SURFACE CLEANER
20260053308 ยท 2026-02-26
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A surface cleaner includes a motor and fan assembly and an air treatment chamber provided in an air flow path. The air treatment chamber has an inlet end including a first end wall, an outlet end including a second end wall, a chamber air inlet provided at the inlet end, a chamber air outlet provided at the outlet end, a chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall to the second end wall, and a chamber sidewall extending from the inlet end to the outlet end. The chamber air outlet includes a porous wall portion provided at the outlet end and an air impermeable wall portion provided at the location of the porous wall portion. During operation, air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable wall portion.
Claims
1. A surface cleaner comprising: (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an inlet end comprising a first end wall, an outlet end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber air inlet provided at the inlet end, an air treatment chamber air outlet provided at the outlet end, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the inlet end of the air treatment chamber to the outlet end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous wall portion provided at the outlet end and an air impermeable wall portion provided at the location of the porous wall portion, wherein in operation, air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable wall portion.
2. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a generally planar member comprising the porous wall portion and the air impermeable wall portion.
3. The surface cleaner of claim 2 wherein the generally planar member comprises the second end wall.
4. The surface cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a non-return valve wherein, when the motor and fan assembly is deenergized, and the air treatment chamber air inlet is oriented downwardly, the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and wherein, in operation, the non-return valve assists in directing air entering the air treatment chamber towards the air impermeable wall portion.
5. The surface cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a non-return valve wherein, when the motor and fan assembly is deenergized, and the air treatment chamber air inlet is oriented downwardly, the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and wherein, in operation, the non-return valve directs air entering the air treatment chamber towards the air impermeable wall portion.
6. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the lower portion comprises the air impermeable wall portion.
7. The surface cleaner of claim 6 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air impermeable wall portion has a height extending from a lower end of the air impermeable wall portion to an upper end of the air impermeable wall portion and the height of the air impermeable wall portion is at least 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% or more of a combined height of the porous wall portion and the air impermeable wall portion.
8. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the upper portion comprises the air impermeable wall portion.
9. The surface cleaner of claim 8 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air impermeable wall portion has a height extending from a lower end of the air impermeable wall portion to an upper end of the air impermeable wall portion and the height of the air impermeable wall portion is at least 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% or more of a combined height of the porous wall portion and the air impermeable wall portion.
10. The surface cleaner of claim 5 wherein the porous wall portion comprises a frame having a plurality of arms that are spaced apart to define an open region between adjacent arms and the open regions are covered by a screen.
11. The surface cleaner of claim 10 wherein a screen section is provided at at least some of the open regions and at least one of the screen sections has a different pore size than another of the screen sections.
12. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the porous wall portion comprises a first porous wall portion and a second porous wall portion, and the first porous wall portion has smaller openings than the second porous wall portion.
13. The surface cleaner of claim 12 wherein the first porous wall portion comprises a first screen and the second porous wall portion comprises a second screen.
14. The surface cleaner of claim 3 wherein the porous wall portion comprises a screen.
15. The surface cleaner of claim 3 wherein the generally planar member comprises a frame having a plurality of arms that are spaced apart to define an open region between adjacent arms and the open regions are covered by a screen.
16. The surface cleaner of claim 15 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the lower portion comprises the screen.
17. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaner is a hand vacuum cleaner, the dirty air inlet is provided at a front end of the hand vacuum cleaner, the inlet end of the air treatment chamber is a front end of the air treatment chamber, and the outlet end of the air treatment chamber is a rear end of the air treatment chamber.
18. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a stationary portion and an openable portion, the openable portion is rotationally mounted between a closed operating position and an open emptying position, each of the stationary and openable portions comprise a portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall and, when the surface cleaner is oriented with the air treatment chamber axis extending horizontally and the dirty air inlet at an upper end of the surface cleaner, the openable portion comprises a lower portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall.
19. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a stationary portion and an openable portion, the openable portion is rotationally mounted between a closed operating position and an open emptying position, each of the stationary and openable portions comprise a portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall and the openable portion is generally U shaped in a plane transverse to the air treatment chamber axis.
20. The surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the first end wall comprises the air treatment chamber air inlet.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0073] For a better understanding of the described examples and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:
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[0138] The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples of apparatuses and methods of the teaching of the present specification and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taught in any way.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EXAMPLES
[0139] Various apparatuses or processes will be described below to provide an example of each claimed invention. No example described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover processes or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses described below. It is possible that an apparatus or process described below is not an example of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus or process described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors, or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim, or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.
