EP2873359A1 - Floor cleaning device comprising a driven brush roll - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a floor care device (10) with a driven brush roller (12) and a brush roller (12) for a floor care device (10), wherein the interior of the brush roller (12) acts as a spoiler and the brush roller (12) altogether due to the Brush roller (12) air acts as an additional fan in the ground care device (10).

Description

The invention relates to a floor care device with a driven brush roller, which is otherwise also sometimes referred to as a brush roller or bristle roller, and a brush roller for a floor care device. All types of vacuum cleaners, ie in particular vacuum cleaners in the form of so-called upright vacuum cleaners, vacuum cleaners, hand or table vacuum cleaners, and vacuum robots, are suitable as floor care appliances. Especially in upright vacuum cleaners and vacuum cleaners, these include a self-contained as a floor care device conceivable suction in which the driven brush roller is located. In the case of a vacuum robot, the housing of the vacuum robot and the suction attachment virtually coincide so that the driven brush roller is located in the housing of the vacuum robot.

Floor care equipment of the type mentioned with a brush roller are known per se. As an example, the prior art on the DE 10 2007 002 226 A and the DE 10 2011 051 729 A to get expelled. An electric motor or in a suitable manner in rotation offset brush roller is used for improved dust mobilization from each besaugten flooring. The quantity of dust mobilization depends essentially on the nature of the brush roller, that is to say in particular a number of brush combs and bristle tufts covered by the brush roller and a comb height, as well as on a respective brush rotational speed. In vacuum robots, the speed of the brush roller (brush speed) is in a range of about 1,000 revolutions per minute. In other types of vacuum cleaner, however, the brush speed is in a range of about 3,000 revolutions per minute. However, the following description is not limited to specific brush speeds. The volume flow generated by a respective device fan also influences the dust mobilization. The volume flow generated also causes the removal of the mobilized dust.

In addition, brush rollers are known from the prior art, which act as an air guide. Exemplary here on the AT 387 139 B and the US 6 032 327 A to get expelled. In this brush rollers generated by the vacuum cleaner fan compressed air is introduced, which is applied via openings in the lateral surface of the roller body targeted to the surface to be cleaned. The compressed air applied to the floor surface mobilizes dust and dirt particles and thereby improves the cleaning performance of the brush roller. The disadvantage here is the relatively high technical complexity and the additional energy required to return an air flow from the blower to the brush roller. Just like with In other household appliances and electrical appliances, energy efficiency is increasingly coming to the fore even in floor care appliances. The invention thus raises the problem of increasing the efficiency of floor care appliances of the type mentioned. The approach described below is intended to contribute to this.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by a floor care appliance having the features of patent claim 1. In this case, it is provided in the case of a floor care appliance comprising a rotatable brush roller for dust mobilization of the type mentioned at the outset that the interior of the brush roller acts as an air guiding element in the floor care appliance. The brush roller is designed so that it can be traversed by air. For this purpose, both the brush roller itself as well as their attachment in the floor care device is designed so that an entry of air into the interior of the brush roller and an exit of the incoming air through the surface of the brush roller is possible. The brush roller thus functions - without supplying additional energy, for example in the form of electrical energy - as an additional dust-mobilizing blower.

The interior of the brush roller acts, for example, as a spoiler in the floor care device by the brush roller is designed as a hollow body, on the cylinder shell surface rise the bristle tufts and having in its surface a plurality of air passage openings and at least one end side a lateral opening. The interior of the brush roller then acts like an axial fan, wherein the air guide belongs to the function of the fan blades of such an axial fan. This hollow body forming the main body of the brush roller is referred to below as a roller body.

The invention is based on the recognition that the mobilization of the dust bound in a respective floor covering (dust mobilization) by the brush roller is mainly due to the rotation of the brush roller and the bristles engaging in the floor covering, so that due to the rotation of the brush roller but in the Area of brush circumference creates air turbulences which also contribute to the mobilization of the dust. It is therefore to be expected that the dust mobilization and the removal of the dust can be improved and thus the efficiency of the ground care device increases when the turbulence generated by the rotation is a preferred direction is impressed, so if the chaotic air movement receives a laminar component. This is achieved according to the approach proposed here, by acting as an air guide in the interior of the brush roller and the brush roller itself as an additional fan in the floor care device.

