Floor Vacuum Cleaner

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor vacuum cleaner comprising a dust collector arrangement mounted on rollers and/or runners, a suction hose, a suction tube and a floor nozzle, wherein the floor nozzle is fluidically connected to the dust collector arrangement via the suction tube and the suction hose, also comprising a motorized fan unit for suctioning an air stream through the floor nozzle, wherein the motorized fan unit is arranged between the floor nozzle and the suction tube such that an air stream suctioned in through the floor nozzle flows through the motorized fan unit and into the suction tube.

Claims

1. A floor vacuum cleaner comprising a dust collector unit mounted on rollers and/or runners, a suction hose, a suction tube, floor nozzle, wherein said floor nozzle is fluidically connected to said dust collector arrangement via said suction tube and said suction hose, and a motorized fan unit for suctioning an air stream through said floor nozzle, wherein said motorized fan unit is arranged between said floor nozzle and said suction tube such that an air stream suctioned in through said floor nozzle flows through said motorized fan unit and into said suction tube.

2. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said motorized fan unit is configured such that, with an aperture of 8, the motorized fan unit has a volumetric flow of more than 30 l/s at an electrical input power of less than 900 W according to DIN EN 60312-1, with an aperture of 8, the motorized fan unit has a volumetric flow of more than 25 l/s at an electrical input power of less than 600 W according to DIN EN 60312-1, and/or with an aperture of 8, the motorized fan unit has a volumetric flow of more than 15 l/s at an electrical input power of less than 300 W according to DIN EN 60312-1.

3. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said floor nozzle comprises a base plate with a base surface which during operation of said floor vacuum cleaner faces a surface to be suctioned, where said base plate has at least one air flow channel parallel to said base surface and with an opening provided laterally in said base plate.

4. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said suction tube has a diameter in a range from 25 mm to 50 mm and/or a length in a range from 600 mm to 1200 mm.

5. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said suction hose has a diameter in a range from 25 mm to 50 mm and/or a length in a range from 1000 mm to 2500 mm.

6. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said floor nozzle is configured or said motorized fan unit is arranged such that no contact between a fan wheel and a test probe according to IEC/EN 60335 is possible through said floor nozzle.

7. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, comprising a blow-out filter.

8. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said floor vacuum cleaner is a bag vacuum cleaner.

9. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, comprising a vacuum cleaner filter bag, where said vacuum cleaner filter bag is a flat bag or a disposable bag.

10. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the bag wall of said vacuum cleaner filter bag comprises one or more layers of a nonwoven and/or one or more layers of nonwoven fabric.

11. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said floor vacuum cleaner is a bagless vacuum cleaner.

12. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein said dust collector unit comprises an impact separator or a centrifugal separator.

13. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said motorized fan unit is arranged on and/or above said floor nozzle.

14. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said motorized fan unit is fluidically connected to said floor nozzle via a tube member.

15. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said motorized fan unit comprises radial fan.

16. The floor vacuum cleaner according claim 1, comprising a second motorized fan unit.

17. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said floor nozzle comprises no rotating brush.

18. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the blow out filter has a filter area of at least 800 cm.sup.2.

19. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the bag vacuum cleaner has a filter area of at least 800 cm.sup.2.

20. The floor vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the bagless vacuum cleaner comprises a blow-out filter having a filter area of at least 800 cm.sup.2.

Description

[0044] Further features are described with reference to the figures, where

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a floor vacuum cleaner;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a floor vacuum cleaner.

[0047] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a floor vacuum cleaner 1. Floor vacuum cleaner 1 shown comprises a dust collector unit 2 which is mounted on rollers 3 and can therefore be moved in a rolling manner. Connected to dust collector unit 2 is a suction hose 4 which in turn is connected to a suction tube 5. Suction hose 4 comprises flexible material which is in particular deformable during operation. The material used is, for example, plastic material. The hose can be connected to dust collector unit 2 detachable in a nondestructive manner or detachable not in a nondestructive manner.

[0048] Suction tube 5 is formed to be rigid so that it can not be deformed by a user during the intended use. The material of suction tube 5 can be plastic material or metal. The connection between the suction tube and the suction hose can formed to be detachable in a nondestructive manner or detachable not in a nondestructive manner. A handle 6 is also attached to suction tube 5.

[0049] Floor vacuum cleaner 1 further comprises a floor nozzle 7 which is via a tube member 8 connected to a motorized fan unit 9. A tilting joint, a rotary joint or a rotary/tilting joint can respectively be provided at the connection point between tube member 8 and motorized fan unit 9 and/or between floor nozzle 7 and tube member 8 and/or motorized fan unit 9 and suction tube 5. Such a joint can also be realized, for example, by way of a bellows. In the arrangement shown, a continuous fluidic connection to dust collector unit 2 is therefore established by floor nozzle 7, tube member 8, motorized fan unit 9, suction tube 5 and suction hose 4. Motorized fan unit 9 is there arranged between floor nozzle 4 and suction tube 5 so that dirty air suctioned through the floor nozzle flows through motorized fan unit 9 into suction tube 5.

[0050] Motorized fan unit 9 is therefore a dirty air motor. This is in particular a motorized fan unit comprising a single-stage radial fan. The motorized fan unit has a fan wheel the axis of which is during intended use parallel to the surface to be suctioned and perpendicular to the intended sliding direction of the floor nozzle.

[0051] The fan diameter can be 60 mm to 160 mm. A motorized fan unit, for example, from the company AMETEK, Inc. can be used, which is also used in Soniclean Upright vacuum cleaners (e.g. SONICLEAN VT PLUS).

