JP2019111309A - Dust separator and vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cleaner head that enables hair tangled in an agitator to be easily removed from the agitator.SOLUTION: A cleaner head comprises an agitator supported for rotation about a rotation axis. The cleaner head has a spool which comprises a narrowed waist positioned axially between two radially enlarged portions. The axial end of the agitator terminates in a rim positioned radially outward from and axially in line with the narrowed waist, and is configured to allow hair wrapped around the agitator to travel axially along the agitator and slip off the rim onto the narrowed waist.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaner head of the type that can be used, for example, in a vacuum cleaner.

  The present invention relates specifically to a cleaner head incorporating a rotary stirrer such as a substantially cylindrical brush bar, which is used in a vacuum cleaner to stir the surface being cleaned , Thereby improving the cleaning performance.

  In such a cleaner head, in use, other elongated debris such as hair or threads or wires may wrap around the agitator. The wrapped hair then travels along the agitator and clogs the bearing supporting the agitator. Some vacuum cleaner heads are provided with flanges at the end of the stirrer, which extend radially outward to impede the movement of the hair and reduce the risk of the hair reaching the bearings. Others allow access to the agitator or relatively easy removal so that the user can unwind the wrapped hair from the agitator. However, in any case, the user must immediately stop the operation of the cleaner head to remove the hair, and removing the entangled hair from the stirrer can be relatively difficult and time consuming . Furthermore, while the hair remains wound around the agitator, there is still a risk that the hair may interfere with the operation of the agitator. For example, the hair may be trapped between the hair and the housing to prevent the agitator from rotating, or as a spacer that accumulates and prevents the agitator from penetrating deep enough into the carpet fibers It can work.

  One object of the present invention is to alleviate or avoid at least one of the above drawbacks and / or to provide an improved or alternative cleaner head or vacuum cleaner.

  According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cleaner head comprising an agitator supported for rotation about a rotational axis, the cleaner head being located axially between two radially enlarged portions The axial end of the stirrer is located radially outward from the narrowing neck and terminates in a ridge axially aligned with the narrowing neck, the stirrer It is configured to allow the hair wrapped around to move axially along the agitator and slide down from the buttocks to the narrowing necks.

  The present invention allows the hair to slide off the agitator, thereby reducing the risk that hair wrapped around the agitator will interfere with the functioning of the agitator, the user interrupting use and the agitator It provides a safe place to store the hair dropped from the agitator while avoiding the need to manually release the hair from the hair so that the hair is less likely to clog the bearings. Thus, the cleaner head according to the invention is more reliable and / or can be used continuously for a longer period of time. Furthermore, it may be easier or faster for the user to remove the hair from the spool than from the agitator.

  If the axial end of the stirrer does not have a mechanism (such as radial flanges or a sufficient increase in diameter) of the axial end “the hair wrapped around the stirrer is It can be configured to "move axially along and allow it to slide off the buttocks." For example, the stirrer may be substantially cylindrical and the axial end may have an average diameter which remains constant or decreases towards the buttocks.

  The agitator and the spool may be movable relative to one another along the rotational axis, thereby drawing the spool from the agitator. This may allow for easier removal of the hair wrapped around the narrowing neck of the spool than if the user needs to reach into the stirrer and remove the hair from the spool.

  The agitator may be located in a housing having an opening through which the agitator may be removed from the housing, the opening being selectively closable by an end cap.

  Cleaning or repairing / replacement of the agitator (e.g., to move along the agitator and remove hair that has not dropped into the narrowing splint) by virtue of the agitator being removable from the housing It can be easier to do. The openings and end caps can advantageously provide a simple or intuitive mechanism, and the stirrer can be removed through this mechanism.

  Alternatively, the agitator may be removable from the housing via another mechanism (eg, the agitator may be removable from the housing by passing the housing through the suction opening of the cleaner head Or the agitator may be permanently fixed to the cleaner head.

  The spool may be provided with an end cap. This can provide a particularly simple mechanism by which the spool can be withdrawn from the stirrer. Furthermore, in some forms, this allows the spool to be withdrawn from the agitator (by removing the end cap), thereby removing the hair from the agitator without the need to move the agitator. .

  As an alternative, an end cap may be provided at the opposite axial end of the stirrer. In such cases, the spool moves the agitator out of the housing through the opening (after removing the end cap), thereby moving the agitator around the spool, thereby removing the agitator from the agitator. It can be pulled out.

