US2297366A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

F. L. PIERCE suc'nowcmmmz Filed July 8, 1939 Sept. 29, 1942.

R O T N E V m e 0 M I I ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1942 Frank L. Pierce,

North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, at

corporation of Ohio Application July 8, 1939, Serial No. 283,331 11 Claims. (01. 15-6) v The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and particularly to new and novel improvements in suction cleaner agitators.

More specifically the-invention comprises a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner which embodies rigid beating elements and flexible brushing elements which are automatically adjustable for selective cleaning operations at varying speeds of agitator rotation.

It is an object of the present invention .toprovide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner agitator. A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved rotary agitator for a suction cleaner embodying automatically adjustable rigid beating elements and flexible brush elements.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner in which the radial extension of the rigid beating elements and flexible brush elements changes at different speeds of agitator rotation. Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner-in which at one speed of agitator rotation the rigid beating elements and flexible brush elements have the same radial projection while at a second speed of agitator rotation the rigid beater elements have a lesser radial projection and the flexible brush elements have a greater projection. These and 1 other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate. Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a front view of a suction cleaner embodying the present invention with a transverse section shown through the nozzle to illustrate the agitator positioned therein;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the agitator upon the line 2-2 of Figure l and illustrates the agitator rotating at high speed and the beater element at its maximum radial extension;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the agitator rotating at low speed, or inoperative, and the beater element at its minimum radial extension;

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 2 but taken upon the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the agitator;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit of the cleaner motor.

of one half The modern suction cleaner embodies suctionwithin the filtering means of the-cleaner.

creating means and surface-agitating means to accomplish its cleaning function. In the cleaning of surface coverings the rigid beating means of the agitator vibrates the surface covering to dislodge therefrom the foreign material. The flexible brush elements of the agitator straighten the pile of the surface covering and give to it a better appearance. The suction-creating means pick up the dislodged foreign material, carry it into the suction cleaner, and finally deposit it These functions are old and well known in suction cleaners of today.

The modern suction cleaner, however, should also be able to clean bare floors uncovered by a covering. In cleaners embodying rotary agitators the rigid beater elements are unadapted for contact with bare, hard floors while the flexible brush elements are adapted for such contact. In the suction cleaner constructed inaccordance with the present invention the cleaner agitator is so designed that at c 'tical speeds of rotation the rigid beater elements and flex'ble brush elements have diflering radial extensions so that, when the cleaner is used upon a bare floor the operator need only cause the agitator to be rotated at a particular speed to give to the flexible brush elements the proper radial adjustment to permit them to sweep the bare floors while the rigid beater elements will be so positioned as .to be inoperative with respect thereto.

Referring again to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, a modern suction cleaner is disclosed with the agitator constructed in accordance with this invention embodied therein. The cleaner is seen to comprise a nozzle I a rotatable agitator 2 and which includes rigid beating elements 3 and flexible brush elements 4. A fan chamber 5 houses a suction-creating fan 6 which is driven by the dependingshaft I of the cleaner driving motor which is unshown but which is of any ordinary typeand is positioned within the motor housing 8 immediately above the .fan chamber 5. A power-transmitting belt 9 drives the rotary agitator 2 from the lower end of the motor shaft. The cleaner is movably supported upon wheels II and, as .in the usual suction cleaner, a pivoted handle I2 is provided which carries the incoming current-conductor I3 and also provides means by which the operator can exert a propelling force.