During a rotation of a brush roller with the features described here and below, namely an air guide through the roller body results according to the principle of Radial fan. In a radial fan pressure / vacuum is known to be generated by the centrifugal force principle. This is also the case here, because in the area of the inner shell of the roll body, the air is entrained by the friction at the boundary surface between the air and the roll body inner surface and, due to the acting centrifugal force, exits the brush roll again through the air passage openings in the roll body.

The invention is also a brush roller, the interior of which, as described here and below, is permeable to air and functions as a spoiler, and which is intended and adapted for use in a floor care appliance of the type mentioned above. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention will become apparent from the following subclaims. Here used backlinks indicate the further development of the subject matter of the main claim by the features of the respective subclaim. They should not be construed as a waiver of obtaining independent, objective protection for the feature combinations of the dependent claims. Furthermore, with a view to an interpretation of the claims in a closer specification of a feature in a subordinate claim, it is to be assumed that such a restriction does not exist in the respective preceding claims.

In one embodiment of the floor care device or the brush roller, the round, oval or slot-shaped air passage openings formed in the roller body, for example, are distributed uniformly over the surface of the roller body. Such a uniform distribution of the air passage openings causes a uniform over the surface of the roller body air flow through the roller body and thus a uniform improvement of dust mobilization due to the additional fan action of the air flow brush roller.

As a location of the air passage openings on the surface of the roller body relative to the likewise rising from the surface of the roller body bristle tufts come into position approximately in the middle between two bristle tufts or positions in the vicinity of a bristle tufts, in particular in the rotational direction in front of the bristle tufts into consideration. Such positions of the air passage openings cause the bristle tufts of the air exiting through the air passage openings impose a peripheral speed when the brush roller rotates, ie a speed in the circumferential direction of the roller body and concretely in the direction of the rotational movement of the roller body.

A further embodiment of the floor care device or the brush roller is characterized in that a diameter or area of the air passage openings, starting from the or each open end face of the roller body, increases in the axial direction of the roller body. In a unilaterally open roll body takes the diameter or Surface of the air passage openings starting from the open end in the direction of the closed end face. With a roller body open on both sides, the diameter or the area of the air passage openings increases starting from each open end side in the direction of the center of the roller body. This leads to a homogenization of the volume flow through the roller body and its air passage openings by the air resistance of the individual air passage openings is reduced relative to the location of entry of the air into the roll body. The increase of the area / the diameter of an air passage opening leads to a reduction of the air resistance of the respective air passage opening. This reduction in air resistance compensates for the resulting air resistance due to the air path within the roller body, which is greater for further from the location of entry of air into the roller body air passage openings than at air passage openings that are close to the location of entry of air into the roller body. The respective surface / the respective diameter of an air passage opening is thus determined according to the distance of these air passage openings from the place of entry of the air into the roller body and thus corresponding to the resulting due to the airway within the roller body air resistance. An alternative or additional possibility for equalizing the volume flow through the roller body and its air passage openings is that a number of the air passage openings, starting from the or each open end side of the roller body in the axial direction of the roller body increases. An increased number of air passage openings in a section of the roller body has the same effect on the resulting volume flow as an increase in the area of individual air passage openings.

When the floor care device or the brush roller has air guiding means inside the brush roller, the or each air guiding means causes the air inside the brush roller to rotate more or more intensely upon rotation of the brush roller so that the rotating ambient air is under the influence of centrifugal force the air passage openings formed in the roller body emerges. The or each air guide therefore leads to an increase in the volume flow through the brush roller and thus to an increase in the effect of the brush roller as an additional fan.

In a particular embodiment of a brush roller with air guiding means or a floor care device with such a brush roller, the air guiding means run in the interior of the brush roller in the axial direction of the brush roller along a helical line. The interior of the brush roller then acts like an axial fan, wherein the air guide belongs to the function of the fan blades of such an axial fan. Due to the helical course of the air guiding means in the interior of the brush roller, the air guiding means convey the ambient air, as it were, into the interior of the brush roller and thus contribute to a further increase in the volume flow through the brush roller.

