiping device; and or - The rod (104) comprises a suction tube, in particular is designed to guide a suction air flow caused by a fan (111) of the cleaning device (100) up to a suction mouth (102) of the cleaning nozzle (101).

Images