[0140] The terms an embodiment, embodiment, embodiments, the embodiment, the embodiments, one or more embodiments, some embodiments, and one embodiment mean one or more (but not all) embodiments of the present invention(s), unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0141] The terms including, comprising and variations thereof mean including but not limited to, unless expressly specified otherwise. A listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms a, an and the mean one or more, unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0142] As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be coupled, connected, attached, or fastened where the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly (i.e., through one or more intermediate parts), so long as a link occurs. As used herein and in the claims, two or more parts are said to be directly coupled, directly connected, directly attached, or directly fastened where the parts are connected in physical contact with each other. None of the terms coupled, connected, attached, and fastened distinguish the manner in which two or more parts are joined together.
[0143] Furthermore, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the example embodiments described herein.
[0144] As used herein, the wording and/or is intended to represent an inclusive-or. That is, X and/or Y is intended to mean X or Y or both, for example. As a further example, X, Y, and/or Z is intended to mean X or Y or Z or any combination thereof.
[0145] Some elements herein may be identified by a part number, which is composed of a base number followed by an alphabetical or subscript-numerical suffix (e.g., 300a, or 300.sub.1). Multiple elements herein may be identified by part numbers that share a base number in common and that differ by their suffixes (e.g., 300.sub.1, 300.sub.2, and 300.sub.3). All elements with a common base number may be referred to collectively or generically using the base number without a suffix (e.g., 300).
[0146] It should be noted that terms of degree such as substantially, about and generally as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms of degree may also be construed as including a deviation of the modified term, such as by 1%, 2%, 5% or 10%, for example, if this deviation does not negate the meaning of the term it modifies. For example, the expressions substantially perpendicular and substantially parallel mean within 10% of perpendicular and parallel, respectively.
General Description
[0147] The following is a general description intended to provide a basis for understanding several of the features that are discussed herein. As discussed in detail subsequently, each of the features may be used alone, or in combination, in any embodiment such as the exemplary embodiments described herein.
General Description of a Hand Vacuum Cleaner
[0148] Referring to
[0149] In the illustrated embodiment, the surface cleaner 100 is a hand vacuum cleaner. As used herein, a hand vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that can be operated to clean a surface generally one-handedly. That is, the entire weight of the hand vacuum cleaner may be held by the same hand as the one used to direct a dirty air inlet of the hand vacuum cleaner with respect to a surface to be cleaned. For example, the handle and the dirty air inlet of the hand vacuum cleaner may be rigidly coupled to each other (directly or indirectly) so as to move as one while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other. This is to be contrasted with canister and upright vacuum cleaners, whose weight is typically supported by a surface (e.g., a floor) during use. When a canister vacuum cleaner is operated or when an upright vacuum cleaner is operated in a lift-away configuration, a second hand is typically required to direct the dirty air inlet at the end of a flexible hose.
[0150] Optionally, the surface cleaner 100 may be removably mountable on a base (e.g., a surface cleaning head and an upright housing or wand that is pivotally mounted to the surface cleaning head) so as to form, for example, an upright vacuum cleaner or a stick vacuum cleaner. In this configuration, the surface cleaner 100 may be used to clean a floor or other surface in a manner analogous to a conventional upright-style vacuum cleaner. As exemplified in
[0151] As exemplified in
[0152] Further, the hand vacuum cleaner 100 has a front end 124, a rear end 128, an upper end 132, and a lower end 136. In the illustrated embodiment, the dirty air inlet 116 is located at an upper portion of the front end 124 and the clean air outlet 120 is located at a rearward portion of the main body 104. It will be appreciated that the dirty air inlet 116 and the clean air outlet 120 may be provided in different locations.
[0153] The air treatment assembly 108 may have at least one cleaning stage. Each cleaning stage may have one or more air treatment chambers 110 connected fluidically in parallel, wherein a dirt collection region 114 may be provided internal to the air treatment chamber(s) 110, and/or a dirt collection chamber may be provided that is external to the air treatment chamber(s) 110.
[0154] The air treatment assembly 108 may be permanently affixed to main body 104 or may be removable in part or in whole therefrom for emptying, and optionally is removable as a sealed air treatment assembly 108 other than the air treatment assembly air inlet and the air treatment assembly air outlet.
