GB2550041A

GB2550041A - Staubsauger

Info

Publication number: GB2550041A
Application number: GB1704318.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Digler Horst
Original assignee: Wessel Werk GmbH
Current assignee: Wessel Werk GmbH
Priority date: 2016-03-29
Filing date: 2017-03-17
Publication date: 2017-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 2037-03-17
Also published as: FR3049451A1; GB201704318D0; FR3049451B1; GB2550041B; DE102016105687A1

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprises a floor part 1 that includes a brush 3 which can be driven by an electric motor 2, and a vacuum cleaner housing 7, which is connected via a suction pipe 5 and a suction tube 6 to the floor part 1 and which includes a fan 8 and a dirt collecting chamber 9. The suction pipe 5 has an electric energy storage unit 10 for supplying the electric motor 2 arranged on it. The energy storage unit 10 preferably comprises a pipe-shaped passage which encloses the pipe and may include a cylindrical outer wall which is in form-locked contact with the pipe-shaped passage. The energy storage unit preferably includes at least one accumulator (10a, fig 2a).

Description

VACUUM CLEANER DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner with a floor part comprising a brush which can be driven by an electric motor, and a vacuum cleaner housing, which is connected to the floor part via a suction pipe and a suction tube and which includes a fan and a dirt collecting chamber.

For more demanding cleaning requirements the floor parts of vacuum cleaners are often equipped with additional cleaning devices such as rotatingly driven brush rollers. This however, in principle, poses the question as to how the drive of such a cleaning means should be realised. A widespread solution consists in an air turbine being provided in the floor parts, which is driven by the incoming suction air current and transmits the rotary movement onto the brush roller. However, this has the disadvantage of withdrawing energy from the suction air current resulting in a negative influence on the cleaning effect. Furthermore the turbines may become clogged by dirt carried along in the suction air current, thereby also negatively impacting their performance.

Other solutions, on which the present invention is based, provide for the cleaning means to be electrically driven. This again means that an electrical supply must be available for the electric motor.

On the one hand the electric motor in the floor part can be supplied with power from the energy supply of the fan in the vacuum cleaner housing. This, however, requires lines to be run between the vacuum cleaner housing and the floor part, which, however, must be very long in order to bridge the distance between the vacuum cleaner housing and the floor part. Furthermore they must also be able to withstand considerable stresses, which for example occur when cables have to be run in or along a flexible suction hose. A known alternative to this is to provide an accumulator in the floor part. With embodiments of this kind it is disadvantageous, however, that the vacuum cleaner cannot be used while the accumulator is being charged. In a professional working environment in which cleaning power must be continuously available over prolonged periods of time, such an interruption of the workflow is not acceptable .

Similarly, a variant is known from DE 198 05 900 Cl, wherein an energy storage unit is plugged into the outside of the floor part, has proven to be cumbersome and moreover is problematic from a hygienic perspective because of the energy storage unit coming into regular contact with the contaminated floor surface. In addition this arrangement makes it difficult to handle the floor nozzle.

Against this background the invention is based on the requirement to improve the energy supply of the electric motor arranged in the floor part of a generic vacuum cleaner for operating the cleaning device. In particular operability shall be enhanced and handling shall be made easier.

The subject matter of the invention and the solution to this requirement is a vacuum cleaner according to claim 1.

The generic vacuum cleaner includes a floor part, which comprises a brush, in particular a brush roller, which can be driven by an electric motor. The floor part is connected via a suction pipe and a suction tube to a vacuum cleaner housing which comprises a fan and a dirt collecting chamber. According to the invention the suction pipe has an electrical energy storage unit for supplying energy to the electric motor arranged on it, which is carried by the suction pipe. An energy storage unit arranged on the suction pipe has the advantage that there is no need for long transmission paths between the energy storage unit and the electric motor arranged in the floor part. Nevertheless the energy storage unit can be reliably kept at the distance from the contaminated floor surface. Furthermore for operating reasons it is advantageous to provide the inert mass of the energy storage unit on the suction pipe, through which during operation forces are introduced into the vacuum cleaner nozzle. As a result the user is in more direct control than if he were to handle the energy storage unit via one or more pivot joints.

Preferably the energy storage unit is detachably connected to the pipe and/or the floor part. As a result it is possible to charge or transport the energy storage unit separately. It is also possible to hold a number of similar energy storage units in readiness, of which one respectively is in use on the vacuum cleaner, whilst the others are being charged or held in readiness in a charged state. This ensures that, particularly in professional applications, an uninterrupted cleaning operation is possible .

