GB2412572A

GB2412572A - Vacuum with brush rotator drum which can be disengaged from action

Info

Publication number: GB2412572A
Application number: GB0504549A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Myoung-Sun Joung; Byung-Jo Lee; Joo-Sung Moon; Dae-Yeoun Moon
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-03-29
Filing date: 2005-03-04
Publication date: 2005-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2025-03-04
Also published as: GB0504549D0; AU2005200553A1; KR20050096215A; GB2412572B; KR100572156B1; US20050210625A1; AU2005200553B2

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner features a drive means driving an intermediate rotatable drum 181 via a first belt drive 220, a second belt drive 230 extending from the intermediate rotatable drum 181, to cause the rotation of a brush drum 170. An idler pulley 183 is freely rotatable proximate the intermediate drum 181, the first belt 220 being displaceable from the intermediate drum 181 to the idler pulley 183, to disengage the brush drum 170 from rotation. In general, this to take place whilst the suction of the cleaner is still active, such as to provide a mode of operation of the vacuum cleaner featuring suction but no nozzle brush rotation.

Description

24 1 2572 Vacuum Cleaner This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and

in particular to a vacuum cleaner having a nozzle unit assembly comprising a rotatable drum mounted at a suction inlet.

A vacuum cleaner usually includes a vacuum source which, when driven, draws in dust and other contaminants (hereinafter referred to as "dust") using a suction force generated at a suction inlet, from a surface to be cleaned. It is also known to provide a vacuum cleaner with a rotatable drum for more complete cleaning of dust which is difficult to remove simply by the suction force. The rotatable drum is mounted adjacent to the suction inlet, and is provided with a plurality of bristles on an outer periphery thereof. When the rotatable drum is driven, the bristles are moved into contact with the surface to be cleaned, thereby removing stubborn dust.

However, the use of a rotatable drum is not always necessary. A vacuum cleaner that is capable of selectively using a rotatable drum, according to the conditions of the surface to be cleaned or the cleaning environment, would be an improvement over the prior art.

An aim of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner nozzle unit that is capable of selectively driving a rotatable drum according to the conditions of a surface to be cleaned.

The present invention provides a vacuum cleaner comprising: a nozzle unit having a suction inlet for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit being connected to a body of the vacuum cleaner such that the suction inlet P516164GB 2 is in fluid communication with the cleaner body; a rotatable drum mounted in the nozzle unit; drive means for driving the rotatable drum; a free-wheeling idler pulley that rotates freely with respect to the rotatable drum; a drive source for supplying drive; a first drive belt that delivers drive from the drive source to either the drive means or the idler pulley; a guide member movable between a first position, in which the first drive belt engages with the drive means, and a second position, in which the first drive belt engages with idler pulley.

Preferably, the drive means is constituted by a driven pulley in drivable engagement with

the rotatable drum.

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaner further comprises a cam rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit to move the guide member between its first and second positions, thereby selectively driving the rotatable drum.

Advantageously, the cleaner further comprises a return unit for biasing the guide member towards one of its first and second positions. Preferably, the return unit comprises a resilient spring.

Conveniently, the resilient spring extends from the guide member to an inner wall of the nozzle unit. Preferably, the guide member and the resilient spring are made of a plastics P5 161 64GB 3 material, and are integrally formed by moulding.

The cleaner may further comprise a rotation knob which includes: a handle rotatab]y mounted in an aperture formed in the nozzle unit, the handle being exposed to the outside of the nozzle unit; and a cam member in contact with the nozzle unit.

Preferably, one of the aperture and the rotation knob is provided with at least two fixing grooves, and the other one of the aperture and the rotation knob is provided with a fixing projection for insertion into one of the fixing grooves when the rotation knob is rotated to a predetermined position.

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaner further comprises a middle shaft rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit between the rotatable drum and the drive source, the driven pulley being fixed in the middle shaft, and the idler pulley being freely rotatable with respect to the middle shaft; and a second drive belt for delivering drive from the middle shaft to the rotatable drum, whereby, when the driven pulley is in drivable engagement with the first drive belt, the rotatable drum is driven by power transmitted through the second drive belt.