[0155] The motor and fan assembly 112, when activated, generates vacuum suction through the air flow path (
[0156] The motor and fan assembly 112 may be oriented in any direction. For example, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is oriented with the upper end 132 above the lower end 136, e.g., positioned substantially parallel to a horizontal surface as exemplified in the orientation of
[0157] As discussed in more detail subsequently herein, the air treatment assembly 108 comprises at least one air treatment chamber 110 that is configured as a non-cyclonic momentum separator to remove particles of dirt and other debris from the air flow, referred to herein as dirt. Within the air treatment chamber 110 of a non-cyclonic momentum separator, the airflow path may include one or more significant directional changes (e.g., of 45, 90 or more) whereby dirt particles with higher momentum than the air are separated (e.g., thrown) from the air flow during each directional change. Alternately or in addition, the velocity of the air flow in the air treatment chamber 110 may be reduced, e.g., due to the difference in cross-sectional flow area as the air travels from the inlet conduit 180 into the air treatment chamber 110. Preferably, at least a portion of the air treatment chamber 110 is openable for emptying collected particles of dirt and other debris. For example, at least one end (e.g., the bottom end or the front end) may be openable. Optionally, both ends of the air treatment chamber 110 and/or the rear end, may be openable for emptying.
[0158] The hand vacuum cleaner 100 includes a handle 148. The handle 148 may have various positional arrangements and configurations, which may improve the ergonomics of hand vacuum cleaner 100. The handle 148 may be part of the main body 104. The handle 148 may be located proximate the rear end 128 of the hand vacuum cleaner 100. Additionally, or alternatively, the handle 148 may be located proximate the upper end 132 or, as exemplified in
[0159] The handle 148 may have one or more hand grip portions 154. For example, the handle 148 may be a multi-grip handle or, as exemplified in
[0160] In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 148 is configured as a pistol grip type handle that extends upwardly and forwardly along a handle axis 152 that extends centrally through the center of the hand grip portion 154 between upper and lower handle ends 156, 160, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is oriented so that upper end 132 is above the lower end 136.
[0161] One or more portions of the handle 148 may be attached to the hand vacuum cleaner 100. The handle 148 may be attached to the hand vacuum cleaner 100 directly or by one or more bridge portions. For example, the upper or lower end, or both the upper and lower ends, of the handle 148 may be attached to, e.g., the rear end 128 of the hand vacuum cleaner 100.
[0162] In the illustrated embodiment, the upper handle end 156 is mounted to the lower surface of the main body 104. In alternate embodiments, the handle 148 may be mounted in other locations. As an example, the upper handle end 156 may be mounted to an underside surface of a pre-motor filter housing 172. As another example, the upper handle end 156 may be mounted to an underside surface of the air treatment assembly 108.
[0163] In the illustrated embodiment, the lower handle end 160 is mounted to a rearwardly extending bridge portion of finger guard 162. In the illustrated embodiment, a finger grip area 166 for receiving the fingers of a user is provided between the handle 148 (the hand grip portion) and the finger guard 162.
[0164] A hand vacuum cleaner 100 using any aspect discussed herein may include an energy storage pack 164 to power the motor and fan assembly 112. The energy storage pack 164 may be provided in various positions. The energy storage pack 164 may include, for example, batteries, supercapacitors, or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the energy storage pack 164 is in the finger guard 162, which is spaced forward of and extends generally parallel to the pistol grip handle 148. In some embodiments, the energy storage pack 164 is removably mounted to the hand vacuum cleaner 100 (e.g., removably insertable into the finger guard 162 or it may be the finger guard 162). Removing the energy storage pack 164 may facilitate replacement of a discharged battery with a charged one. Alternately, the energy storage pack 164 may be permanently connected to the hand vacuum cleaner 100.
[0165] Optionally, one or more pre-motor filter(s) 168 may be placed in the air flow path between the air treatment assembly 108 and the motor and fan assembly 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the hand vacuum cleaner 100 includes a pre-motor filter housing 172 provided in the air flow path downstream of the air treatment assembly 108 and upstream of the motor and fan assembly 112. As exemplified, pre-motor filter housing 172 may be provided as a portion of the main body 104, rearward of the air treatment assembly 108. Alternatively, the pre-motor filter housing 172 may be provided elsewhere, such as in a rear end of the air treatment assembly 108.
[0166] The pre-motor filter housing 172 may be of any suitable construction, including any of those exemplified herein. One or more pre-motor filter(s) 168 may be positioned within the pre-motor filter housing 172. The pre-motor filter(s) 168 may be formed from any suitable physical, porous filter media and having any suitable shape. For example, the pre-motor filter 168 may be one or more of a foam filter, felt filter, HEPA filter, other physical filter media, electrostatic filter, and the like.
[0167] The pre-motor filter 168 may be of any suitable shape. As exemplified in
[0168] Optionally, one or more post-motor filter(s) 176 may be positioned in the air flow path between the motor and fan assembly 112 and the clean air outlet 120 to help further treat the air passing through the hand vacuum cleaner 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the hand vacuum cleaner 100 includes a post-motor filter 176 provided in the air flow path downstream of the motor and fan assembly 112 and upstream of the clean air outlet 120. Various alternative positions of the post-motor filter 176 are possible. The post-motor filter 176 may be formed from any suitable physical, porous filter media for filtering air in the air flow path downstream of the motor and fan assembly 112 and may be of any suitable shape. The post-motor filter 176 may be any suitable type of filter such as one or more of a foam filter, felt filter, HEPA filter, other physical filter media, electrostatic filter, and the like. The clean air outlet 120 may form part of an optional post-motor filter housing.
