CLEANER HEAD FOR A VACUUM CLEANER

Abstract

A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner includes a suction cavity having an opening through which debris enters the cleaner head, and an outlet. An agitator is mounted in the suction cavity in a cantilevered manner for rotation relative thereto. The agitator includes a core which is conical in shape and has a first, free end and a second end which has a larger diameter than the first end. The cleaner head includes an agitator engaging member for pressing against the agitator any debris which has become wrapped around the agitator.

Claims

1. A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner, the cleaner head comprising: a suction cavity comprising an opening through which debris enters the cleaner head, and an outlet; an agitator mounted in the suction cavity in a cantilevered manner for rotation relative thereto, the agitator comprising a core which is conical in shape and has a first, free end and a second end which has a larger diameter than the first end; and an agitator engaging member for pressing against the agitator any debris which has become wrapped around the agitator.

2. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core has an external surface which is inclined at a cone angle to the longitudinal axis of the agitator, and wherein the engaging member extends in a direction which is inclined at the cone angle to the longitudinal axis of the agitator.

3. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cleaner head comprises a sole plate in which the opening is formed, and wherein, in use, the lowermost portion of the external surface of the core is parallel to the sole plate.

4. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging member extends substantially the entire length of the agitator.

5. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging member is biased towards the agitator.

6. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging member comprises a resilient member which is biased towards the agitator.

7. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 6, wherein the resilient member is in the form of a strip of resilient material.

8. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 7, wherein the strip of resilient member has a substantially uniform width.

9. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suction cavity is defined by a substantially conical housing of the cleaner head, and wherein the engaging member is mounted on the housing.

10. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 9, wherein the engaging member is located opposite to the opening through which debris enters the cleaner head.

11. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 9, wherein the engaging member is located adjacent to the opening through which debris enters the cleaner head.

12. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core of the agitator comprises upstanding helical ridges, and the agitator comprises a row of bristles located between the helical ridges.

13. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 12, wherein the engaging member is arranged to press wrapped debris against at least the bristles of the agitator.

14. The cleaner head as claimed in any preceding claim 1, comprising a drive for driving rotation of the agitator, and wherein the agitator is connected to the drive at or towards the second end of the agitator.

15. The cleaner head as claimed in claim 14, wherein the drive comprises a motor located externally of the agitator, and a belt connecting the agitator to the motor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Preferred features of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner;

[0042] FIG. 2 is a top view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 5 is a side view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1;

[0046] FIG. 6(a) is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5, and FIG. 6(b) is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 5;

[0047] FIG. 7(a) is a front view of the core of an agitator of the cleaner head of FIG. 1,

[0048] FIG. 7(b) is an end view of the agitator of FIG. 7(a), FIG. 7(c) is a side view of a row of bristles of the agitator, and FIG. 7(d) is a sectional view taken along line J-J in

[0049] FIG. 7(a) but with the row of bristles located on the core;

[0050] FIG. 8(a) is a front view of the cleaner head of FIG. 1, FIG. 8(b) is a similar view to FIG. 8(a) but with all components removed except an agitator engaging member of the cleaner head, and FIG. 8(c) is a sectional view taken along line M-M of FIG. 8(b);

[0051] FIG. 9 is a front view of a second embodiment of a cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner;

[0052] FIG. 10 is a top view of the cleaner head of FIG. 9;

[0053] FIG. 11 is a side view of the cleaner head of FIG. 9;

[0054] FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the cleaner head of FIG. 9;

[0055] FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 10;

[0056] FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 10; and

[0057] FIG. 15 is part of a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058] FIGS. 1 to 5 are external views of a first embodiment of a cleaner head 10 for a vacuum cleaner. The cleaner head 10 comprises a conical front housing 12, a rear housing 14 connected to the front housing 12, and a sole plate 16 connected to the front housing 12. One or more of the rear housing 14 and the sole plate 16 may be integral with the front housing 12, and are preferably formed from plastics material. In use, the sole plate 16 is placed upon the floor surface to be cleaned.