The agitator 2 is seen body I4 which is formed ing beater element seat i5 to comprise a cylindrical with a helically extendwithin which the within which is positioned Withthe cleaner inoperative and the rotary agitator standing still the relationship of the beater element 3 and the brush back l3, respectively. A small screw 25 extends through the back I! and intoscrew threaded relationship with the lug 24 to provide a detachable connection. Link 22 functions to insure conjoint radial movement of opposed brush and heater elements. The seats l5 mount the rigid beater elements 3 for radial adjustment which is accomplished by'a slight rotating or screwing movement. A slight clearance is provided between the seat and the sides of the rigid beater elements, which are seen to extend parallel to a central radius in any given plane of intersection, as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Transversely extending guide pins 21 at the ends of the rigid beater elements cooperate with slots 23 in the seats is to insure proper alignment. In the case of the brush element the pivotal mounting i3 thereof insures proper movement in all positions. The agitator is seen to be rot atably supported by the longitudinally extending shaft 30 which is suitably and removably supported by common and well known means at the nozzle and walls. At the ends of the bottom of each rigid beater element seat l5 there are provided fiat leaf beater and brush elements, which can be considered in pairs, one upon each side of the driving belt, is as illustrated in Figure 3. The coil springs. acting upon the brush element 4 exerts a force which overcomes, through the intermediate link 22, the opposing force exerted by the leaf springs I! in the rigid element channel. As a result the brush is pivoted to its outermost position. If the cleaner is placed in operation by the operator moving the manually operable switch 33 into contact with conductor 31 so that the motor and agitator rotate at slow speed, no change takes place in the relative radial extensions of the rigid beater element and flexible brush element upon the-rotation of the agitator. In that relationship it is to be noted that the flexible brush I extends to a much greater radial'distance than the rigid beater element 3 and the agitator is so mounted within the nozzle i that in this condition the brush element 4 extends through the nozzle mouth so that it is adapted to sweep bare floors springs l6 which contact the underside of the beater element 3 and prevent chattering. Springs l6 act in opposition to coil springs 20 in each beater and brush pair. The springs 20, however, are the stronger and with the agitator rotating at low speed or standing still the springs i6 acting on each brush are overcome by the coil springs 20 with the result that the rigid beater element 3 and the flexible brush element are positioned as illustrated in Figure 3.

The cleaner driving motor is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 6 in which the motor is indicated by the reference character M and it is seen that the armature and field windings are connected in series. One current conducting lead 33 connects to one side of the field directly. The other incoming current-conducting lead 34 first passes through a manually operable switch 35 so that it is connectible either to the outer terminal of the field winding, by means of the intermediate conductor 31, or to a midpoint thereof, by means of the intermediate conductor 36. In' the former case the entire motor field is in series with the armature and the motor rotates at low speed. In the latter case a part of the motor field is omitted and the motor rotates at high speed. As the rotary agitator 2 is directly connected to the shaft 1 of the driving motor by the belt ,8, the speed of rotation of the motor directly controls the speed of rotation of the agitator and the operator has it within his power to vary agitator speed simply byshifting the position of manually operable switch 35 which in the usual suction cleaner will be positioned at the upper end of the handle l2.

The operation of the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention is as follows:

underlying the cleaner. The rigid beater element 3, however, being extended to a much lesser radial extension does. not extend through the plane of the nozzle mouthand does not contact an underlying supporting surface, be it fioor or rug. If the operator now changes the position of the manually operable switch 35 from conductor 31 over to conductor 36, the speed of the motor is immediately increased. The agitator rotates at a higher speed and thereupon the greater mass of the rigid beater element 3 exerts a centrifugal force which overcomes the opposing springs 20 and causes the rigid beater element to move radially outward in its seat I! and results in the moving inwardly of the brushelement causing that element to pivot about its supporting axis l8 from the position illustrated in Figure 3 to the position illustrated in Figure 4. When so positioned'the rigid beater element and the flexible brush element have substantially the same radial extension and in the operation of the cleaner upon a surface covering undergoing cleaning the covering lifted into contact with the nozzle mouth will be contacted and acted unon by both the rigid beating element and the flexible brush element. v

The advantages of the invention are obvious. When the operator uses the machine upon a surface covering he actuates the machine at high speed and the surface covering is lifted by the suction-creating means effective within the nozzle i and into contact with the nozzle and with the rotary agitator. The rigid beating elements 3, 3 upon each side of the agitator, strike and beat the surface covering undergoing cleaning while the flexible brush elements brush that covering. The suction causes a flow of cleaning air through the nozzle which carries away the foreign material dislodged. If the machine is pushed onto a bare fioor which the operator wishes to clean, he merely causes the machine to rotate decrease in rotational speed causes the rigid beater element 3 in each instance to exercise a lesser centrifugal force to permit the coil springs 20 to pivot the brush elements to their maximum radial extension and to withdraw the rigid beating elements in each instance. The brush elements sweep the underlying bare fioor, the foreign material being carried away by the flow of air into the nozzle.