In such an air guide, but also with air guide, which continue in the axial direction of the brush roller along a parallel to the axis of rotation of the brush roller or along a tilted axis of rotation diagonal, comes to increase the volume flow through the brush roller into consideration that the air guide in the direction of rotation of the brush roller have curved surfaces. Such a curvature results in a scoop-like sectional contour of the air guiding means, wherein air displaced by the air guiding means upon rotation of the brush roller is moved not only under the influence of centrifugal force but also due to the contour of the air guiding means toward the inner surface of the roller body of the brush roller.

In a particular embodiment of the floor care device, this has in the interior of the brush roller on blocking means, so as to prevent or reduce in this way, for example, the escape of air through the roller body of the brush roller in the vicinity of a suction region of the floor care device. This helps to avoid or reduce unwanted swirling of already mobilized dust in the intake area of the floor care appliance.

In a special embodiment of the floor care device, peripheral housing parts which enclose the brush roller or otherwise define the space around the brush roller additionally have the function of a guide device and thereby support the directed volume flow in the floor care device.

In a further particular embodiment of the floor care appliance, the exhaust air emitted by the appliance fan is returned to the brush roller, in particular to the at least one side opening in the roller body, in order to assist the fan action of the brush roller. Then, the brush roller is actively supplied air and the air flow through the brush roller is essentially determined by the actively supplied amount of air and can be in this way, for example, regulate, so if necessary increase or decrease.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. Corresponding objects or elements are provided in all figures with the same reference numerals.

The or each embodiment is not to be understood as limiting the invention. Rather, in the context of the present disclosure, changes and modifications are possible, for example, by combining or modification of individual in conjunction with the described in the general or specific description part as well as in the claims and / or the drawings features for the expert in terms be removed to the solution of the problem and lead by combinable features to a new object, new process steps or process steps.

Figur 1

ein Bodenpflegegerät in Form eines Saugvorsatzes oder eines Saugroboters mit einer in dem Bodenpflegegerät drehbaren Bürstenwalze,

Figur 2

eine Ausführungsform einer Bürstenwalze gemäß Figur 1 mit einem Walzenkörper in Form eines Hohlkörpers und mehreren in dem Walzenkörper gebildeten Luftdurchtrittsöffnungen,

Figur 3

eine Ausführungsform einer Bürstenwalze gemäß Figur 1 oder Figur 2 mit Luftleitmitteln im Inneren des Walzenkörpers,

Figur 4

eine Ausführungsform einer Bürstenwalze gemäß Figur 1 oder Figur 2 mit speziellen Luftleitmitteln im Inneren des Walzenkörpers,

Figur 5

eine Ansicht eines Bodenpflegegeräts gemäß Figur 1 von unten,

Figur 6

eine Ansicht eines Bodenpflegegeräts gemäß Figur 1 mit einer Bürstenwalze gemäß Figur 3 von unten und

Figur 7

eine Ansicht eines Bodenpflegegeräts gemäß Figur 1 von unten zur Veranschaulichung einer Rückführung von Abluft eines Gerätegebläses zu der von dem Bodenpflegegerät umfassten drehbaren Bürstenwalze.

Show it

FIG. 1

a floor care device in the form of a suction attachment or a vacuum robot with a brush roller rotatable in the floor care device,

FIG. 2

an embodiment of a brush roller according to FIG. 1 with a roller body in the form of a hollow body and a plurality of air passage openings formed in the roller body,

FIG. 3

an embodiment of a brush roller according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 with air guiding means inside the roller body,

FIG. 4

an embodiment of a brush roller according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 with special air guiding means inside the roller body,

FIG. 5

a view of a floor care device according to FIG. 1 from underneath,

FIG. 6

a view of a floor care device according to FIG. 1 with a brush roller according to FIG. 3 from below and

FIG. 7

a view of a floor care device according to FIG. 1 from below illustrating a return of exhaust air of a device blower to the rotatable brush roller included in the floor care device.

The representation in FIG. 1 shows a schematic simplified side view of a section through a floor care device 10, which is for example a suction attachment of a Upright- or vacuum cleaner or a vacuum cleaner. The floor care device 10 comprises a driven, but at least rotatable brush roller 12, which has a cylindrical outer contour in a conventional manner, wherein on the cylindrical outer surface of a plurality of bristle tufts 14 (only shown individually) rise. In operation of the floor care appliance 10, the brush roller 12 rotates to sweep counter to the direction of travel through an extracted carpet or the like (not shown) as the floor care appliance 10 advances. In the illustration in FIG. 1 This is illustrated by the pointing in the counterclockwise direction round arrow inside the brush roller 12. The direction of travel during a forward movement of the ground care device 10 is illustrated by the left-pointing block arrow.

