EP3119254B1

EP3119254B1 - A surface treating head

Info

Publication number: EP3119254B1
Application number: EP15707752.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Charles Box; Luke STEPHENS
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2014-03-21
Filing date: 2015-02-27
Publication date: 2018-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 2035-02-27
Also published as: GB2524322B; GB201405061D0; WO2015140498A1; EP3119254A1; CN106413499B; CN106413499A; GB2524322A

Description

The present invention relates to a surface treating head.
Surface treating appliances such as vacuum cleaners are usually provided with one or more surface treating heads, often referred to as cleaner heads. It is common to be able to manipulate cleaner heads between different "modes" of use. The different modes can, for example, allow for more effective cleaning by the surface treating head on different types of floor surface, such as carpeted or hard floors.
One example of a surface treating head is described in EP0898924 . The surface treating head comprises a suction cavity having a suction cavity opening provided between two suction cavity edges, known as "working edges". In order that the surface treating head can clean more effectively on different floor surface types, the rear working edge is moveable, and can be positioned between a first position in which the suction cavity opening is largely closed, and a second position in which the suction cavity opening is opened to its greatest extent. With the suction cavity opening largely closed a reduced suction force can be achieved, whereas with the suction cavity opening open to its greatest extent the suction force can be increased. The moveable working edge can be moved from the first position to the second position, and vice versa, by way of, for example, a foot actuated lever as shown in Figures 1 and 4 of EP0898924 . An alternative embodiment is described whereby the moveable working edge is biased by a spring into the first position, and by moving the surface treating head over a floor surface with a high resistance to movement, for example a deep pile carpet, will cause the edge to overcome the bias from the spring and move into the second position.
The foot actuated arrangement allows the user to select a desired position for the moveable working edge. However, it is difficult for a user to select an intermediate position between the first and second positions, and a user will typically select either of the two extreme positions for the working edge, neither which may provide the optimum position for the most effective cleaning of the floor surface. The alternative embodiment comprising the spring biased working edge does not allow a user to select a position that they wish to use.
US 6,099,661 discloses a vacuum cleaner head having a dirty air inlet and a restricting member for reducing the size of the dirty air inlet. The restricting member is operable via a pivotable foot pedal.
This invention provides a surface treating head comprising: a suction cavity having a suction cavity opening bounded by a front working edge and a rear working edge, at least one of the front and rear working edges being moveable between a first position in which a separation distance between the working edges is at a maximum and a second position in which the separation distance between the working edges is at a minimum; and an actuating mechanism comprising a user-operable actuator for actuating at least one of the front and rear working edges between the first and second positions; wherein the movement of the actuator required to actuate at least one of the front and rear working edges is in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the direction of movement of the moveable working edges, and the actuator is a slider.
As a result, the actuator is afforded a greater degree of lateral movement from side to side on the soleplate body, whereas the degree of movement in a front-to-back direction would be relatively restricted. Accordingly, it may be easier for a user to more accurately select a desired rear working edge position according to their needs, or the type of floor surface to be cleaned. Furthermore, it may be easier for a user to achieve the optimum balance of dirt pick-up performance versus motion resistance for the surface treating head on any given floor type.
The actuator is a slider. This provides a relatively easy actuating mechanism for a user to use, and which can provide a good visual identification to the user as to the current position of the actuator and therefore the position of the moveable working edges.
The actuator may be moveable such that at least one of the first and second working edges can be positioned in an intermediate position located between the first and second positions. As a result, a user is able to use the actuator to position the moveable working edges in the exact position that allows for the optimum balance of dirt pick-up performance versus motion resistance.
The rear working edge may be moveable while the front working edge is fixed, or alternatively the front working edge may be moveable while the rear working edge is fixed, or further alternatively both the front and the rear working edges may be moveable. Accordingly, the most suitable configuration for the moveable edge(s) can be employed to suit any arrangement of the surface treating head.
