Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0405—Driving means for the brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0411—Driving means for the brushes or agitators driven by electric motor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B13/00—Brushes with driven brush bodies or carriers
  • A46B13/02—Brushes with driven brush bodies or carriers power-driven carriers
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0455—Bearing means therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/04—Nozzles with driven brushes or agitators
  • A47L9/0461—Dust-loosening tools, e.g. agitators, brushes
  • A47L9/0466—Rotating tools
  • A47L9/0477—Rolls
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L2201/00—Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation

Definitions

• the present disclosure is directed to vacuum cleaners in general and to brush assemblies for a vacuum cleaner in particular.
• the present disclosure is directed to inventive embodiments of a vacuum cleaner apparatus having a brush assembly which provides effective cleaning with reduced suction and intake area.
• Various embodiments are directed to a brush assembly housed within an intake area and containing a motor subassembly.
• the brush assembly may rotate freely with respect to the motor subassembly contained within the brush assembly.
• the diameter of the brush assembly may be less than 2 inches to fit within a smaller intake area, and the brush core may be between 1 and 1.75 inches in diameter to accommodate the motor.
• the various embodiments described herein allow the brush core to be removed from the motor subassembly with minimal effort, as it is not attached in the linear direction.
• the housing may be constructed to constrain the brush when it is installed.
• the brush core itself may contain no electronics or bearings, which allows it to be washed or cleaned easily and without risk to the mechanisms that drive the device. This has the incidental benefit of allowing the motor to be easily cleaned or replaced if necessary due to wear and tear on the machine over its lifetime.
• FIG. 1 is a diagram of area losses for common brush drives.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic of a brush assembly and a motor subassembly according to an embodiment.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic of a housing defining an intake area according to an embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic of a brush core assembly and a motor subassembly within a housing according to an embodiment.
• FIG. 2 there is shown in FIG. 2 an embodiment of an integrated motor subassembly 13 and brush assembly 12 that may be positioned near the interior edge of the housing 10, (such that the brush assembly 12 may agitate dirt that is positioned near a wall or obstacle) that may employ the full width of the intake area, and that may be easily removed for maintenance and cleaning.
• the brush assembly 12 may be positioned within a housing 10 defining an intake area (i.e. an inner cavity that contains the brush assembly and through which dirt and debris may be drawn).
• an intake area i.e. an inner cavity that contains the brush assembly and through which dirt and debris may be drawn.
• the housing 10 may define the intake area 11 near to the edge of the front of the autonomous vacuum cleaner 9.
• the brush assembly 12 may be positioned near to the wall of the housing 10, such that the distance between the center line of the brush assembly 12 and the outer wall of the housing 10 is minimized.
• the brush assembly 12 may comprise a brush core
• the agitators may be bristles, rigid plastic or rubber ridges or some other geometry intended to protrude into a carpeted surface (or to brush against a hard surface) to lift the particles upward into the flow of the intake.
• the diameter of the brush core 1, including the agitators may be less than two inches; however, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that any diameter of brush may be used according to varying applications.
• brush core 1 may include a bearing 2, or a cavity for receiving a bearing, such that brush core 1 may rotate freely inside the housing 10. Accordingly, brush core 1 may be detachably mounted within and rotate freely with respect to housing 10.
• Brush core 1 may be driven by a motor 4 that is housed within brush core 1, but is independently supported and fixed relative the rotation of brush core 1.
• motor 4 may be contained within brush core 1.
• motor 4 may be operatively connected to a power connector 5 to receive power necessary to drive motor 4.
• Motor 4 may be connected to power connector 5 via a motor support 3.
• Power connector 5 may thus function as a cantilever, supporting motor 4 on one side, independent of brush core 1, allowing brush core 1 to rotate freely about motor 4.
• Brush core 1, as described above, may be detachably and rotationally mounted to housing 10 on one side, while the other side of brush core 1 may be supported by and rotate with respect to motor subassembly 13 via a bearing 6 or other similar structure.
• motor adapter 7 may include a spider coupling 8 (shown in FIG. 2), wherein one piece of the spider coupling 8 may be mounted to motor adapter 7 and engage with a second piece of the spider coupling 8 mounted within brush core assembly 12.
• any other coupling may be used that may transmit power to brush core 1, such as a geared linkage or other structure.
• motor 4 may be housed within the brush assembly 12 and transmit power to the brush assembly 12 via motor adapter 7 without a mechanical linkage that would consume space along the outer surface of brush core 1.
• the diameter of brush core 1 may be between 1-1.75 inches to allow enough room for motor 4.
• brush core 1 may be any diameter suitable for receiving and housing motor 4.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Nozzles For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=59789813

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (1)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2017
  • 2017-03-08 US US16/082,075 patent/US20190365172A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-03-08 JP JP2018548098A patent/JP2019508159A/ja active Pending
  • 2017-03-08 EP EP17763979.6A patent/EP3426119A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2017-03-08 WO PCT/US2017/021313 patent/WO2017156094A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events