The representation in FIG. 1 includes individual sections of a housing 16 of the floor care appliance 10. These include outer and inner housing sections 16. The housing sections 16 define the space in which the brush roller 12 rotates for dust mobilization and, moreover, the air path through the floor care appliance 10 due to one of them shown device fan in a conventional manner generated negative pressure. The airway is in the illustration in FIG. 1 illustrated by four simple, straight arrows and accordingly enters the sucked air in the area of a front lower edge (suction) of the floor care device 10 in the interior of the floor care device 10 and passes the brush roller 12 on the one hand along the direction of rotation and on the other also opposite to the direction of rotation Brush roller 12. The two air paths around the brush roller 12 merge downstream of the brush roller 12 again to an airway in the direction of the device fan and a filter arranged in a conventional manner upstream of the device fan (also not shown).

In the sectional view according to FIG. 1 is already apparent that the brush roller 12 on the one hand has a cylindrical outer contour, but on the other hand, as a hollow body, namely here as a hollow cylinder is executed, so that the bristle tufts 14 rise on the surface of the resulting cylinder jacket. The cylinder jacket-shaped hollow body is referred to below as the roller body 18. This is at least one side (frontally) open and also has in the cylinder jacket section a plurality of air passage openings (air outlet openings) 20, of which in the sectional view in FIG. 1 only individual are shown. It should be noted that the air passage openings 20, which are sometimes referred to below as openings 20 for short, are distributed over the surface of the roller body 18 and, for example, as in FIG FIG. 1 shown - are distributed regularly along an outer circumferential line around the roller body 18 and are located between the bristle tufts 14. The distributed over the entire lateral surface of the roller body 18 air passage openings 20 have a round base contour a diameter of a few millimeters, for example, a diameter in the range of 1 mm to about 5 mm. Instead of a round base contour, other possible basic contours, for example a slot-shaped base contour, come into consideration. The dimension of such basic contours is chosen such that openings result with surfaces corresponding to the surfaces belonging to the above-mentioned diameters.

The at least one-sided lateral opening in the roller body 18, ie an open end side of the roller body 18 on both sides, allows the entry of air, in particular ambient air, into the interior of the roller body 18 and thus into the interior of the brush roller 12. The air passage openings 20 allow the Outlet of the so entered into the brush roller 12 air from the interior of the brush roller 12. Insofern the interior of the brush roller 12 acts as a spoiler and the brush roller 12 itself as an additional Blower in the floor care device 10. The special feature lies in the fact that for this additional fan effect no supply of additional energy in the form of, for example, electrical energy is required.

In the illustrated embodiment, the interior of the brush roller 12 acts as a spoiler by the brush roller 12 as a hollow body comprises a cylinder shell-shaped roller body 18 having a plurality of air passage openings 20 in the cylinder jacket-shaped surface and at least one end side a lateral opening. The exiting from the air passage openings 20 improves air due to the blower effect the dust mobilization and the removal of dust. In order not to stir up the dust mobilized by the brush roller 12 in the suction area by the blower action of the brush roller 12 as shown here, the roller body 18 shown in the illustrated embodiment, but basically optional, inside and stationary shut-off 22, which the air passage openings 20th shut off the roller body 18 in the intake. The blocking means 22 is, for example, a cup-shaped blocking surface with a circular-arc-shaped sectional contour, the blocking surface having a smaller radius than the roller body 18 in the interior of the roller body 18 and concentric with the roller body 18 and in its longitudinal extension parallel to the longitudinal extension of the roller body 18 is arranged.

The at least one-sided lateral opening of the roller body 18 can be achieved by the roller body 18 itself at least one end open and the roller body 18 is rotatably mounted in the floor care device 10 by means of an outer bearing or by the roller body 18 laterally has a construction with two or more struts supporting a hub for rotatably supporting the roller body 18 and configured to substantially expose the side opening in the roller body 18. This and the necessary strength can be achieved, for example, in that the area of each strut transverse to the axial direction of the roller body 18 is as small as possible and that the strut in the axial direction receives an extended design.