Either the moveable working edges or the actuating mechanism may comprise a protruding member, and the other of the moveable working edges or the actuating mechanism then may comprise a guide path configured to engagingly receive the protruding member. That is, the moveable working edges may comprise the protruding member and the actuating mechanism then comprises the guide path, or alternatively, the actuating mechanism may comprise the protruding member and the moveable working edges then comprises the guide path. Movement of the actuating mechanism may cause movement of the protruding member through the guide path. As a result, a simple and reliable way of transferring movement from the actuator to the moveable working edges can be achieved.
A distance moved by the actuator during actuation may not be equal to the resulting distance moved by at least one of the front and rear working edges. For instance, a distance moved by the actuator during actuation may be substantially double the resulting distance moved by at least one of the front and rear working edges. As a result, a greater degree of control may be achieved over the positioning of the moveable working edges.
This invention further provides a vacuum cleaner comprising a surface treating head as described in any one of the preceding statements.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a surface treating head in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a top view of the surface treating head of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a bottom view of the surface treating head of Figures 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a soleplate body of a surface treating head in accordance with the present invention;
Figures 5A and 5B are top views of the soleplate body of Figure 4 in a first and a second configuration;
Figures 6A and 6B show the bottom view of the soleplate bodies in the two configurations of 5A and 5B respectively;
Figure 7A shows a cross section in perspective through the soleplate body of Figure 4 when in the configuration shown in Figures 5A and 6A;
Figure 7B shows a side view of a slice of the soleplate body at the cross section point of Figure 7A;
Figure 8A shows a second cross section in perspective through the soleplate body of Figure 4 when in the configuration shown in Figures 5A and 6A;
Figure 8B shows a side view of a slice of the soleplate body at the cross section point of Figure 8A;
Figure 9A shows a cross section in perspective through the soleplate body of Figure 4 when in the configuration shown in Figures 5B and 6B;
Figure 9B shows a side view of a slice of the soleplate body at the cross section point of Figure 9A;
Figure 10A shows a second cross section in perspective through the soleplate body of Figure 4 when in the configuration shown in Figures 5B and 6B;
Figure 10B shows a side view of a slice of the soleplate body at the cross section point of Figure 10A;
Figure 11 shows an actuating mechanism and moveable working edge according to a first embodiment;
Figure 12 shows an actuating mechanism and moveable working edge according to a second embodiment;
Figure 13A is a top view of the actuating mechanism and moveable working edge of Figure 11 in the configuration shown in Figures 5A and 6A; and
Figure 13B is a top view of the actuating mechanism and moveable working edge of Figure 11 in the configuration shown in Figures 5B and 6B.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a surface treating head 1. The surface treating head 1 comprises a main body 2 and a rolling support 3. The main body 2 comprises an outer housing 4 that is provided around a soleplate body 5. The rolling support 3 comprises wheels 6 and a swivel duct 7. The swivel duct 7 allows the surface treating head 1 to be attached to a vacuum cleaner, for example by way of a wand attachment in the case of a cylinder- or canister-style vacuum cleaner. The swivel duct 7 is in fluid connection with the main body 2, and in particular with the soleplate body 5, by way of duct 8. Figures 1 and 2 also show an actuator 10 in the form of a mechanical slider that is provided on the top exposed surface of the soleplate body 5. Vertical and lateral axes of the surface treating head 1 are represented by axes V and L respectively. Axis M represents a forward direction of the surface treating 1 head during use. It can therefore be said that the axis M points forward of the front edge of the surface treating head 1.
Figure 3 shows the underneath of the surface treating head 1. The underneath of the soleplate body 5 comprises a suction cavity 11 that has a suction cavity opening provided between a front working edge 12 and a rear working edge 14. The relative terms "front" and "rear" are defined in accordance with the direction of use of the surface treating head 1 during a forward sweep in a vacuum cleaning operation (as represented by axis M in Figure 1). The suction cavity 11 is in fluid connection with the duct 8 by way of duct opening 15.