Advantageously, the cleaner further comprises a drive pulley fixed to the middle shaft, the second drive belt being in drivable engagement with the drive pulley and with the rotatable drum.

P516164GB Preferably, the guide member is slidably mounted within the nozzle unit to enable the guide member to move between the first and second positions.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a cleaner body pivotably connected to the nozzle unit; a projection protruding from that portion of the cleaner body adjacent to the nozzle unit; and an auxiliary guide member for moving the guide member between its first and second positions when the cleaner body moves between its own first and second positions.

The auxiliary guide member may comprise an auxiliary guide body slidably mounted within the nozzle unit, and an auxiliary guide projection projecting from a side of the auxiliary guide body to come into contact with the guide member when the cleaner body is substantially upright, thereby moving the guide part.

Accordingly, for an upright vacuum cleaner, the drive to the rotatable drum is automatically controlled according to the inclination of the cleaner body which is pivotably connected to the nozzle unit.

The invention also provides a nozzle unit for connection to a vacuum cleaner body for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit comprising: a nozzle unit body having a suction inlet for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit body being connected to the cleaner body such that the suction inlet is in fluid communication with the cleaner body; P516164GB 5 a rotatable drum rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit body; drive means for driving the rotatable drum; an idler pulley that rotates freely with respect to the rotatable drum; a drive source for supplying drive to the rotatable drum; a first drive belt for coupling drive from the drive source to either the drive means or the idler pulley; a guide member having a guide part movable between a first position, in which the first drive belt engages with the drive means, and a second position, in which the first drive belt engages with the idler pulley; and a cam operatively associated with the nozzle unit body, the cam operating to move the guide member between the first and second positions.

the rotatable drum.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure l is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner constructed according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the inner structure of the nozzle unit of the vacuum cleaner of Figure l; and Figures 3 and 4 are a perspective view and an underneath view, respectively, showing the operation of the main parts of the nozzle unit of Figure 2.

In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements in P516164GB 6 the different drawings. The detailed construction contained in the description is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Thus, it will be apparent that the invention can be carried out without that detailed construction. Also, well-known functions or structures are not described in detail, since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I shows an upright vacuum cleaner 100 having a cleaner body 110 and a nozzle unit 150. As shown in Figure 2, the cleaner body 110 includes a vacuum source (not shown) and a dustcollecting chamber (not shown), the vacuum source being driven by a motor 120. The cleaner body 110 and the nozzle unit ISO are connected to each other such that a suction inlet 161 (see Figure 2) formed in the base of the nozzle unit fluidly communicates with the vacuum source and the dustcollecting chamber. As the vacuum source operates, it generates a suction force at the suction inlet 161. Dust on a surface to be cleaned is thereby drawn into the dust-collecting chamber with surrounding air by the suction force through the suction inlet 161. The vacuum source may be mounted within the nozzle unit I SO.

The nozzle unit ISO, as shown in Figure 2, comprises an assembly body 160, a rotatable drum 170, a middle shaft 180, a first drive belt 220, a second drive belt 230, a guide member 190 and a rotation knob 200. The rotatable drum 170 is mounted adjacent to the suction inlet 161, and has a plurality of bristles 171 (see Figure 3) on the outer periphery thereof. The rotatable drum 170 is driven by the rotational power of a drive source via the drive belts 220 and 230. A turbine (not shown), which is rotated by air drawn into the cleaner body 110, may constitute the drive source. The motor 120 used to drive the P516164GB 7 vacuum source also constitutes the drive source.

