Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0405—Driving means for the brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0411—Driving means for the brushes or agitators driven by electric motor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L5/00—Structural features of suction cleaners
  • A47L5/12—Structural features of suction cleaners with power-driven air-pumps or air-compressors, e.g. driven by motor vehicle engine vacuum
  • A47L5/22—Structural features of suction cleaners with power-driven air-pumps or air-compressors, e.g. driven by motor vehicle engine vacuum with rotary fans
  • A47L5/28—Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle
  • A47L5/34—Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0427—Gearing or transmission means therefor
  • A47L9/0444—Gearing or transmission means therefor for conveying motion by endless flexible members, e.g. belts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0494—Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools

Definitions

• the invention concerns a cleaning device equipped with at least a brush with a horizontal axis of rotation which, in cooperation with suction means, is able to remove dust and dirt from any surface whatsoever and in particular from a surface consisting of a fabric such as, for example, a carpet or moquette.
• the distance of the rotary brush from the surface to be cleaned can be adjusted by the user to allow him/her to adapt the device to the specific surface to be cleaned or the type of dirt to be removed.
• the state of the art includes cleaning devices, commonly known as carpet cleaners, equipped with a lower box-like structure provided at the upper part with a steering handle and at the lower part with a brush with a substantially horizontal axis of rotation.
• the brush is able to remove the dust and dirt from any surface whatsoever and, in particular, from a fabric such as a carpet or moquette.
• the box-like structure is usually equipped with wheels and the rotary brush is mounted in a nominal position, fixed with respect to said box-like structure.
• the brush can have at most small oscillations with respect to the nominal position, thanks to an elastic shock absorber located between its rotation shaft and the box-like structure.
• an elastic shock absorber located between its rotation shaft and the box-like structure.
• the user acts on suitable adjustment means able to vary the position of the wheels and, consequently, the distance between the lower surface of the box-like structure and the surface to be cleaned.
• the main purpose of the invention is to achieve a cleaning device equipped with at least a brush with a horizontal axis of rotation, which can be adjusted with respect to the surface to be cleaned without compromising the effectiveness of the suction means .
• Another purpose of the invention is to provide a cleaning device wherein the adjustment of said rotary brush is extremely simple, quick and precise.
• a further purpose of the invention is to allow micro- adjustments of the position of the rotary brush so as to be able to use it until its bristles are completely worn.
• a cleaning device according to the invention comprises, like conventional cleaning devices, a lower box-like structure able to be moved, by steering means commanded by the user, on any surface to be cleaned and able to contain at least a brush equipped with a rotation shaft with a horizontal axis driven by a motor.
• sliding means are able to maintain the box-like structure at a set distance from the surface to be cleaned and adjustment means, able to be driven by the user, are provided to vary the position of the rotary brush with respect to the boxlike structure and, consequently, the distance of the rotary brush from the surface to be cleaned.
• the adjustment means are able to selectively move the brush upwards or downwards with a movement of revolution around a particular axis of the box-like structure.
• said axis coincides with the axis of rotation of the shaft of the motor which makes the brush rotate and which is connected to the shaft of the latter by means of a kinematic chain comprising flexible transmission means.
• the rotation shaft of the brush and the drive shaft are connected by means of an arm able to selectively rotate in a controlled fashion around said drive shaft to achieve the aforesaid movement of revolution.
• the rotation shaft of the brush has a first end coupled with the flexible transmission means connected to the motor and a second end coupled with an element movable both upwards and downwards inside mating guide means solid with said containing structure, thus allowing the brush to remain constantly parallel to the surface to be cleaned for any operating position whatsoever.
• connection means able to connect both ends of the rotation shaft of the brush to the adjustment means.
• Fig. 1 is a partial and schematic side view of a cleaning device according to the invention equipped with a rotary brush
• Fig. 2 is a partial front view of the lower box-like structure of a cleaning device according to the invention
• Fig. 3 is a partial, three-dimensional view of the box-like structure in Fig. 2
• Fig. 4 shows the means to adjust the position of the rotary brush.
• a cleaning device 10 comprising a lower box-like structure 11 able to contain a brush 12, cylindrical in shape with a horizontal axis, a motor 13 able to make the brush 12 rotate and an adjustment assembly 14 able to allow variations, as will be explained later in more detail, in the position of the brush 12 with respect to the surface to be cleaned 15.