FIG. 2 shows in a schematic highly simplified representation of the brush roller 12 FIG. 1 without the surrounding soil care device 10. Recognizable are the execution of the brush roller 12 as a hollow body with the cylinder jacket-shaped roller body 18 (body), which rising on the outer surface of the cylinder jacket bristle tufts 14 and the cylinder jacket penetrating air passage openings 20. To the overview of the representation in FIG. 2 not to complicate unnecessarily, only individual bristle tufts 14 are shown, wherein in a real design of the brush roller 12 is usually assumed to have a larger number of bristle tufts 14, which is different than in the orientation shown here parallel to the longitudinal direction of the brush roller, for example, in the longitudinal direction the brush roller 12 may also extend along a diagonal line or a helical line or the like. Likewise, the representation of the position and the number of air passage openings 20 is to be understood only as an example.

In the illustration in FIG. 2 is the by the at least one side opening (frontal opening) in the roller body 18 laterally into the brush roller 12 and the roller body 18 incoming ambient air (flow air - in the illustration in FIG. 2 additionally symbolically denoted by "S") and shown again through the air passage openings 20 flow air in the form of simple arrows. Due to the laterally entering and radially outgoing through the air passage openings 20 ambient air, the brush roller 12 acts within the floor care device 10 as an additional fan. During a rotation of the brush roller 12, the initially mentioned air flow through the roller body 18 results according to the principle of a radial fan, where pressure / negative pressure is known to be generated according to the centrifugal force principle. In the brush roller 12, the air inside is entrained due to the given at the interface between the air and the roller body surface friction and rotated due to the acting centrifugal force through the air passage openings 20 in the roller body 18 again from the brush roller 12. The ambient air initially entered laterally into the brush roller 12 is thus pressed or ejected, as it were, during rotation of the brush roller 12, out of the air passage openings 20. This creates an overpressure in the area of the outer shell of the roller body 18 and a negative pressure in the interior of the roller body 18. Further ambient air is sucked through the at least one lateral opening in the interior of the roller body 18 and exits due to the effects described above through the air passage openings 20 again. The bristle tufts 14, which are moved along during rotation of the brush roller 12, have a circumferential velocity, ie a velocity in the circumferential direction of the roller body 18 and specifically in the direction of the rotational movement of the roller body 18. The tufts 14 act like the blades of a roller radial fan. This air displacing action of the bristle tufts 14 as well as the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the roller body 18 result in a directed continuous air movement through the brush roller 12 on the entire roller circumference.

The representation in FIG. 2 shows the roller body 12 with air passage openings 20 of substantially the same diameter. The flow through the roller body 18 and a resulting volume flow through all the air passage openings 20 along the outer surface of the roller body 18 can be optionally even if the air passage openings 20 have different diameters, for example by starting from the location of the incoming into the roller body 18 ambient air increasing diameter. In an open at exactly one end side roller body 18 accordingly take the Diameter of the air passage openings 20, starting from the open end side to the opposite closed end face to. In the case of a roller body 18 which is open on both end faces, the diameters of the air passage openings 20 increase starting from the two open end faces in the direction of the center of the roller body 18. This takes into account the fact that, for the air resistance of an air path through the roller body 18 and one of the air passage openings 20, the respective path in the axial direction through the roller body 18 contributes. By increasing the diameter of the air passage openings 20 in accordance with the path through the roller body 18, the increased partial air resistance due to the longer path through the roller body 18 is compensated. As a result, over the entire surface of the roller body 18 uniform air flow through the air passage openings 20 is achieved.

For static or other reasons, it may be provided that the roller body 18 is not cylindrical in its interior, but conical, wherein the inner diameter of the cone in the direction of the center of the roller body 18 or towards a closed end face of the roller body 18 decreases. Then, for equalization of the volume flow through all the air passage openings 20, the diameter of the air passage openings 20 not only from the axial distance of the respective air passage openings from the laterally open end face or from the nearest laterally open end face, but also from the respective inner diameter of the roller body 18 at the location of the considered air passage openings 20th dependent, such that with decreasing inner diameter at the location of the air passage openings 20, the diameter of the respective air passage openings 20 increases.

The illustrations in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show particular embodiments of the brush roller 12, wherein the above applies accordingly for these embodiments and accordingly can be dispensed with repetitions here.