[0059] With particular reference to FIG. 4, the sole plate 16 comprises a leading section 18 and a trailing section 20 located on opposite sides of a suction opening 22 through which an airflow is drawn into the cleaner head 10. The suction opening 22 is generally trapezoidal in shape, and is delimited by a front working edge 24, a rear working edge 26 which is inclined relative to the front working edge 24, a relatively long first side edge 28 and a relatively short, second side edge 30 which is parallel to the first side edge 28. The front working edge 24 is defined by the intersection of the leading section 18 of the sole plate 16 with the front housing 12, and the rear working edge 26 is defined by the intersection of the trailing section 20 of the sole plate 16 with the front housing 12. The working edges 24, 26 agitate the fibres of a carpeted floor surface as the cleaner head is manoeuvred over such a surface. The second side edge 30 is defined by the bottom end of a side wall 32 of the front housing 12.

[0060] With reference also to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the front housing 12 defines a conical suction cavity 34 which receives the airflow drawn into the cleaner head 10 through the suction opening 22. The suction cavity 34 houses an agitator 36 for agitating the fibres of a carpeted floor surface. The agitator 36 is in the form of a brush bar which is rotatable relative to the front housing 12, and suction cavity 34, about an axis which is collinear with the longitudinal axis of the agitator 36. As illustrated in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), the agitator 36 comprises a hollow core 38, which in this embodiment is conical in shape. The core 38 is formed from a relatively rigid plastics material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The core 38 comprises a conical external surface 40 which extends between a relatively small first end 42 and a relatively large second end 44. The cone angle of the core 38, that is, the angle subtended between the longitudinal axis of the core and external surface 40 of the core 38, is preferably in the range from 5 to 15°, and in this embodiment is approximately 7°.

[0061] A pair of helical ridges 46, 48 are upstanding from the external surface 40 of the core 38, and extend helically along the external surface 40 of the core 38 from the second end 44 to the first end 42 thereof. The ridges 46, 48 extend substantially the entire length of the core 38, and extend about the external surface 40 by around 450°. The ridges 46, 48 are preferably integral with the core 38 so that the ridges 46, 48 do not deform excessively upon contact with a floor surface. The ridges 46, 48 define a helical channel 50 therebetween which receives a bristle strip 52 (not shown in FIG. 4). The bristle strip 52 comprises a flexible bristle base 54 and a row of bristles 56 woven into the bristle strip 54. The bristles 56 are formed from nylon, and have sufficient strength to agitate dust and debris located upon a surface to be cleaned in use, whilst still having sufficient flexibility to resiliently deform relative to the bristle base 54. As illustrated in FIG. 7(c), the bristles 56 are arranged on the bristle base 54 so that the bristles 56 are inclined at an acute angle to the bristle base 54. The inclination of the bristles 56 may be achieved following their attachment to the bristle base 54 by subjecting the bristles 56 to a hot rolling process to deform the bristles 56 so that they are inclined towards the bristle base 54. The acute angle is preferably in the range from 20 to 60°, more preferably in the range from 30 to 50°. The bristle strip 52 is then inserted into, and secured to, the channel 50 so that the direction of the taper of the bristles 56, as indicated in FIG. 7(c), extends towards the first end 42 of the core 42. The bristles 56 are thus inclined towards the first end 42 of the core 38, but such that the direction of taper extends helically about the core 38 from the second end 44 towards the first end 42 of the core 38.

[0062] The length of the bristles 56 is selected so that the bristles 56 protrude outwardly beyond the tips of the ridges 46, 48. As measured in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the core 38, the height of the upstanding ridges 46, 48 is preferably at least 50% of the height of the bristles 56.

[0063] The agitator 36 is mounted within the suction cavity 34 in a cantilevered manner so that the first end 42 of the core 38 is spaced from the side wall 32 of the front housing 12. The first end 42 may thus be referred to as a free end of the agitator 36. The spacing between the first end 42 of the core 38 and the side wall 32 is preferably in the range from 2 to 10 mm, more preferably in the range from 3 to 5 mm. The agitator 36 is mounted so that the longitudinal axis of the agitator is inclined at an acute angle to a plane containing the suction opening 22. This acute angle is preferably in the range from 5 to 15°, and in this embodiment is approximately 7°. As illustrated in FIG. 6(b), the agitator 36 is mounted such that the lowermost portion of the external surface 40 of the core 38 is parallel to the plane containing the suction opening 22. The length of the bristles 56 is selected such that, when not subject to external forces, the lowermost tips of the bristle strip 52 are located in the plane containing the suction opening 22.

