VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner nozzle includes a housing with, formed on an underside of the housing and extending in a transverse direction, a suction orifice that is bounded by what in a working direction aligned perpendicular to the transverse direction is a front suction-orifice edge and by what in the working direction is a rear suction-orifice edge, with a suction duct disposed in the housing and adjoining the suction orifice, with a suction port extension, which is also fluidically in communication with the suction duct and is disposed, relative to the working direction, on a rear side of the housing. The vacuum cleaner nozzle further includes a secondary air aperture disposed in front of the suction orifice and fluidically in communication with the suction duct. The secondary air aperture is at least partly covered by a flexible textile valve element

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising: a housing having an underside and a rear side; a suction orifice formed on the underside of the housing and extending in a transverse direction, wherein the suction orifice is bounded in a working direction aligned perpendicular to the transverse direction by a front suction-orifice edge and by a rear suction-orifice edge; a suction duct disposed in the housing and adjoining the suction orifice; a suction port extension in fluid communication with the suction duct and disposed, relative to the working direction, on the rear side of the housing; and a secondary air aperture disposed in front of the suction orifice and in fluid communication with the suction duct; wherein the secondary air aperture is covered at least partly by a flexible textile valve element.

2. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the secondary air aperture is formed in an end face of the housing.

3. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the secondary air aperture is bounded by a circumferential rim that extends exclusively in a plane aligned perpendicular to the working direction.

4. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the secondary air aperture is directly adjacent to the suction duct.

5. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the secondary air aperture has a minimum height of no more than 4 mm relative to a support plane of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.

6. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the flexible textile valve element has a large number of fibers.

7. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the fibers have a fineness of at most 4 dtex.

8. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the fibers are disposed with a bundle density of at least 50 fibers per mm.sup.2.

9. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the fibers have at least one freely protruding end.

10. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the fibers are disposed without gaps and parallel to one other in a first bristle strip.

11. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 10, wherein the flexible textile valve element has at least one second bristle strip with fibers aligned without gaps and parallel to one other.

12. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 11, wherein the fibers of the first bristle strip and the fibers of the second bristle strip are aligned antiparallel to one another.

13. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the fibers are aligned perpendicular to a flow direction and/or to the working direction.

14. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the flexible textile valve element completely closes off the secondary air aperture.

15. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the flexible textile valve element has an extent of no more than 2 mm in the working direction and/or in a flow direction.

16. The vacuum cleaner nozzle according to claim 6, wherein the flexible textile valve element has an extent of no more than 1 mm in the working direction and/or in a flow direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

[0035] In the drawings,

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a perspective diagram of a vacuum cleaner nozzle according to the invention;

[0037] FIG. 2A shows a longitudinal section through the vacuum cleaner nozzle according to FIG. 1;

[0038] FIG. 2B shows a detail from FIG. 2A; and

[0039] FIG. 2C shows an alternative embodiment of the detail from FIG. 2A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 with a housing 2. The housing 2 extends in a working direction x, in a transverse direction y aligned perpendicular to the working direction x, and in a vertical direction z oriented perpendicular to the working direction x and the transverse direction y. From a comparative examination with FIG. 2A, it is apparent that a suction orifice 3 is formed on an undersidewith respect to the vertical direction zof the housing 2, and extends in the transverse direction y over substantially the entire width B of the housing 2. In the working direction x, this suction orifice 3 is bounded by a front suction orifice edge 4 and a rear suction orifice edge 5. Within the housing 2, a suction duct 6, in which a brush roller 7 is received, is connected from above in the vertical direction z to the suction orifice 3. This brush roller 7 is driven rotatably around an axis of rotation 8 extending in the transverse direction y. The suction duct 6 may be referred to alternatively as a brush chamber.

[0041] Furthermore, the suction duct 6 is fluidically in communication with a suction port extension 10 via an intermediate piece 9. For this purpose, the suction port extension 10 is set up to be connected to a suction line of a vacuum cleaning unit. Thus a negative pressure generated in the vacuum cleaning unit is propagated through the suction port extension 10 and the intermediate piece 9 into the suction duct 6. For this purpose, the fluidic communication between the suction duct 6 and the suction port extension 10in the present exemplary embodiment having an intermediate piece 9is constructed to be substantially leak-tight. This substantially leak-tight construction means that no substantial air infiltration, especially of greater than 5% of the suction air stream, occurs between the suction duct 6 and the suction port extension 10 or a suction line connected to it.