According to a preferred embodiment the energy storage unit comprises the suction pipe, at least partially. On the one hand, this simplifies fastening because the energy storage unit can be held on the suction pipe by at least a partial form-lock. On the other hand this also means that the point of gravity of the energy storage unit is shifted closer to the longitudinal axis of the suction pipe. Handling is thereby improved; the energy storage unit is regarded by the user as part of the suction pipe. In particular the energy storage unit encompasses the suction pipe in such a way that its point of gravity inside the suction pipe, in particular, lies on its longitudinal axis.

Preferably the energy storage unit may be configured with a pipe-shaped passage, which encloses the suction pipe concentrically. In particular this allows to make the best of the mentioned advantages of the form-lock and the shift in the point of gravity. The energy storage unit, in its overall design, may conveniently be constructed point-symmetrically or preferably rotation-symmetrically about a central axis.

Especially preferably the suction pipe comprises a cylindrical outer wall, with which the pipe-shaped passage is in form-locked contact. In case the suction pipe is equipped with a telescopic function, it is obvious to provide the energy storage unit on an outer telescopic portion. This may, for example, form the end which adjoins the floor part.

Preferably the energy storage unit comprises terminal contacts, which are connected with associated countercontacts on the floor part or order to establish electrical contact between the energy storage unit and the electric motor. The terminal contacts and/or the counter-contacts can be conveniently configured as flat contacts or pin contacts with associated receiving sockets. Preferably the electrical connection between the terminal contacts and the counter-contacts is established by properly attaching the energy storage unit to the suction pipe and/or the floor part without necessitating any separate intervention by the user. With terminal contacts configured as pin contacts or counter-contacts with respectively associated receiving sockets it is convenient to arrange these axially flush with one another in an envisaged inserting direction.

Especially preferably a swivel-mounted suction pipe connection piece connected with the connection pipe is arranged on the floor part. The counter-contacts are arranged on the suction pipe connection piece. On the one hand the suction pipe connection piece is part of the floor part. Thus the counter-contacts arranged thereon and hidden within the floor part can be easily connected to the electric motor. On the other hand, during operation a relative movement between the suction pipe connection piece and the suction pipe is not provided, wherefore there is also no relative movement between the suction pipe connection piece and the energy storage unit.

In order to ensure a correct connection, an anti-twist device may be provided between the suction pipe and the suction pipe connection piece, which also ensures correct positioning of the energy storage unit. Alternatively the terminal contacts and/or counter-contacts can be configured such that an electrical connection is established independently of a relative twist, perhaps in that the contacts are formed circular-shaped or circular-arch-shaped. Alternatively alignment means or twist prevention means may be provided directly between the suction pipe connection piece and the energy storage unit.

Conveniently the energy storage unit comprises operating controls for controlling the energy storage unit. In this way there is then no need for operating controls on the floor part, which is rather awkward. At any rate the energy storage unit arranged on the suction pipe is closer to the user than the floor part. In the simplest case the controls allow the electric motor to be switched on or off. In addition provision may also be made for a number of operating modes or speed stages. This would allow the brush to be operated at different speeds in order to suit different floor coverings and different degrees of soiling. Intermittent or reversing operating modes are also feasible. The controls may be realised as push buttons, rotary selectors and/or menu-controlled operating units. Indication may be provided for the chosen operating mode as well as the current charge state of the energy storage unit in the form of a display and/or control lights (or LEDs).

With a preferred embodiment the energy storage unit includes at least one accumulator. This is preferably configured as lithium ions or a lithium polymer cell. Conveniently the charging electronics is already incorporated in the energy storage unit, which is supplied from an external DC or AC voltage source. Alternatively the charging electronics may be installed in an external part, in particular in a power supply or a charging station.

According to a variant of the embodiment the energy storage unit is arranged on the end of the suction pipe which faces away from the floor part and is connected to the electric motor by means lines integrated with the suction pipe. The said end usually transitions into a handle piece for the user or is directly connected to it. Due to moving it closer to the point of attack it becomes easier, in particular, to swivel the suction pipe with the energy storage unit arranged thereon. The electrical connection between the suction pipe and the floor part is preferably established by ant-twist contacting or contacting independent of the angle of rotation between the suction pipe and a suction pipe connection piece.

The invention will now be described by way of drawings which merely show one exemplary embodiment, and in which fig. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner according to the invention, partially in longitudinal section, fig. 2a shows a cross-section through a vacuum cleaner pipe with the energy storage unit arranged thereon, according to a first embodiment. fig. 2b shows the view of fig. 2a for a second embodiment, and fig. 3 shows an alternative arrangement of the energy storage unit on the vacuum cleaner pipe.