[0064] The rotation of the agitator 36 is driven by a motor (not shown) which is housed inside the rear housing 14. The motor is arranged to rotate the agitator 36 in such a direction that the bristles 56 sweep dirt and debris rearwardly, that is, over the rear working edge 26, into the suction cavity 34. The motor drives a belt 60 which extends between the front housing 12 and the rear housing 14 within a drive housing 62 which is closed by a cover 64. The belt 60 is arranged to drive rotation of a belt drive 66, which is mounted to a cantilever support defined by the drive housing 62. The cantilever support projects away from the belt drive 66 and provides a mount onto which the agitator 36 is rotatably mounted via bearings 68 and agitator fixings 70. A drive dog 72 is connected to the belt drive 66 so as to project through the cantilever support. The agitator 36 is connected to the drive dog 72 via an internal annular collar 74 of the core 38.

[0065] With reference to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the suction cavity 34 comprises a first air outlet 80 and a second air outlet 82 which is spaced from the first air outlet 80. Each of the air outlets 80, 82 is located rearwardly of the agitator 36 and is located above the plane containing the suction opening 22. The first air outlet 80 is larger than the second air outlet 82. The first air outlet 80 is located generally midway between the first end 42 and the second end 44 of the core 38 of the agitator 36. The first air outlet 80 conveys air into a neck 84 of the cleaner head 10, within which the air is conveyed to an outlet 86 of the cleaner head 10. The neck 84 includes a connector 88 for connecting the cleaner head 10 to a vacuum cleaner, and electrical connectors 90 for connecting the motor to a power source of the vacuum cleaner.

[0066] The second air outlet 82 is located adjacent to the first end 42 of the core 38, and is preferably partially defined by the side wall 32 of the first housing 12. The second air outlet 82 conveys air into a duct 92 which extends externally between the first housing 12 and the neck 84. The duct 92 is preferably rigid and is preferably integral with at least part of the front housing 12 and/or at least part of the neck 84. The duct 92 conveys air from the second air outlet 82 to an air inlet port located within the neck 84, between the first air outlet 80 and the outlet 86 of the cleaner head 10.

[0067] With reference to FIG. 6(b) and FIGS. 8(a) to 8(c), the cleaner head 10 also includes an agitator engaging member 96 for engaging the agitator 36. The engaging member 96 is mounted on the first housing 12 so as to protrude into the suction cavity 34 to engage the agitator 36. The engaging member 96 comprises a flexible strip 98 of resilient material which is gripped by a support 100 along its length, and which presses against the at least the bristles 56 of the agitator 36. The engaging member 96 extends substantially the entire length of the agitator 36 so that, with rotation of the agitator 36, the engaging member 96 presses against substantially the entire row of bristles 56. As indicated in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), the engaging member 96 extends in a direction which is inclined at the cone angle to the longitudinal axis of the agitator 36 so that it lies substantially parallel to an upper portion of the external surface 40 of the core 38 of the agitator 36. The flexible strip 98 has substantially uniform width. In this embodiment, the width of the strip of resilient material is approximately 5 mm, and is selected so as to protrude sufficiently into the suction cavity 22 so as to engage at least the bristles 56 of the agitator 36, as shown in FIG. 6(b), but preferably also the tips of the ridges 46, 48 of the core 38. The engaging member 96 is located opposite to the suction opening 22, and preferably protrudes into the suction cavity 22 through a slot formed in the front housing 12.

[0068] In use, an airflow is drawn through the cleaner head 10 by the motor and fan unit of a vacuum cleaner to which the cleaner head 10 is attached. The airflow enters the suction cavity 34 through the suction opening 22. A first part of the airflow leaves the suction cavity 34 through the first air outlet 80 and passes along a first airflow path extending within the neck 84 from the first air outlet 80 to the outlet 86 of the cleaner head 10. A second part of the airflow leaves the suction cavity 34 through the second air outlet 82, and passes along a second airflow path extending within the duct 92 from the second air outlet 82 to the air inlet port of the neck 84, and thus towards the first airflow path. These parts of the airflow thus merge within the neck 84 of the cleaner head 10 before being emitted from the cleaner head 10 through the outlet 86.