The drive motor 120 is mounted in the cleaner body 110 with its output shaft 121 extending to the nozzle unit l SO when the cleaner body 110 is connected to the nozzle unit.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the middle shaft 180 is rotatably mounted in the assembly body 160 between the rotatable drum 170 and the drive motor 120. The middle shaft 180 carries a drive pulley 182 that drives the rotatable drum 170 by means of the second drive belt 230. The assembly body 160 also includes a driven pulley 181, so named because it is driven by rotational power supplied to it from the motor 120 by means of the first drive belt 220. An idler pulley 183 lies adjacent to the driven pulley 181, so that the first drive belt 220 can be selectively directed to engage either the driven pulley or the idler pulley.

As shown in Figure 3, all three pulleys 181, 182 and 183 rotate about the same axis, which coincides with the axis of rotation of the middle shaft 180. Accordingly, the drive pulley 182 and the driven pulley 181 are driven by the motor 120 about the middle shaft 180. The idler pulley 183 is mounted on the middle shaft 180 so that it can freely rotate about the middle shaft. The idler pulley 183 is, therefore, considered to be "free wheeling", meaning that it can freely rotate about the middle shaft 180, irrespective of the drive and driven pulleys 181 and 182. Rotation of the idler pulley 183 requires little or no energy, that is to say, only the energy required to overcome frictional losses of its bearings (not shown).

Depending on the position of the guide member 190, the driven pulley 181 and the idler pulley 183 can be selectively connected to the motor 120 by the first drive belt 220. The driven pulley 181 and the drive pulley 182 are fixed to the middle shaft 180, however, such P5 161 64GB 8 that both these pulleys rotate together. The second drive belt 230, therefore, delivers power to the rotatable drum 170 from the drive pulley 182, which is in turn driven by the middle shaft 180. Since the drive pulley 182 and the driven pulley 181 are effectively locked to the middle shaft 180, the drive pulley is driven by the driven pulley. The driven pulley 181 is, in turn, driven by the motor 120 via the first drive belt 220. Power from the motor 120 can be removed from the driven pulley 181 and hence from the rotatable drum by moving the first drive belt 220 out of engagement with the driven pulley 181 and into engagement with the idler pulley 183. The first drive belt 220 is moved sideways to ride over the idler pulley 183 by movement of the guide member 190 in the direction of the arrow "A", as shown in Figure 3.

The guide member 190 is movable, as shown by the arrow "A", to direct the first drive belt 220 to engage with either the driven pulley 181 or the idler pulley 183. The guide member includes a belt guide part l9S for restraining the sides of the first drive belt 220. The guide member 190 is slidably mounted in the assembly body 160 such that the guide part slides between a first position, in which the first drive belt 220 engages with the driven pulley 181, and a second position, in which the first drive belt engages with the idler pulley 183.

The rotation knob 200, provided on the top of the nozzle unit l SO is provided for moving the guide member 190 to position the guide part l9S in one of the first and the second positions. To do this, the rotation knob 200 (see Figure 3) is rotatably mounted within an aperture 163 (see Figure 1) formed in the upper surface of the assembly body 160. The rotation knob 200 comprises a handle 201 and a cam 205, the handle being formed at the P516164GB 9 upper part of the knob and being exposed for manual engagement from outside of the assembly body 160. The cam 205 is formed at the lower part of the rotation knob 200 inside the assembly body 160. The cam 205 contacts one side of the guide member 190, and has a non-circular profile. When the cam 205 is rotated by manual operation of the handle 201, the guide member 190 is moved by the contact with the cam so that a first slide projection 165 slides along a slide slot 193. By the movement of the guide member 190, the first drive belt 220 is connected to one of the first driving pulley 181 and the idler pulley 183.

Although not illustrated, in an alternative embodiment, the guide member 190 may be mounted to pivot about a pivot shaft (not shown).

In another alternative embodiment, not illustrated, the driven pulley 181 and the idler pulley 183 may be formed directly on the rotatable drum 170. In this case, the structure of the nozzle 150 can be simplified by omitting the middle shaft 180.