- I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner a rotary agitator, in-

I claim characterized in that eluding a rigid beater and a flexible brush, means movably mounting said beater and brush for radial movement relative to the axis of rotation during agitator rotation, said beater being adapted to exert a greater centrifugal force than said brush at a predetermined speed of rotation, means interconnecting said beater and brush to move said beater inwardly upon outward movement of said brush and vice versa, and means pposing and overcoming the centrifugal force of said beater below said predetermined speed of rotation.

' 2. In a suction cleaner, a rotary agitator including a body, means rotatably supporting said body, a rigid beater radially adjustable on said body during rotation, a flexible brush radially adjustable onsaid body duringrotation and a linkage interconnecting said beater and brush within said body to efiect simultaneous inward radial movement of said beater and outward radial movement of said brush relative to the axis of rotation, and vice versa, during agitator -rotation.

. and beater to effect the opposition of the centrifugal forces of said beater and brush andthe conjoint movement thereof, and means to exert a force additive to the centrifugal force exerted by said brush to overcome the centrifugal force exerted by said beater to hold said beater at a minimum radial extension below a predetermined speed of rotation only, saidbeater element exerting a greater centrifugal force than said brush element.

4. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a rigid beater, a flexible brush, said beater being of greater mass mounting said beater and brush for rotation about an axis, means interconnecting said beater and brush for conjoint and opposite radial movement relative to the axis of rotation, the connections placing the centrifugal forces of said brush and heater in opposition, and spring means exerting a force supplemental to the centrifugal force of said brush to overcome the centrifugal force of said beater element below a predetermined speed of rotation to hold said brush at a maximum radial extension.

5. The construction defined by the preceding speed of rotation the. centrifugal force exerted by said beater element overcomes the combined forces exerted by said brush and spring to move said beater element to its maximum radial extension..

6. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a beater unit including a beater surface and a mass, 9. brush unit including a flexible brush surface and a mass, said masses being unequal, means mounting'said beater surface and brush surface for rotation about an axis and for free limited radial movement relative thereto, and means interconnecting the masses of said units to exert opposing centrifugal forces in the rotation of saidagitator and to effect the conjoint and opposite radial movement of said beater and brush than said brush, means floatingly at a predetermined surfaces relative to the axis of rotation, and means adapted to exert a substantially constant force supplemental to the centrifugal force exerted by the smaller mass.

'7. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a beater unit including a beater surface and a mass, a brush unit including a flexible brush surface and a lesser mass, means mounting said beater surface and brush surface for rotation about an axis and for free radial movement relative thereto,'means exerting a constant force supplementing the centrifugal force of the brush unit mass and adapted to overcome the centrifugal force of said beater unit mass below a predetermined speed of rotation to force said brush surface to its outermost radial position, and means connecting the masses of said units in opposition and said beater and brush surfaces for conjoint and opposite radial movement relative to the axis of rotation.

"8. In a suction cleaner, a body, a rotary agitator including centrifugally responsive radially adjustable beater and brush elements, a variable speed motor to rotate said agitator at a plurality of speeds, and speed-responsive means to adjust said brush element to a maximum radial extension at one speed of rotation and to adjust said heater elementrto a maximum radial extension at a different speed of rotation,

tor including a centrifugally-responsive radiallyadjustable helically-extending beater element and an axially-extending brush element, variable maximum radial extension at one speed of rotation and to adjust said beater element to a rotation.

10. In a suction cleaner agitator, a hollow cylindrical body, means 'to support said body for rotation about its major axis. a beater element mounted in said body for radial movement, a brush element mounted in said body for radial movement, means within said body interconnecting said heater and brush elements for conjoint and opposite radial movements. characterized in that said beater and brush elementsare radially movable by centrifugal force in agitator rotation, in that said beater element exerts a greater centrifugal force than said brush element, and in that means are provided to comadjust certain of said elements to a maximum radial extension at one speed of rotation and to adjust certain other of said elements to a maxi-.

mum radial extension at a different speed of rotation, said'spring means urging said flrst-referred to certain elements outwardly and said other of said certain elements inwardly.

, V FRANK L. PIECE.

9. In a suction cleaner, a body, a rotary agitamaximum radial extension at a different speed of I l

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