  The spool may be part of an agitator support, the agitator support comprising a bearing positioned to rotatably support the agitator. This may improve the rotational stability of the agitator and / or increase the simplicity of the cleaner head.

  A bearing is located inside the constriction neck and may engage a stub projecting from the agitator. This may reduce the risk that hair wrapped around the constriction neck will eventually enter the bearing. As an alternative, the stirrer may comprise a stub supporting the bearing, and the stirrer may have a tubular region engaging the outer surface of the bearing.

  The diameter of the radially enlarged portion may be at least 50% greater than the diameter of the constriction neck. For example, the diameter of the radially enlarged portion may be at least 60% or at least 70% larger than the diameter of the narrowing neck. This may allow the spool to hold a relatively large amount of hair.

  The axial length of the narrowed neck may be at least 60%, preferably at least 70% of its diameter. This may allow the spool to hold a relatively large amount of hair.

  At least 25% of the axial length of the constriction neck may be received in the agitator. For example, at least 50% or at least 75% of the axial length of the constriction neck may be received in the agitator. This may allow for a relatively long constriction neck (and thus a relatively large hair storage capacity) without excessively increasing the overall width of the cleaner head.

  The agitator is rotatable in a first rotational direction and comprises a generally helical array of bristles, the bristles extending around the agitator in the opposite rotational direction towards the axial end doing. This may encourage the hair to move towards the axial end (as soon as the hair can drop onto the spool) as the agitator rotates, thereby providing the above advantages of the present invention. Increase the range of

  The radially enlarged portion may define side walls that are planar or tapered away from one another. This may improve the ability of the spool to hold the hair wrapped around the constriction neck. In contrast, when the side walls taper towards each other, the hair gradually penetrates into the radially expanding portion of increasing diameter, thereby disengaging from the spool.

  The cleaner head may further comprise a drive assembly configured to rotate the agitator, the drive assembly projecting into the agitator. The drive assembly may project into the axial end of the agitator (as soon as the spool can be provided with the drive assembly) or may project into the opposite axial end of the agitator.

Selectively
The cleaner head has a second spool with a constriction neck located axially between two radially enlarged portions,
The opposite axial end of the agitator is located radially outward from the constricted neck of the second spool and terminates in a ridge axially aligned with the constricted neck.

  This may allow the hair to fall from the opposite axial end of the agitator and be held by the second spool in the same manner as described above for the axial end and the spool of the agitator.

  The opposite axial end of the agitator may be configured to inhibit movement of the hair along the axial end towards the buttocks. Alternatively, the opposite axial end allows the hair wrapped around the agitator to move axially along the agitator and slide down from the buttocks to the narrowing neck of the second spool Can be configured.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising the cleaner head according to the first aspect of the present invention.

  An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

It is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the cleaner head of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 from upper direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the cleaner head of FIG. 2 from below. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cleaner head of FIGS. 2 and 3 with some of the components removed; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaner head taken in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the agitator of the cleaner head. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cleaner head with the end cap separated from the cleaner head. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the end cap and cleaner head of FIG. 6; FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner taken through a constricted sphinge supported on the end cap in a predetermined plane, the predetermined plane being perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the agitator.

  Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding features throughout the description and drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum cleaner 2 according to this embodiment is an upright vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner comprises a rolling assembly 4 carrying a cleaner head 6 and an “applicable” body 8. The upright type body 8 can be turned relative to the head assembly 4 and has a handle 10 for steering the vacuum cleaner 2 across the floor. In use, the user grasps the handle 10 and tilts the aptic body 8 until the handle 10 is disposed at a convenient height. The user then rolls the vacuum cleaner 2 across the floor using the handle 10 to pass the cleaner head 6 on the floor and pick up dust and other debris from the floor. Dust is drawn into the cleaner head by a vacuum generator in the form of a motor-driven fan (not shown) mounted and housed in the vacuum cleaner 2 and receives the vacuum pressure generated by the fan to It is ducted in a manner to the centrifuge 12 in which dust is separated from the air. The relatively clean air is then evacuated back to the environment.

  The cleaner head 6 is shown isolated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cleaner head has a housing 14 that defines an agitator chamber 16, the agitator 18 being received within the agitator chamber. The agitator 18 is generally cylindrical and hollow in this embodiment. The agitator has a brush region 19 having a pair of helical grooves 20, which are configured to support a corresponding helical array of stirring bristles (not shown). Agitator chamber 16 rotatably supports agitator 18 so that it can rotate about axis of rotation 22 under the action of a drive assembly (not shown). In this case, the axis of rotation 22 is likewise the longitudinal axis of the stirrer 18.