• a steering handle and a suction assembly are able to be coupled at the upper part of the box-like structure 11, whereas two rear wheels 29 and two front wheels 33, able to slide on the surface to be cleaned 15, are able to be coupled at the lower part thereof .
• the box-like structure 11 is made in two parts coupled together; a lower part, or bottom, 11a and an upper part, or cover, lib.
• the lower part 11a is provided with an aperture 16, from which the brush 12 is able to partly protrude in order to brush the surface to be cleaned 15, and elements able to hold the motor 13, the adjustment assembly 14 and everything else needed for the cleaning device 10 to function.
• the motor 13 is equipped with a shaft 21 onto which a first pulley 17 is keyed, connected by means of a toothed belt 18 to a second pulley 19 solid with the rotation shaft 20 of the brush 12.
• the adjustment assembly 14 comprises, in its essential parts, an oscillating arm 22, a selector 25, a lever 26 and a rod 27.
• the rotation shaft 20 is coupled at a first end to the oscillating arm 22 which is free to rotate, in controlled fashion, around the shaft 21 of the motor 13.
• the second end of the rotation shaft 20 is connected to a mobile element 23 able to slide, upwards or downwards, inside a mating guide 24 solid with the box-like structure 11.
• the oscillating arm 22 also acts as a shield for the kinematic chain consisting of the two pulleys 17 and 19 and the toothed belt 18.
• the selector 25 comprises a lower part able to be coupled rotatably to a seating 28, an upper part suitably shaped to be gripped by the user to rotate said selector 25 around its vertical axis and a substantially cylindrical intermediate segment, provided with a helical groove 34.
• the lever 26 has its front end 26a coupled with the oscillating arm 22 and the rear end 26b, in this case bent back substantially by 90°, able to be inserted in the helical groove 34 of the selector 25.
• the fulcrum, or pivot, 31 of the lever 26 is provided at a point between the front end 26a and the rear end 26b and is coupled with an extension 30 of the lower part lib of the box-like structure 11.
• the fulcrum 31 is vertically aligned with the pulley 17 so that the oscillating arm 22 is able to follow the movements of the lever 26 to rotate around the shaft 21 without imbalances of forces being created.
• the rod 27, substantially U-shaped, is coupled at a first end to the oscillating arm 22, in this case in a position vertically aligned with the rotation shaft 20 of the brush 12, and at the opposite end to the mobile element 23.
• the function of the rod 27 is to transmit, to the end of the brush 12 coupled to the mobile element 23, the same movements to which the end of the brush 12 coupled to the pulley 20 is subjected.
• the wheels 29 and 33 are solidly coupled with the box-like structure 11 so that the lower part 11a thereof is maintained at a defined and constant distance "d" from the surface to be cleaned 15, and the position of the brush 12 can be adjusted with respect to said surface 15 without modifying the position of the box-like structure 11.
• the adjustment is very simple, quick and precise, and requires the user simply to rotate the selector 25, clockwise to bring the brush 12 nearer the surface to be cleaned 15 and anti-clockwise to distance it therefrom.
• the selector 25 clockwise, the rear end 26b of the lever 26 is drawn upwards by the helical groove 34 and therefore the front end 26a of the lever 26 is taken downwards and with it also the oscillating arm 22, solid therewith.
• the longitudinal axis 32 of the oscillating arm 22, that is, the axis passing through the centers of the shafts 20 and 21, can be selectively inclined with respect to the surface to be cleaned 15 between a minimum value wherein the bristles of the brush 12 (in this position indicated by a line of dashes) push against said surface 15, and a maximum value wherein the bristles of the brush 12 (in this position indicated by a continuous line) merely graze said surface 15 or, in a limit condition, may even not interfere at all therewith.
• the selector 25 can be equipped in its upper part with reference marks or similar which allow the user to know immediately what the position of the brush 12 is with respect to the surface to be cleaned 15. It is obvious that modifications or additions can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
• the U-shaped rod 27 elements of a different shape may be used, provided that they are suitable to transmit simultaneously to both ends of the brush 12 the movements imparted by the oscillating arm 22.
• a selector 25 of the type shown other types of selector can be used, for example with a linear movement, with a cam or similar.
• the selectors can also act directly on the oscillating arm 22, instead of through the lever 26.
• the oscillating arm 22 can also be coupled with elastic elements able to move it towards a preferential position or able to act as shock absorbers.
• the cleaning device 10 according to the invention can also be equipped with two or more rotary brushes 12 coupled with the same oscillating arm 22 or each one coupled with a respective arm 22.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Nozzles For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11423082

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1999
  • 1999-12-10 IT IT1999UD000214A patent/IT1310794B1/it active
• 2000
  • 2000-12-04 AU AU15434/01A patent/AU1543401A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-12-04 EP EP00977803A patent/EP1237458A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-12-04 WO PCT/IB2000/001791 patent/WO2001041617A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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