When the rotation knob 200 moves the guide member 190, the guide member and the cam 205 are preferably in constant contact with each other. A resilient spring 191 is, therefore, provided to bias the guide member 190 against the cam 205. The resilient spring 191 extends from one side of the guide member 190 so that a free end thereof contacts an inner wall of the assembly body 160 (not shown in Figure 3). The resilient spring 191 may be integrally formed with the guide member 190, and is preferably formed by moulding a synthetic resin. l

P516164GB 10 When rotation of the rotatable drum 170 is controlled by the resilient spring 191 as described above, noise and vibration can be caused by the first drive belt 220 as it rotates.

To reduce noise and vibration, two fixing grooves 209 are formed in the outer circumference of the rotation knob 200, and a complementary fixing projection 169 (see Figure 4) protrudes from the inner circumference of the aperture 163 (see Figure 1), this projection being engageable with either of the grooves. Accordingly, once the rotation knob 200 is rotated so that a fixing groove 209 engages with the fixing projection 169, movement of the guide member 190 can be prevented until the rotation knob is forcibly rotated by a user, thereby restraining noise and vibration, by over-riding engagement between the fixing projection 169 and that groove 209. The rotation knob 200 may, alternatively, be provided with more than two fixing grooves 209.

Use of the nozzle unit 150 is not limited to use with an upright vacuum cleaner 100.

Although not illustrated, a canister vacuum cleaner can incorporate the nozzle unit 150; though, in this case, the nozzle unit would not be disposed in the body of the cleaner.

With the nozzle unit 150 of the upright vacuum cleaner 100, rotation of the rotatable drum is controlled according to the inclination of the cleaner body 110. Especially when an auxiliary suction tool (not shown) is used instead of the nozzle unit 150, noise from the rotatable drum 170 needs to be prevented by preventing rotation of the drum. For this, the vacuum cleaner 100 is provided with a projection 115 and an auxiliary guide member 210.

The projection 115 protrudes from the cleaner body 110 adjacent to the nozzle unit 150.

The auxiliary guide member 210 comprises an auxiliary guide body 211 mounted in the assembly body 160 for sliding in the direction B (see Figure 3), and the auxiliary guide P516164GB 11 projection 215 projects from one side of the auxiliary guide body 211. The auxiliary guide projection 215 engages and displaces the guide member 190 to move the belt 220 into engagement with the idler pulley 183 when the cleaner body 110 is in a predetermined position with respect to the nozzle unit 150. In a preferred embodiment, when the cleaner body 110 is upright with respect to the nozzle unit 150, the auxiliary guide projection 215 is moved to contact and displace the guide member 190, as shown by arrow B. As the cleaner body 110 is moved to the upright position, and when the nozzle unit 150 is therefore not in use, the auxiliary guide projection 215 gradually moves the guide member until the first drive belt 220 engages with the idler pulley 183.

As can be appreciated, drive of the rotatable drum 170 can be selected by a simple operation of the rotation knob 200. Accordingly, cleaning work can be adaptively performed according to the condition of the surface to be cleaned.

Especially for an upright vacuum cleaner, the driving of the rotatable drum 170 is automatically controlled according to the inclination of the cleaner body 110, thereby facilitating convenient cleaning work.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood, by those skilled in the art, that various changes in form and details may be made.

Claims

P516164GB 12 Claims 1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a nozzle unit having a