  FIG. 4 shows the cleaner head 6 with the stirrer 18 and part of the housing 14 removed, and FIG. 5 shows a cross section through the (complete) cleaner head 6. The rotational support and drive of the agitator will be described with reference to these figures in combination with FIGS. 1-3.

  Agitator 18 is provided by agitator support 24 projecting into axial end 26 of agitator 18 and by drive assembly 28 projecting into opposite axial end 30 of agitator 18. , Is supported to rotate. In this case, the drive assembly 28 extends along substantially the entire length of the agitator 18.

  The drive assembly 28 drivingly engages the spool portion 32, the support portion 34, the double wall support sleeve 36 housing the electric motor 38 and the gearbox 40, and the end cap area 44 of the agitator 18. And a driving dog 42. In use, the motor 38 is powered thereby causing the output shaft 46 to rotate and the gearbox to drop this rotation so that the drive dog 42 (and hence the agitator 18) is slower Rotates with greater torque. The support portion 34 comprises a bearing 48 rotatably supporting the agitator 18 via a ribbed support ring 50, which ribbed support ring is positioned between the agitator 18 and the drive assembly 28. To reduce the vibrational transmission between the agitator and the drive assembly.

  The agitator support 24 comprises a spool 52 aligned with the axis of rotation 22. The spool 52 has a narrowed neck 54 located axially between the two radially enlarged portions 56a, 56b, which in this embodiment take the form of a generally annular flange. ing. The axial end 26 of the stirrer 18 terminates in a collar 58, which is radially outward of the neck 54 and is axially aligned with the neck.

  Agitator 18 can be rotated counterclockwise as viewed in a first direction, axial end 26 along axis 22 by drive assembly 28 (ie, agitator 18 is "forwardly rotated") It is. The grooves 20 support the bristles of the helical arrangement (not shown) so that they extend around the stirrer 18 in the opposite direction towards the axial end 26. That is, the bristles extend clockwise around the agitator 18 towards the axial end 26 in a manner similar to a "left hand" thread when viewed from that end.

  The direction in which the bristles (not shown) supported in the groove 20 extend around the agitator 18 is combined with the rotational direction of the agitator 18 so that when the agitator is rotated, the bristles become large debris axially There is a tendency for the cam to move towards the part 26 (likely to propel the waste approximately tangentially). This likewise acts on the hair wrapped around the stirrer 18 and moves it towards the axial end 26. In some vacuum cleaner heads, the same axial end of the stirrer is provided with a radially extending flange, which causes the hair thus moved to fall off the end of the stirrer Prevent interference with the bearings that support the agitator. However, in the present invention, the hair wrapped around the agitator 18 moves axially along the axial end 26 until the axial end 26 slides down from the collar 58 to the narrowing constriction 54 of the spool 52. It is configured to make it possible to

  In this embodiment, the axial end 26 is configured to allow the hair to move axially along the axial end and to drop from the heel, wherein the agitator is And a small diameter tubular portion 60 which intersects the brush area 19 and leads to the collar 58. Thus, the hair moving to the axial end 26 slips down onto the portion 60 and then falls off the heel 58. However, in other embodiments, the axial end may be configured differently while still allowing the hair to move along the axial end. For example, the stirrer may have a brush area which terminates directly at the ridge. In the present invention, the axial end is a mechanism (such as the flange or the cross-sectional area mentioned above) that prevents the hair from moving along the axial end and then falling off the axial end. Can be configured in any suitable manner.

  The spool 52 is configured to hold the hair dropped from the axial end 26 of the agitator 18 onto the spool. The hair wraps around the constriction neck 54, and the enlarged portions 56a, 56b (if the hair wraps around the constriction neck, the diameter of the loop formed by the hair is too small and the enlargements 56a, 56b Hold the hair on these enlarged parts, as it does not enter. In this embodiment, the radially enlarged portions 56a, 56b define both flat side walls 62a, 62b, which are particularly effective in that they hold the hair at the narrowing neck 54. .

  In this embodiment, the diameter of the narrowing neck is about 25 mm, while the diameter of the smaller of the two radially enlarged portions 56b is about 50 mm. Thus, the diameter of the radially enlarged portions 56a, 56b is at least 90% larger (closer to at least 100%) than the diameter of the narrowing neck 54. This advantageously allows a large amount of hair to narrow before the individual loops of the hair have a diameter large enough to slide over one of the radially enlarged portions 56a, 56b. It is possible to wrap around 54.