Figure 4 shows just the soleplate body 5 with the remainder of the surface treating head 1 hidden from view. The duct opening 15 extends upwards from the top surface of the soleplate body 5. Behind the duct opening, towards the rear of the soleplate body 5, is a central air bleed vent 16. The outer opening for the central air bleed vent 16 is located in the central portion of a groove 17 that runs laterally across the top surface of the soleplate body 5 along a substantial portion of its width. At each end of the groove 17 there are side air bleed vents 18, the openings for which cannot be seen in Figure 4.
The central and side air bleed vents 16 and 18 are able to fluidly connect the suction cavity 11 inside the soleplate body 5 with the air immediately surrounding the outside of the surface treating head 1. Accordingly, during use when the central and side air bleed vents 16 and 18 are opened, air is drawn into the suction cavity 11 through the air bleed vents 16, 18 as well as through the suction cavity opening between the working edges 12, 14. This has the effect of reducing the suction power produced at the suction cavity opening.
Figures 5A and 5B are top views of the soleplate body 5. From this view the openings of the central and side air bleed vents 16, 18 can be seen more clearly. In Figure 5A the actuator 10 is in a first position wherein a finger grip for the actuator 10 is positioned nearest the centre of the soleplate body 5. From this first position the actuator 10 can be moved in the direction of arrow D. Figure 5B shows the soleplate body 5 with the actuator 10 in a second position wherein the finger grip is positioned near the side edge of the soleplate body.
Figures 6A and 6B show the underneath of the soleplate body 5 when the actuator is in the two positions shown in Figures 5A and 5B respectively. The rear working edge 14 is moveable and is actuated by the actuator 10 such that in Figure 6A when the actuator 10 is in the first position (as shown in Figure 5A), the rear working edge 14 is in a first position. In this first position, the distance between the front working edge 12 and the rear working edge 14 is at a maximum, indicated by dimension α, which means that the suction cavity opening is at its greatest. Conversely in Figure 6B, when the actuator 10 is in the second position (as shown in Figure 5B), the rear working edge 14 is in a second position. In this second position, the distance between the front working edge 12 and the rear working edge 14 is at a minimum, indicated by dimension β, which means that the suction cavity opening is at its smallest.
When the width of the suction cavity opening is at its greatest, α, and with the central and side air bleed vents 16,18 closed, the suction force achieved at the suction cavity opening is greatly increased when the surface treating head 1 is in use. This improves the dirt pick-up performance of the surface treating head 1. However, due to the increased suction at the suction cavity opening, the surface treating head 1 may be drawn towards the floor surface with such a large force that there is a large resistance to motion. This could result with the user finding it difficult to move the surface treating head 1 over the floor surface being cleaned. On the other hand, with the width of the suction cavity opening at its smallest, β, and with the central and side air bleed vents 16, 18 open, the suction force achieved at the suction cavity opening is reduced when the surface treating head 1 is in use. This will result in a reduction in dirt pick-up performance for the surface treating head 1, but will also reduce the force with which the surface treating head 1 is drawn towards the floor surface. As such, the resistance to motion will be reduced and the user will be able to move the surface treating head over the floor surface more easily. Therefore the user is able to move the actuator 10 to switch between the two positions shown in Figures 5A and 5B according to their needs in regards to the dirt pick-up performance and manoeuvrability of the surface treating head 1 on different floor surfaces whilst in use.
Figures 7A and 7B, and also 8A and 8B, show cross-sections through the soleplate body 5 when the actuator 10 and moveable rear working edge 14 are both in the first positions described above and shown in Figures 5A and 6A. The cross-sections of Figures 7A and 7B are taken through the soleplate body 5 at a point where a central air bleed vent 16 is located. The cross-sections of Figures 8A and 8B are taken through the soleplate body 5 at a point where a side air bleed vent 18 is located. A seal 20 is provided between the moveable rear working edge 14 and a rear wall 22 of the suction cavity 11. Therefore, when the rear working edge 14 is in the first position, the rear working edge 14 comes into abutment with the seal 20 such that there is no gap between the rear working edge 14 and the seal 20. When the rear working edge is in abutment with the seal 20 in this way, air is prevented from entering the suction cavity 11 from outside the surface treating head 1 through the air bleed vents 16 or 18.