In the embodiment in FIG. 3 the roller body 18 in its interior air guide 24, for example, air guide 24, the blade-like lining the inner surface of the roller body 18. Such air guiding means 24 may in this case extend integrally over the entire length of the roller body 18 or be arranged in a large number in the region of the tufts 14 and / or the air passage openings 20. In a rotation of the not particularly designed in its interior roller body 18 was above in connection with the explanation of the embodiment according to FIG. 2 has been described that the entering into the interior of the roller body 18 ambient air is entrained due to friction and thus also set in rotation. The thus set in motion air exits under centrifugal force through the air passage openings 20 again from the roller body 18. The effect that the entering into the interior of the roller body 18 ambient air during rotation of the roller body 18 also in motion, namely in rotation, can be reinforced by such air guide 24, so that as a result, the above-described effect of the brush roller 12 is improved as an additional fan.

The representation in FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the brush roller 12 with radially oriented air guiding means 24, similar to a radial blower. The air guiding means 24 can be designed as surfaces arranged at regular angular intervals and in the radial direction or as surfaces arranged at regular angular intervals and curved in the direction of rotation or against the direction of rotation (blades). The representation in FIG. 4 shows an embodiment with paddle-shaped, curved in the direction of rotation air guiding means 24. Such air guiding means 24 may continue along the longitudinal extent of the roller body 18 linearly (axially or diagonally) or helically. In the illustration in FIG. 4 For reasons of simpler representability, a situation is shown in which the air guiding means 24 continue in the interior of the roller body 18 in the axial direction linearly along its longitudinal extension. However, it is expected that an embodiment with in the interior of the roller body 18 against the axial direction inclined, so, for example helically continuing air guide means 24 as an axial fan causes an increased suction of ambient air into the interior of the roller body 18. Due to the achievable increase in the amount of air sucked in the total amount of air exiting through the air passage openings 20 increases. As a result, the effect of the brush roller 12 is reinforced as an additional fan.

The representation in FIG. 4 shows - however, schematically simplified for a comparatively small number of air passage openings 20 along the longitudinal extent of the roller body 18 compared to a real version - also an embodiment of the brush roller 12 with starting from the here open on both sides enlarged surfaces, here due to increasing diameter, the air passage openings 20. It should be noted that based on the schematically simplified representation no conclusions from the diameters of the air passage openings 20 shown in relation to the diameter and the length of the roller body 18 and the shown size of the bristle tufts 14 may be drawn. The illustration aims solely at the fundamental clarification of the details of the roller body 18 proposed here.

The representation in FIG. 5 shows a view of the floor care device 10 from FIG. 1 from underneath. One recognizes the brush roller 12 located in the housing 16 of the floor care device 10 with the bristle tufts 14 rising on the surface thereof. Furthermore, the air passage openings 20 formed in the roller body 18 of the brush roller 12 can be seen. In order not to complicate the overview of the presentation unnecessarily, only individual bristle tufts 14 and only individual air passage openings 20 are shown.

The representation in FIG. 5 is intended to illustrate the course of the air flow in the soil care device 10. Shown is a situation with a brush roller 12 with open end sides on both sides, so that - as shown by the two lateral arrows and "S" illustrated - on both sides air (flow air), in particular ambient air, laterally into the roller body 18 of the brush roller 12 can occur. The air thus entered into the roller body 18, namely the air sucked in as a result of the negative pressure arising during the rotation of the brush roller 12, exits the brush roller 12 through the air passage openings 20 in the roller body 18 and combines with the negative pressure generated by the device fan resulting air flow in the floor care device 10. This is shown in FIG FIG. 5 illustrated by the diagonal arrows. The arrow pointing to the right outside the floor care device 10 points in the direction of the device fan, not shown here.

The brush roller 12 is mounted in such a way in the housing 16 of the floor care device 10, that the air can enter through an opening in the side wall of the housing 16 and through the roller bearing into the cavity of the roller body 18. The volume flow generated by the brush roller 12 is replaced by the negative pressure generated by the device fan a preferred direction, namely in the direction of the device fan. The housing 16 of the floor care device 10 as well as there defined by a surface design airways act as a guide for the air flow. The efficiency of such a distributor can, for example, still be increased by material thickening in the flow path and channels or the like left over between them.