[0052] The motorized fan unit of the SONICLEAN VT PLUS was characterized according to DIN EN 60312-1:2014-01 as explained above. The motorized fan unit was measured without the vacuum cleaner housing. For possibly necessary adapters for connection to the measuring chamber, the descriptions in section 7.3.7.1 apply. The table shows that high volumetric flows are obtained at low rotational speeds and low input power.

TABLE-US-00001 AMETEK “dirty air” (fan wheel diameter 82 mm) with aperture 8 (40 mm) negative rotational pressure volumetric Input power voltage speed box flow [W] [V] [RPM] [kPa] [l/s] 200 77 15,700 0.98 30.2 250 87 17,200 1.17 32.9 300 95 18,400 1.34 35.2 350 103 19,500 1.52 37.5 400 111 20,600 1.68 39.4 450 117 21,400 1.82 41.0

[0053] Air is during operation sucked in by motorized fan unit 9. The air stream there enters vacuum cleaner 1 through an opening of floor nozzle 7, is passed through tube member 8 and motorized fan unit 9 and subsequently flows into suction tube 5. Due to the arrangement of motorized fan unit 9 near floor nozzle 7 and—in the direction of air flow—upstream of suction tube 5 and suction hose 4, an overpressure prevails in suction tube 5 and suction hose 4.

[0054] In conventional floor vacuum cleaners, the motorized fan unit is arranged in the dust collector unit, resulting in the entire system comprising the floor nozzle, the suction tube and the suction hose as well as the dust collector unit itself being subjected to negative pressure. In order to prevent deformation of the suction tube, the suction hose and/or the dust collector arrangement due to the negative pressure, these elements must typically be reinforced. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, this is not required or only to a small degree because of the overpressure in suction tube 5, suction hose 4, and dust collector unit 2.

[0055] The example shown in FIG. 1 is a bag vacuum cleaner. This means that, arranged in dust collector unit 2 is a vacuum cleaner filter bag 11 in which the suctioned dirt and dust is separated. This vacuum cleaner filter bag can be, in particular, a flat bag, the bag walls of which comprise one or more layers of nonwoven and/or nonwoven fabric. The vacuum cleaner filter bag is embodied as a disposable bag.

[0056] When using in particular single-layer vacuum cleaner filter bags in which the bag wall is composed, for example, of exactly one nonwoven fabric layer in the form of a spunbond, the use of a blow-out filter is advantageous. The dust filter can be used to filter fine dust which has not been separated in the vacuum cleaner filter bag. Such a blow-out filter can have an area of at least 800 cm 2. It can in particular be formed to be pleated or folded in order to have a large surface area at a smaller base area (than the surface area).

[0057] Since no motorized fan unit needs to be arranged in dust collector unit 2, the dust collector unit can be embodied to be more compact and lighter than in conventional floor vacuum cleaners. Suction hose 4 typically has a diameter in a range of 25 mm to 50 mm and a length in a range of 1000 mm to 2500 mm. Suction tube 5 typically has a diameter in a range of 25 mm to 50 mm and a length in a range of 600 mm to 1200 mm.

[0058] Suction tube 5 is formed to be rigid and suction hose 4 is formed to be flexible.

[0059] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a floor vacuum cleaner 1 in which the same elements are provided with the same reference symbols as, in FIG. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 2, motorized fan unit 9 is arranged directly on and above floor nozzle 7. In this case, the axis of the fan wheel of motorized fan unit 9 is during the intended use arranged vertical, i.e., perpendicular to the surface to be suctioned. The suctioned air enters floor nozzle 7 through a suction opening and through a suction mouth provided in floor nozzle 7 directly into motorized fan unit 9 from where it flows into suction tube 5. Accordingly, an overpressure is present in the suction tube (and also in the suction hose fluidically downstream thereof).

[0060] The example shown in FIG. 2 is a bagless vacuum cleaner. Dust collector unit 2 comprises a centrifugal separator or cyclone separator 10, respectively, in which the suctioned dirt and dust particles are separated by centrifugal force. It can be a single cyclone or a multi-cyclone vacuum cleaner. Alternatively, the bagless floor vacuum cleaner can also be designed as an impact separator.

[0061] Dust collector unit 2 comprises a blow-out filter with which fine dust is filtered which has not been separated in the centrifugal separator. This blow-out filter can have an area of at least 800 cm.sup.2. It can in particular be formed to be pleated or folded in order to have a large surface area at a smaller base area. The blow-out filter can there be provided in a holder, as described in European patent application No. 14179375.2.

[0062] It is understood that the features shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can also be combined with one another in other ways. The arrangement of the motorized fan unit according to FIG. 1 can in particular also be used in the example according to FIG. 2, and the arrangement of the motorized fan unit in FIG. 2 in the example according to FIG. 1.

[0063] In addition to the one motorized fan unit employed in the examples shown, the floor vacuum cleaner can also comprise a second, assist motorized fan unit. It has been found that the use of two motorized fan units during operation of the floor vacuum cleaner can result in a lower suction power loss as compared to the use of a single motorized fan unit, even if the sum of the electric input power of the two motorized fan units is equal to the electric input power of the one motorized fan unit.

[0064] The second motorized fan unit can be designed as a dirty air motor and can be arranged fluidically upstream of the dust collector unit so that the dirty air also flows through the second motorized fan unit. The two motorized fan units can have identical or different electrical power inputs.

[0065] Alternatively, the second motorized fan unit can be designed as a clean air motor and can be arranged fluidically downstream of the dust collector unit. For example, a motorized fan unit from the company Domel with the model name 467.3.601-4 (to be acquired from Domel, doo Otoki 21, 4228 2 elezniki, Slovenija) can be used.

[0066] In either embodiment, it is not necessary that a brush roller (for example a beating brush and/or a rotating brush) be provided on or in floor nozzle 7.