Therefore when the moveable rear working edge 14 is in the first position, the air bleed vents 16 and 18 are closed. Accordingly, only air that passes through the suction cavity opening between the working edges 12, 14 can be drawn into the suction cavity 11 and subsequently through the duct opening 15, the duct 8 and swivel duct 7 into the vacuum cleaner.
Figures 9A and 9B, and also 10A and 10B, show cross-sections through the soleplate body 5 when the actuator and moveable rear working edge 14 are both in the second positions described above and shown in Figures 5B and 6B. The cross-sections shown in Figures 9A and 9B are taken along the same line as those shown in Figures 7A and 7B, i.e. at a point where a central air bleed vent 16 is located. The cross-sections shown in Figures 10A and 10B are taken along the same line as those shown in Figures 8A and 8B, i.e. at a point where a side air bleed vent 18 is located. With the moveable rear working edge 14 in the second position, it no longer abuts with the seal 20. Therefore, air is able to enter the suction cavity 11 from outside the surface treating head 1 through the air bleed vents 16, 18 as shown by arrows E and F. As air is able to enter the suction cavity 11 through a pathway other than through the suction cavity opening, the suction force at the suction cavity opening which acts to attract the surface treating head 1 to the floor surface is considerably reduced compared to when the air bleed vents 16, 18 are close as described above. Therefore, the user will experience less resistance to motion, and will be able to more easily manoeuvre the surface treating head 1 along a floor surface.
As previously described, when the rear working edge 14 is moved from the first position to the second position the air bleed vents 16, 18 are opened due to the rear working edge no longer being in contact with the seal 20 located on the rear wall 22 of the suction cavity 11. Therefore, the one user action of moving the rear working edge 14 by sliding the actuator 10 causes two resulting reactions that reduce the suction force at the suction cavity opening: the first being the reduction of the size of the suction cavity opening, and the second being the opening of the air bleed vents. A further advantage is that, because the air bleed vents are adjusted along with the moveable working edge by actuation of the same actuator, the user does not need to remember to change both the moveable edge and the air bleed vents when progressing from one floor surface type to another during a cleaning operation.
In the arrangement described above and shown in the Figures the air bleed vents 16, 18 are opened by the rear edge moving out of abutment with the seal 20. However, alternative embodiments could be envisaged that still cause air bleed vents to be opened on actuation of the actuator. For example, the front working edge 12 could be moveable, or both the front 12 and rear 14 working edges could be moveable. Therefore air bleed vents could be provided at the front or front and rear of the soleplate body 5. In a further alternative embodiment, instead of the air bleed vents being opened by a moveable working edge moving out of abutment with a seal, the air bleed vent openings could be closed by a slideable plate that is connected to the actuator 10 such that when the actuator 10 is moved, the plate slides away to reveal the air bleed vent opening.
Figure 11 shows a first embodiment of the actuating mechanism used to move the rear working edge 14. The mechanism comprises the rear working edge 14 and an actuator 10. The actuator 10 has a portion 23 that extends under the upper surface of the soleplate body 5 such that it is not visible during normal use. A top portion of the rear working edge 14 is provided with two channels or guide paths 24, and the actuator 10 is provided with two downwardly protruding members 25 in the form of bosses that are aligned to engage into the guide paths 24 provided on the top of the rear working edge 14. An alternative embodiment of the actuating mechanism is shown in Figure 12, in which the rear working edge 14 is provided with upwardly protruding members 26 in the form of bosses, whereas the actuator 10, including the extended portion 27, is provided with guide paths 28 such that the upwardly protruding bosses are aligned to engage with the guide paths 28.