[0042] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 is designed as a so-called double-jointed nozzle. This double-jointed nozzle design means that the intermediate piece 9 is connected to the housing 2 in swiveling relationship around a first tilt axis s.sub.1, while the suction port extension 10 is hinged to the intermediate piece 9 in swiveling relationship around a second tilt axis s.sub.2. In this case, the first tilt axis s.sub.1 and the second tilt axis s.sub.2 are aligned parallel to the transverse direction y. Furthermore, the second tilt axis s.sub.2 coincides with the axis of rotation 11 of running rollers 12, which are fastened to the rear side of the intermediate piece 9. Via the intermediate piece 9, this suction port extension 10 is disposed, relative to the working direction x, indirectly on a rear side 13 of the housing 2.

[0043] Two secondary air apertures 15 are formed on the front 14 of the housing 2in front of the front suction orifice edge 4. On the outside of the housing 2, each secondary air aperture 15 is bounded by a circumferential rim 15a that extends exclusively in a plane n.sub.x oriented perpendicular to the working direction x. See FIGS. 2B and 2C. The secondary air apertures 15 are formed in slot-shaped manner and have a width b that exceeds their height h by more than five times. At the same time, the two secondary air apertures 15 extend substantially over the entire width B of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 and in total make up more than 90% of the nozzle width B.

[0044] According to the invention, the secondary air apertures 15 are at least partly covered by a flexible textile valve element 16.

[0045] As can be inferred from the enlarged detail of FIG. 2B, the flexible textile valve element 16 has a first bristle strip 17 and a second bristle strip 18. In this regard, the first bristle strip 17 comprises a first subset of fibers 17a that are disposed side by side without interruption (in the working direction x and the transverse direction y) and are aligned in a first direction r.sub.1 opposite to the vertical direction z. The fibers 17a of the first bristle strip 17 are gripped at one end with a first carrier 17b, and are clamped and bonded thereon for fastening purposes. In this case, the free ends of the fibers 17a opposite the carrier 17b protrude into the secondary air aperture 15 perpendicular to the flow direction F and end there approximately at the middle.

[0046] Analogously, the second bristle strip 18 has a second set of fibers 18a disposed side by side without gaps and aligned in a second direction r.sub.2. In this case, the first direction r.sub.1 and the second direction r.sub.2 are aligned antiparallel. The fibers 18a of the second bristle strip 18 are also gripped at the ends and held on the housing 2 by a second carrier 18b. The opposite free ends of the second bristle strip 18 also project into the secondary air apertures 15 approximately at right angles to the flow direction F and end at a distance d of less than 1 mm from the free ends of the opposite fibers 17a of the first bristle strip 17. Thereby the secondary air path 15 is almost completely closed by the flexible textile sealing element 16.

[0047] In suction mode, a negative pressure is generated in suction duct 6 by a vacuum cleaning unit. This unit generates primarily a cleaning air stream R, which enters the suction duct 6 through the suction orifice 3. Depending on the prevailing pressure conditions, an air stream entering the housing 2 through the secondary air aperture 15 is also established in the flow direction F. This secondary air stream is united in the suction duct 6 with the cleaning air stream R and is exhausted together with it as suction air stream S in the direction of the suction port extension 10.

[0048] Due to the static and dynamic pressure drop across the flexible textile sealing element 16, the fibers 17a, 18a are bent inward in the flow direction F, whereby they uncover the secondary air aperture 15 at least partly. Dirt particles and coarse dirt particles are able to pass through this aperture as well as through, and also be captured by, the bristle strips 17, 18 formed as fibers 17a, 18. In order to facilitate vacuuming of coarse dirt particles piled up in front of the housing 2, the secondary air apertures 15 are disposed above a support plane 19 of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 at a minimum height H of less than 10 mm.

[0049] In FIG. 2C, a detail from FIG. 2A is illustrated in an alternative embodiment. In contrast to the previously shown exemplary example, the first bristle strip 17 and the second bristle strip 18 are inclined inward in the flow direction F. In this case, the alignment r.sub.1 of the fibers 17a of the first bristle strip 17 includes an angle of greater than 135 with the alignment r.sub.2 of the fibers 18a of the second bristle strip 18. This slight inward inclination facilitates the aperture of the air path in the flow direction F, because the fibers 17a, 18a are made longer and thus offer a larger lever arm for the elastic bending. At the same time, a check valve, which prevents unintentional backflow when the pressure conditions are reversed, is formed in an advantageous manner against the flow direction F. Furthermore, the flexible textile valve element 16 of the further embodiment is disposed directly in a wall of the housing 2, which simultaneously forms an end face 14 and an inner wall 6a of the suction duct 6.

[0050] Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.