[0069] The agitator 36 is driven by the motor to rotate within the suction cavity 34. With the sole plate 22 pressed against a carpeted floor surface, the rotating bristles 56 of the agitator 36 contact, and so transfer energy to, dust particles and debris located on the floor surface, or between the fibres of the floor surface. As the agitator 36 is rotated within the suction cavity 34 so that the bristles 56 pass from the front working edge 24 to the rear working edge 26, the majority of the energised dust and debris is swept rearwardly through the suction opening 22. Whilst the majority of the dust and debris will become entrained within the airflow passing through the suction cavity 34 and pass through the first air outlet 80 or second air outlet 82, some debris, such as hairs, threads, fibres and the like, can become wrapped around the agitator 36. Such debris is encouraged by the conical shape of the agitator 36 to migrate along the length of the agitator 36 from the second end 44 towards the first end 42. Under the action of the engaging member 96, such debris is pressed around the agitator 36 until it falls from the first end 42 of the agitator 36, whereupon the released debris becomes entrained within the second part of the airflow and passes through the duct 92 and into the neck 84 of the cleaner head 10. The inclination of the bristles 56 relative to the external surface 40 of the core 38 encourages the wrapped debris to migrate along the agitator, and not become trapped between the bristles 56. The relative heights of the bristles 56 and the ridges 46, 48 of the core 38 means that any wrapped debris which begins to migrate between bristles 56 towards the bristle strip 54 will be blocked from doing so by its engagement with the tips of the ridges 46, 48, and so continue to migrate along the agitator 36 towards the first end 42.

[0070] FIGS. 9 to 12 are external views of a second embodiment of a cleaner head 110 for a vacuum cleaner. The cleaner head 110 comprises a housing formed from a lower housing section 112 and an upper housing section 114 which is moveable relative to, and about, the lower housing section 112. A sole plate 116 is connected to, and is preferably integral with, the lower housing section 112. Similar to the sole plate 16 of the first embodiment, the sole plate 116 comprises a leading section 118 and a trailing section 120 located on opposite sides of a suction opening 122 through which an airflow is drawn into the cleaner head 110. The suction opening 122 is generally trapezoidal in shape, and is delimited by a front working edge 124, a rear working edge 126 which is inclined relative to the front working edge 124, a relatively long first side edge 128 and a relatively short, second side edge 130 which is generally parallel to the first side edge 128. The working edges 124, 126 agitate the fibres of a carpeted floor surface as the cleaner head 110 is manoeuvred over such a surface.

[0071] With reference also to FIGS. 13 and 15, the lower housing section 112 and the upper housing section 114 define a conical suction cavity 134 which receives the airflow drawn into the cleaner head 110 through the suction opening 122. The suction cavity 134 houses an agitator 136 for agitating the fibres of a carpeted floor surface. The agitator 136 is in the form of a brush bar which is rotatable relative to the housing sections 112, 114 and suction cavity 134, about an axis which is collinear with the longitudinal axis of the agitator 136. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the agitator 136 comprises a hollow core 138, which in this embodiment is also conical in shape. The core 138 is formed from a relatively rigid plastics material, such as ABS. The core 138 comprises a conical external surface 140 which extends between a relatively small first end 142 and a relatively large second end 144. In this embodiment, the cone angle of the core 138 is approximately 5°.

[0072] In this embodiment, tufts of bristles 156 are mounted on the core 138 of the agitator 136. The tufts of bristles 156 are arranged in a helical row which extends about the core 138 of the agitator 136. The tufts of bristles 156 may be individually connected to the core 138, for example using a stapling technique. Alternatively, the tufts of bristles 156 may be provided in the form of a bristle strip in which tufts of bristles 156 are mounted on a bristle base which is inserted into a helical channel extending about the core 138.

[0073] The bristles 156 are formed from nylon, and have sufficient strength to agitate dust and debris located upon a surface to be cleaned in use, whilst still having sufficient flexibility to resiliently deform relative to the bristle base or the core 138 of the agitator 136. Similar to the first embodiment, the bristles 156 are arranged on the core 138 so that the bristles 156 are inclined towards the first end 142 of the core 138, but such that the direction of the taper of the bristles 156 extends helically about the core 138 from the second end 144 towards the first end 142 of the core 138.