Figures 13A and 13B show the actuation of the actuating mechanism of Figure 11. When the actuator 10 is moved along a fixed straight path in the direction of arrow G (which is substantially parallel to the lateral axis L), the bosses provided on the underneath of the actuator 10 pass through the guide paths provided on the upper side of the rear working edge 14. The resulting force of the bosses on the sides of the guide paths causes the rear working edge 14 to move in the direction of arrow H (which is substantially parallel to axis M), as shown in Figure 13A. This corresponds to the movement of the edge from the first position to the second position described above.
The opposite movement is shown in Figure 13B where movement of the actuator 10 along a fixed straight path in the opposite direction, shown by arrow J results in the rear working edge 14 moving in the direction of arrow K. As the rear working edge is on a fixed motion path on the underneath of the soleplate body 5, the direction of actuation of the actuator 10 is orthogonal to the resulting movement of the rear working edge 14. The dimensions of the soleplate body 5 allow for a greater degree of lateral movement (i.e. parallel to axis L) on the top surface of the soleplate body, whereas the degree of movement in a front-to-back direction (i.e. parallel to axis M) would be relatively restricted. Accordingly, by arranging the actuator 10 to have a side-to-side, or lateral, direction of actuation it can be afforded a larger length of travel. Providing the actuator 10 with a relatively large length of travel compared to a smaller resulting movement of the rear working edge 14 has the result that it is easier for a user to more accurately select a desired rear working edge position and associated air bleed vent configuration. As such, it is easier for a user to achieve the optimum balance of dirt pick-up performance and motion resistance for the surface treating head 1 on any given floor type.
In the embodiments described above and shown in the figures, the guide paths 24 and 28 have a relatively straight and shallow-angled path over the length of travel of the actuator. This results in a smooth and steady resulting movement of the rear working edge 14. However, it will be appreciated that the shape of the guide paths can be designed to give rise to different types of resulting motion of the rear working edge according to the requirements of the surface treating head 1. For example, the guide paths could be provided with an unevenly curved pathway such that the initial movement of the rear working edge 14 from the first position is slow but then speeds up as it approaches the second position. This may be desirable in some circumstances, for example to stop the air bleed vents 16, 18 from opening too much too quickly.
Whilst particular embodiments have thus far been described, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

A surface treating head (1) comprising:
a suction cavity (11) having a suction cavity opening bounded by a front working edge (12) and a rear working edge (14), at least one of the front and rear working edges (12,14) being moveable between a first position in which a separation distance between the working edges (12,14) is at a maximum and a second position in which the separation distance between the working edges (12,14) is at a minimum; and

an actuating mechanism comprising a user-operable actuator (10) for actuating at least one of the front and rear working edges (12,14) between the first and second positions;
wherein the movement of the actuator (10) required to actuate at least one of the front and rear working edges (12,14) is in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the direction of movement of the moveable working edges (12,14);
characterised in that the actuator is a slider.
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator (10) is moveable such that at least one of the first and second working edges (12,14) can be positioned in an intermediate position located between the first and second positions.
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear working edge (14) is moveable and the front working edge (12) is fixed.
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the front working edge (12) is moveable and the rear working edge (14) is fixed.
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the front and the rear working edges (12,14) are moveable.
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein either the moveable working edges (12,14) or the actuating mechanism comprises a protruding member (25,26), and the other of the moveable working edges (12,14) or the actuating mechanism comprises a guide path (24,28) configured to engagingly receive the protruding member (25,26).
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the moveable working edges (12,14) comprise the protruding member (26) and the actuating mechanism comprises the guide path (28).
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises the protruding member (25) and the moveable working edges (12,14) comprise the guide path (24).
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein movement of the actuating mechanism causes movement of the protruding member (25,26) through the guide path (24,28).
A surface treating head (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a distance moved by the actuator (10) during actuation is not equal to the resulting distance moved by at least one of the front and rear working edges (12,14).
A surface treating head as claimed in claim 10, wherein a distance moved by the actuator (10) during actuation is substantially double the resulting distance moved by at least one of the front and rear working edges (12,14).
A vacuum cleaner comprising a surface treating head (1) as described in any one of the preceding claims.