  Further, in this embodiment, the axial length of the constricted sphincter 54 is about 20 mm, or about 80% of the diameter of the constricted neck. This relatively long narrowing neck 54 also increases the amount of hair that can be restrained by the spool 52. As shown in FIG. 5, about 90% of the axial length of the constriction sphincter 54 is received inside the agitator 18. This provides a more compact arrangement than if more of the axial length of the constriction neck 54 is located outside the agitator 18.

  Similar to the spool 52, the agitator support 24 comprises a bearing 64. In this case, the bearing 64 is supported by the spool 52 on the inside of the constriction neck 54. A bearing 64 engages a stub 66 which projects axially from the axial end 26 of the stirrer 18 and thereby supports the stirrer 18. The bearing 64 is secured within the constriction neck 54 by a circlip 67 but engages the stub 66 only by friction. This allows the agitator 18 and the spool 52 to be moved relative to one another along the axis 22 thereby allowing the spool to be withdrawn from the agitator, as described below.

  Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5, the spool 52 is provided on the end cap 68 of the agitator support 24 and this end cap is released from the housing 14 , Thereby opening the opening 70 in the housing 14 or being attached to the housing, thereby closing the opening 70. The agitator 18 may be removed from within the agitator chamber 16 and around the drive assembly 28 by axially sliding the agitator through the opening 70.

  In this case, the agitator 18 frictionally engages the support ring 50 in the bearing 48 of the drive assembly 28 and, as mentioned above, the stub 66 of the agitator 18 frictionally bears on the spool 52 64 is engaged. When the end cap 68 is removed from the housing 14, the two bearings 48, 64 move apart. Thus, if the frictional engagement between the bearing 64 and the stub 66 is greater than the frictional engagement between the agitator 18 and the support ring 50, then the agitator when removing the end cap 68 from the housing 14 18 comes out with an end cap. The agitator 18 and end caps 68 may then be separated from one another by hand. Alternatively, if the frictional engagement between the bearing 64 and the stub 66 is less than the frictional engagement between the agitator 18 and the support ring 50, then the end cap 68 is removed from the housing 14 The cap 68 and the stirrer 18 separate from one another. The agitator 18 can then be removed from the cleaner head 6 by manually sliding the agitator through the opening 70. In any case, the spool 52 can be withdrawn from the agitator 18, so that the user can easily access the stenosis head 54 and remove the hair from the stenosis head.

  In this embodiment, the end cap 68 is attachable to the housing 14 through a series of annular recesses 72 provided in the end cap 68, which recesses are complementary in the housing 14. Is engageable with the annular row of projections 74. In order to attach the end cap 68 to the housing 14, the end cap 68 is at an angular position about the axis 22 with respect to the housing 14, in which angular position the recess 72 and the projection 74 And are mutually misaligned. This is shown in FIG. The end cap 68 may then be pushed into the housing 14 along the axis 22. This causes the recesses 72 and protrusions 74 to be axially aligned (and press the bearing 64 against the stubs 66 when the agitator 18 is in the agitator chamber 16), but the recesses and protrusions are circumferentially It has been misaligned. The end cap 68 is then rotated about the axis 22, thereby causing the recess 72 to move circumferentially to align with the projection 74. This places the projection 74 in the recess 72, thereby preventing the end cap 68 from being pushed away from the housing 14. To remove the end cap 68 again, reverse the above steps, i.e. rotate the end cap 68 in the reverse direction, thereby causing the recesses 72 and the projections 74 to be circumferentially offset and then the end The cap and housing 14 can be pulled apart.

  Referring now to FIG. 8 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-7, the end cap similarly includes a pivotable latch 76 that is spring biased by a coil spring 78. The latch 76 has a push button 80 and ratchet teeth 82 which engage with ratchet teeth 84 provided on the housing 14. When the end cap 68 is rotated about the axis 22 to position the recess 72 around the projection 74 as described above, the ratchet teeth 82, 84 contact each other and the teeth 84 are generally radially outward Cam move 82. This causes the latch 76 to rotate, allowing the tooth 82 to ride over the tooth 84 and compressing the spring 78. When the end cap 68 reaches its final position and the projection 74 is received in the recess 72, the latch 76 can pivot back under the influence of the spring 78. When the end cap 68 is then biased to rotate in the reverse direction (disengagement of the recess 72 and the protrusion 74), the teeth 82, 84 abut and prevent this movement. When the user rotates the end cap 68 and thereby wants to remove the end cap from the housing, the user presses the push button 80. This may cause the latch to pivot and raise the teeth 82 out of engagement with the teeth 84, thereby causing the end cap 68 to rotate.