Fig. 1 shows the overall system of the vacuum cleaner according to the invention with a floor part 1 depicted in longitudinal section. This has a brush roller 3 rotatingly driven by an electric motor 2 arranged in it. In the rear area of the floor part 1 a tllt-and-turn connection piece 4 is arranged, with which the floor part 1 is connected to the vacuum cleaner housing 7 via a suction pipe 5 and a suction hose 6. A suction air current which can be generated by an electrically driven fan 8 arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing, conveys dirt particles entering into the floor part 1 and guides these via the suction pipe 5 and the suction hose 6 into a dirt collection chamber 9 arranged in the vacuum cleaner housing 7.

According to the invention an electrical energy storage unit 10, which is carried by the suction pipe 5, is arranged on the suction pipe 5. The suction pipe 5 comprises two telescopically engaging partial pipe sections 5a, 5b, wherein the energy storage unit 10 is attached to the lower outer partial pipe section 5a. The energy storage unit 10 comprises terminal contacts 11 which are connected to associated counter-contacts 12 on the floor part 1 In order to establish an electrical contact between the energy storage unit 10 and the electric motor 2. The countercontacts 12 are arranged on the suction pipe connection piece 4 which are swivel-mounted on the floor part 1.

The sectional view of fig. 2a shows that the energy storage unit 10 completely encompasses the suction pipe 5. The suction pipe 5 comprises a cylindrical outer wall arranged about a centre axis M, which wall is in form-locked contact with a pipe-shaped passage in the energy storage unit 10, which concentrically encloses the suction pipe 5 about the centre axis M. Accumulators 10a are arranged within the energy storage unit 10. In the exemplary embodiment these are cylindrically shaped and aligned axis-parallel with the centre axis M.

With the alternative design according to fig. 2b the energy storage unit is shaped in the form of a 'U' and encompasses the suction pipe 5 only partially. Due to the open shape the energy storage unit 10 can be removed vertically from the centre axis M of the suction pipe 5. The depicted energy cells 10a are cube-shaped and evenly arranged inside the energy storage unit 10.

In the embodiment according to fig. 3 the energy storage unit 10 is arranged on the upper larger pipe section 5a of the suction pipe 5. The U-shaped energy storage unit 10 encompasses the upper pipe section 5a only partially and is retained on it by means of a detachable fastening device 13. The telescoping movement between the upper pipe section 5a and the lower smaller pipe section 5b is controlled by an arresting device 14. The lower pipe section 5b is connected to the suction pipe connection piece 4 of the floor part 1. The top side of the energy storage unit 10 has operating controls 15 for controlling the electric motor 2 arranged on it. The energy storage unit 10 is connected to the electric motor 2 by hidden lines extending within the suction pipe 5. As soon as the energy storage unit 10 is fastened to the suction pipe by means of the locking mechanism 13, these lines are connected to the energy storage unit 10 via automatic contacting. The electric motor 2 is activated using the multi-stage operating controls 15. In addition an indicating device for showing the charge state of the accumulators 10a is provided on the energy storage unit 10. A second indicating device integrated with the operating controls 15 indicates moreover the ready-to-use state / the operating state.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A vacuum cleaner with a floor part (1) comprising a brush (3) which can be driven by an electric motor (2), and a vacuum cleaner housing {1), which is connected via a suction pipe (5) and a suction tube (6) with the floor part (1) and which includes a fan (8) and a dirt collecting chamber (9), characterised in that the suction pipe (5) has an electric energy storage unit (10) for supplying the electric motor (2) arranged on it, which is carried by the suction pipe (5) .

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) is detachably connected to the pipe (5) and/or the floor part (1).

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) at least partially encloses the suction pipe (5).

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) comprises a pipeshaped passage which concentrically encloses the suction pipe (5).

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, characterised in that the suction pipe (5) comprises a cylindrical outer wall, which is in form-locked contact with the pipe-shaped passage.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) has terminal contacts (11), which are connected with associated counter-contacts (12) in the floor part (1) in order to establish an electrical contact between the energy storage unit (10) and the electric motor (2) .

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, characterised in that the floor part (1) has a swivel-mounted suction pipe connection piece (4) arranged on it, to which the suction pipe (5) is connected, and in that the counter-contacts (12) are arranged on the suction pipe connection piece (4).

8. The vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) includes operating controls (15) for controlling the electric motor (2) .

9. The vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that energy storage unit (10) includes at least one accumulator (10a), preferably with charging electronics.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the energy storage unit (10) is arranged on the end of the suction pipe (5) facing away from the floor part (1), and is connected with the electric motor (2) via lines integrated with the suction pipe (5) or run along the same.