[0074] As in the first embodiment, the agitator 136 is mounted within the suction cavity 134 in a cantilevered manner so that the first end 142 of the core 138 is spaced from the side wall 158 of the lower housing section 112. In this embodiment, the spacing between the first end 142 of the core 138 and the side wall 158 is preferably in the range from 10 to 20 mm. The agitator 136 is mounted so that the longitudinal axis of the agitator 136 is inclined at an acute angle to a plane containing the suction opening 122. This acute angle is preferably in the range from 5 to 15°, and in this embodiment is approximately 5°. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the agitator 136 is mounted such that the lowermost portion of the external conical surface 140 of the core 138 is parallel to the plane containing the suction opening 122. The length of the bristles 156 is selected such that, when not subject to external forces, the lowermost tips of the bristles 156 are located beneath the plane containing the suction opening 122.

[0075] The rotation of the agitator 136 is driven by a motor 160, illustrated in FIG. 14, which is housed inside the upper housing section 114. The motor is arranged to rotate the agitator 136 in such a direction that the bristles 156 sweep dirt and debris rearwardly, that is, over the rear working edge 126, into the suction cavity 134. The connection of the motor 160 to the agitator 136 is the same as the connection of the motor to the agitator 36 of the cleaner head 10.

[0076] In this embodiment, the suction cavity 134 comprises a single air outlet 182. The air outlet 182 is located in a similar position to the air outlet 82 of the cleaner head 10; the air outlet 182 is located rearwardly of the agitator 136 and is located above the plane containing the suction opening 122. With particular reference to FIG. 13, in this embodiment though the air outlet 182 is spaced from the free end 142 of the agitator 136 along the longitudinal axis X of the agitator 136. The spacing of the air outlet 182 from the free end 142 of the agitator 136 along this direction is preferably less than 10 mm, more preferably less than 5 mm. The air outlet 182 conveys air into a duct 192 which extends externally between the upper housing section 114 and a neck 184 of the cleaner head 110. The duct 192 is preferably rigid and is preferably integral with the upper housing section 114 and/or at least part of the neck 184. The duct 192 conveys air from the air outlet 182 to an air inlet port located within the neck 184 between the housing and the outlet 186 of the cleaner head 110. As in the first embodiment, the neck 184 includes a connector 188 for connecting the cleaner head 110 to a vacuum cleaner, and electrical connectors 190 for connecting the motor 160 to a power source of the vacuum cleaner.

[0077] With reference to FIG. 15, the cleaner head 110 also includes an agitator engaging member 196 for engaging the agitator 136. The engaging member 196 is mounted on the inner surface of the lower housing section 112 so as to protrude into the suction cavity 134 to engage the agitator 136. The engaging member 196 extends substantially the entire length of the agitator 136 so that, with rotation of the agitator 136, the engaging member 196 presses against substantially the entire row of bristles 156. In this embodiment, the engaging member 196 is located adjacent the suction opening 122 of the cleaner head 110.

[0078] In use, an airflow is drawn through the cleaner head 110 by the motor and fan unit of a vacuum cleaner to which the cleaner head 110 is attached. The airflow enters the suction cavity 134 through the suction opening 122. The airflow leaves the suction cavity 134 through the air outlet 182, and passes along an airflow path extending within the duct 192 from the air outlet 182 to the air inlet port of the neck 184, and then from the air inlet port to the air outlet 186. The agitator 136 is driven by the motor 160 to rotate within the suction cavity 134. With the sole plate 122 pressed against a carpeted floor surface, the rotating bristles 156 of the agitator 136 contact, and so transfer energy to, dust particles and debris located on the floor surface, or between the fibres of the floor surface. As the agitator 136 is rotated within the suction cavity 134 so that the bristles 156 pass from the front working edge 124 to the rear working edge 126, the majority of the energised dust and debris is swept rearwardly through the suction opening 122. Whilst the majority of the energised dust and debris becomes entrained within the airflow passing through the suction cavity 134 and passes through the air outlet 182, some debris, such as hairs, threads, fibres and the like, can become wrapped around the agitator 136. Such debris is encouraged by the conical shape of the agitator 136 to migrate along the length of the agitator 136 from the second end 144 towards the first end 142. Under the action of the engaging member 196, such debris is pressed around the agitator 136 until it falls from the first end 412 of the agitator 136, whereupon the released debris becomes entrained within the airflow and passes through the duct 192 and into the neck 184 of the cleaner head 10. As in the first embodiment, the inclination of the bristles 156 relative to the external surface 140 of the core 138 encourages the wrapped debris to migrate along the agitator 136.