suction inlet for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit being connected to a body of the vacuum cleaner such that the suction inlet is in fluid communication with the cleaner body; a rotatable drum mounted in the nozzle unit; drive means for driving the rotatable drum; a free- wheeling idler pulley that rotates freely with respect to the rotatable drum; a drive source for supplying drive; a first drive belt that delivers drive from the drive source to either the drive means or the idler pulley; a guide member movable between a first position, in which the first drive belt engages with the drive means, and a second position, in which the first drive belt engages with idler pulley.
2. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive means is constituted by a driven pulley in drivable engagement with the rotatable drum.
3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a cam rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit to move the guide member between its first and second positions.
4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a return unit for biasing the guide member towards one of its first and second positions.
P516164GB 13 S. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the return unit comprises a resilient spring.
6. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim S. wherein the resilient spring extends from the guide member to an inner wall of the nozzle unit.
7. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 6, wherein the guide member and the resilient spring are made of a plastics material, and are integrally formed by moulding.
8. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims I to 7, further comprising a rotation knob which includes: a handle rotatably mounted in an aperture formed in the nozzle unit, the handle being exposed to the outside of the nozzle unit; and a cam member in contact with the nozzle unit.
9. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein one of the aperture and the rotation knob is provided with at least two fixing grooves, and the other one of the aperture and the rotation knob is provided with a fixing projection for insertion into one of the fixing grooves when the rotation knob is rotated to a predetermined position.
10. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 2 or in any one of claims 3 to 9 when appendent to claim 2, further comprising: a middle shaft rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit between the rotatable drum and P516164GB 14 the drive source, the driven pulley being fixed to the middle shaft and the idler pulley being freely rotatable with respect to the middle shaft; and a second drive belt for delivering drive from the middle shaft to the rotatable drum.
11. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a drive pulley fixed to the middle shaft, the second drive belt being in drivable engagement with the drive pulley and with the rotatable drum.
12. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the guide member is slidably mounted within the nozzle unit to enable the guide member to move between the first and second positions.
13. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 1, further comprising: a cleaner body pivotably connected to the nozzle unit; a projection protruding from that portion of the cleaner body adjacent to the nozzle unit; and an auxiliary guide member for moving the guide member between its first and second positions when the cleaner body moves between its own first and second positions.
14. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the auxiliary guide member composes: an auxiliary guide body slidably mounted within the nozzle unit; and an auxiliary guide projection projecting from a side of the auxiliary guide body to come into contact with the guide member when the cleaner body is substantially upright.

P516164GB
1 5 I S. A nozzle unit for connection to a vacuum cleaner body for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit comprising: a nozzle unit body having a suction inlet for drawing in dust from a surface to be cleaned, the nozzle unit body being connected to the cleaner body such that the suction inlet is in fluid communication with the cleaner body; a rotatable drum rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit body; drive means for driving the rotatable drum; an idler pulley that rotates freely with respect to the rotatable drum; a drive source for supplying drive to the rotatable drum; a first drive belt for coupling drive from the drive source to either the drive means or the idler pulley; a guide member having a guide part movable between a first position, in which the first drive belt engages with the drive means, and a second position, in which the first drive belt engages with the idler pulley; and a cam operatively associated with the nozzle unit body, the cam operating to move the guide member between the first and second positions.
16. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim IS, wherein the drive means is constituted by a driven pulley in drivable engagement with the rotatable drum.
17. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim
IS or claim 16, further comprising a resilient spring for biasing the guide member towards at least one of the first and second positions.

P516164GB 16 18. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 17, wherein the resilient spring extends from the guide member and contacts an inner wall of the nozzle unit body.
19. A nozzle unit as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 18, further comprising a rotation knob which includes: a handle rotatably mounted in an aperture formed in the nozzle unit body, the handle being exposed to the outside of the nozzle unit body; and the cam is disposed in contact with the nozzle unit body.
1020. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 16 or in any one of claims 17 to 19 when appendant to claim 16, further comprising: a middle shaft rotatably mounted in the nozzle unit body between the rotatable drum and the drive source, the driven pulley being fixed to the middle shaft and the idler pulley being freely rotatable with respect to the middle shaft; 15wherein, when the drive means is in drivable engagement with the first drive belt, the rotatable drum is driven by the middle shaft via a second drive belt.
21. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a drive pulley fixed to the middle shaft, the second drive belt being in drivable engagement with the drive pulley and with the rotatable drum.
22. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the guide member is slidably mounted within the nozzle unit body to enable the guide part to move between the first and second positions.

P516164GB 17
23. A nozzle unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the drawings.
24. A vacuum cleaner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the drawings.