The representation in FIG. 6 shows - as the illustration in FIG. 5 a floor care appliance 10 according to FIG FIG. 1 in a view from below. The brush roller 12 used in this floor care apparatus 10 is a brush roller 12, as in FIG FIG. 3 is shown, so a brush roller 12 with air guide 24. Also the representation in FIG. 6 shows - as shown in FIG. 5 - The course of the air flow due to the negative pressure generated by the device fan and due to the entering into the brush roller 12 and through the air passage openings 20 of the brush roller 12 exiting air in the soil care device 10th

The representation in FIG. 7 shows - with reference to the illustrations in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 - In a schematically simplified form a situation in which an exhaust air of a suction fan only symbolically shown starting from the exhaust air region of the suction fan to the end faces or an end face of the brush roller 12 / of the roller body 18 is performed. A not shown here channel or a plurality of such channels for returning the exhaust air to Brush roller 12 is or are located, for example, in a lateral portion of the housing 16 of the floor care device 10 and opens or open in the storage area of the roller body 18 (roller bearing). Such a channel or such channels is or are an example of means for returning the exhaust air discharged from a device fan to the brush roller, in particular to an at least one side opening in the brush roller. The return of the blower exhaust air to the brush roller 12 increases the amount of air flowing through the air passage openings in the brush roller 12 quite considerably and thus contributes to improved dust mobilization by means of the brush roller 12.

In summary, individual central aspects of the description presented here can be summarized as follows: A floor care device 10 with a special brush roller 12 and consequently also such a brush roller 12, which is intended and set up for use in such a floor care device 10, are proposed. The brush roller 12 is characterized - in short - by the fact that a roller body 18 of the brush roller 12 and its attachment in the floor care device 10 are designed to be permeable to air relative to the environment. Thus, the brush roller 12 can be traversed by air and the interior of the brush roller 12 acts as an air guide for the inflowing and outflowing air. The brush roller 12 thus functions in the floor care device 10 as an additional fan and the resulting air flow through the brush roller 12 improves the already achieved with the usual rotation of the brush roller 12 dust mobilization. As a result of this additional fan effect and the resulting improved dust mobilization, the overall efficiency of the ground care device 10 is increased without requiring additional energy in the form of, for example, electrical energy.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Land maintenance equipment

12

brush roll

14

tufts

16

Housing / housing section of the floor care device

18

roller body

20

Air passage opening

22

Blocking means (inside the brush roller)

24

Air guiding means (inside the brush roller)

Claims (11)

Floor care appliance (10) with a rotatable brush roller (12) for dust mobilization, wherein the interior of the brush roller (12) acts as a spoiler element,
characterized,
in that the brush roller (12) has air guiding means (24) in the interior of the brush roller (12), wherein the air guiding means (24) are designed such that the air guiding means (24) lead to an increase in the volume flow through the brush roller (12). Floor care device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the interior of the brush roller (12) acts as an air guide element, in that the brush roller (12) comprises as roller body (18) a hollow body with a cylinder jacket-shaped surface which has a plurality of air passage openings (20) in its surface. and on at least one end side has a side opening. Floor care appliance (10) according to claim 2, wherein the air passage openings (20) are distributed uniformly over the surface of the roller body (18). Floor care appliance (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the air passage openings (20) are arranged centrally in the circumferential direction between each two rising from the surface of the roller body (18) bristle tufts (14). Floor care appliance (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each air passage opening (20) adjacent to a rising from the surface of the roller body (18) bristle tufts (14) is arranged. Floor care device (10) according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a number of the air passage openings (20) or a surface of the air passage openings (20), starting from the or each open end side of the roller body (18) in the axial direction of the roller body (18) increases. Floor care appliance (10) according to one of the preceding claims, with air guiding means (24) in the interior of the brush roller (12) extending in the axial direction of the brush roller (12) along a helical line. Floor care appliance (10) according to claim 7, with air guiding means (24) in the direction of rotation of the brush roller (12) curved surfaces. Floor care appliance (10) according to one of the preceding claims, with shut-off means (22) in the interior of the brush roller (12). Floor care appliance (10) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising means for returning an exhaust air emitted by a device fan to the brush roller (12), in particular to an at least one side opening in the brush roller (12). A brush roller (12) for use in a floor care appliance (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the brush roller (12) is designed and arranged to function as a spoiler in the floor care appliance (10) by causing the brush roller (12) to move air permeable roller body (18).

Images