  Particularly referring back to FIGS. 4 and 5, it is worth noting that, similar to the spool 52, the spool portion 32 of the drive assembly 28 is positioned between the two radially enlarged portions 88a, 88b. It is to have. Thus, the spool portion 32 is configured to form a second spool and to hold a length of hair wound around its constriction neck 86. Also, similar to the spool 52, the spool portion 32 is aligned with the shaft 22. The opposite axial end 30 of the stirrer 18 terminates in a collar 90 and the spool portion 32 projects into the opposite end 30 so that the collar 90 is axially constricted It is aligned with neck 86. Thus, hair wrapped around the agitator 18 may fall from the heel portion 90 to the spool portion 32 and wrap around the constriction neck 86. However, in this particular embodiment, the opposite axial end 30 is such that it allows the hair wrapped around the axial end to move axially along the axial end. It is not configured. In fact, the opposite axial end 30 has a thin flange 92 arranged to prevent the hair from moving towards the collar 90. Thus, when the hair falls off the buttocks 90, the hair is held by the spool portion 32, but the hair is not urged to fall on the buttocks 90. Thus, the majority of the hair is collected on the spool 52, and the majority of the hair is easily removed from the spool 52 due to the spool 52 being provided on the removable end cap. While being able to do so, hair that nevertheless does not fall from the opposite axial end is prevented from interfering with the bearing 48.

  Of course, various modifications to the embodiments described above can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the spool has a substantially cylindrical constriction neck between two flanges to give the overall shape of the sewing bobbin, but in one alternative, the overall shape of the diabolt of the juggling is The constriction necks themselves may have an hourglass shape and the radially enlarged portions extend outwardly but taper towards one another.

  For the avoidance of doubt, the optional and / or preferred features described above may be used in appropriate combinations, in particular in the combinations set forth in the appended claims. The features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may likewise apply to other aspects of the invention, where appropriate.

Reference Signs List 2 vacuum cleaner, 6 cleaner head, 14 housings, 18 stirrers, 22 rotary shafts, 24 stirrer supports, 26 axial ends, 28 drive assemblies, 30 axial ends, 32 spool portions 2 spools, 48 bearings, 52 spools, 54 narrowing necks, 56a, 56b radially enlarged portions, 58 ridges, 62a, 62b flat side walls, 64 bearings, 66 stubs, 68 end caps, 70 openings, 86 Stenotic neck, 88a, 88b radially enlarged section, 90 hips

Claims (14)

A cleaner head comprising an agitator supported for rotation about a rotational axis, the cleaner head comprising:
And having a spool with a constriction neck located axially between two radially enlarged portions,
An axial end of the agitator is located radially outwardly from the constriction neck and terminates in a ridge axially aligned with the constriction neck and the hair wrapped around the agitator A cleaner head, characterized in that it is axially movable along said stirrer and is capable of sliding down from said ridge to said narrowing neck.   The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the agitator and the spool are moveable relative to one another along the rotational axis, thereby pulling the spool out of the agitator. The agitator is located in a housing having an opening,
The agitator can be removed from the housing through the opening;
The cleaner head of claim 2, wherein the opening is selectively closable by an end cap.   4. A cleaner head as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spool is provided on the end cap. The spool is part of a stirrer support,
5. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the agitator support comprises a bearing positioned to rotatably support the agitator.   6. A cleaner head as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the bearing is located inside the constriction neck and engages a stub projecting from the stirrer.   7. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the diameter of the radially enlarged portion is at least 50% greater than the diameter of the constriction neck.   8. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the axial length of the constriction neck is at least 60% of the diameter of the neck.   9. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least 50% of the axial length of the constriction neck is received in the stirrer. The agitator is rotatable in a first rotational direction and comprises a generally helical array of bristles;
10. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bristles extend around the agitator towards the axial end in a counter-rotational direction.   11. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radially enlarged portions define side walls which are planar or tapered away from one another. Further comprising a drive assembly configured to rotate the agitator;
12. A cleaner head as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive assembly projects into the agitator. And having a second spool with a constriction neck located axially between two radially enlarged portions,
The opposite axial end of the agitator is located radially outward from the constriction neck of the second spool and terminates in a ridge axially aligned with the constriction neck The cleaner head according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that:   A vacuum cleaner comprising the cleaner head according to any one of the preceding claims.