[0169] An inlet conduit 180 extends from the dirty air inlet 116 to an air inlet of the air treatment assembly 108. In the illustrated embodiment, the dirty air inlet 116 of hand vacuum cleaner 100 is an inlet end of the inlet conduit 180. Optionally, the inlet end of the inlet conduit 180 can be used as a nozzle to directly clean a surface. The inlet conduit 180 is, in the illustrated embodiment, a generally linear hollow member that extends along an inlet conduit axis 182 that is oriented in a longitudinal forward/rearward direction and is generally horizontal when hand vacuum cleaner 100 is oriented with the upper end 132 above the lower end 136. Alternatively, or in addition to functioning as a nozzle, the inlet conduit 180 may be connectable or directly connectable to a downstream end of any suitable accessory tool such as a rigid air flow conduit (e.g., an above floor cleaning wand), a crevice tool, a mini brush, and the like.
[0170] In some embodiments, the inlet end of the inlet conduit 180 may include any suitable connector that is operable to connect to, and preferably detachably connect to, a hose, cleaning tool, the upright section (e.g., rigid wand) of a base of an upright or stick vacuum cleaner) or other accessory. Optionally, in addition to providing an air flow connection, the inlet conduit 180 may also include an electrical connection. Providing an electrical connection may allow cleaning tools, accessories and the like that are coupled to the inlet conduit 180 to be powered by the hand vacuum cleaner 100.
[0171] The clean air outlet 120 may be provided in any location and configuration that allows the air flow to exit the hand vacuum cleaner 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the clean air outlet 120 is provided as part of the main body 104 and configured as a grill. The grill, in the illustrated embodiment, is oriented so that air exiting clean air outlet 120 travels laterally outward from the main body 104. This may ensure that the exhausted air is directed away from a user. In other embodiments, the clean air outlet 120 may be provided on each lateral side of the main body 104.
[0172] The air treatment assembly 108 is provided in the air flow path and configured to remove particles of dirt and other debris therefrom. The air treatment assembly 108 includes an inlet end 184 (which may be the inlet end of a first stage air treatment chamber 110 as exemplified in
[0173] As exemplified in
[0174] As discussed previously, the air treatment chamber 110 may have one or more openable portions, such as one or more openable portions of the air treatment assembly 108 (or air treatment chamber 110 if there is a single air treatment chamber).
[0175] For example, the air treatment chamber 110 may include a stationary portion 218 and an openable portion 220. The openable portion 220 is moveably mounted, e.g., rotationally mounted, between a closed operating position and an open emptying position. The openable portion 220 may be movably connected (e.g., pivotally openable, rotationally mounted, or removably mounted) to the stationary portion 218 using any suitable mechanism, including a hinge 222 or other suitable device. The openable portion 220 may be secured in the closed operation position using any suitable type of locking mechanism, such as, e.g., a latch.
[0176] The openable portion may be a door, which may be a front wall of the air treatment assembly (air treatment chamber), a lower wall of the air treatment assembly (air treatment chamber), a rear wall of the air treatment assembly (air treatment chamber), or the like. The openable portions may be part or all of one side of the air treatment assembly (or air treatment chamber) or may be part or all of more than one side.
[0177] As exemplified in
Detailed Discussion of Particular Features
[0178] The foregoing general description is intended to provide a basis for understanding several of the aspects that are discussed herein. It will be appreciated that any embodiment, such as the example embodiments described herein, may use any one or more of the aspects as described in the general description. Similarly, any embodiment may use any one or more of those features as described in greater detail in the following detailed discussion of particular configurations.
[0179] As discussed subsequently, the air treatment chamber outlet 202 may have various positional arrangements and configurations, which may improve the cleaning efficiency of the hand vacuum cleaner 100.
Air Outlet Wherein Air is Directed to an Air Impermeable Portion
[0180] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have an air treatment chamber wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous wall portion and an air impermeable wall portion, which is provided at the location of the porous wall portion, wherein in operation, air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable wall portion.
[0181] When the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is oriented with the upper end 132 above the lower end 136, e.g., positioned substantially parallel to a horizontal surface, the air treatment chamber axis 214 is oriented horizontally. In this configuration, the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 has an upper portion 230 and a lower portion 232, as seen in
[0182] As exemplified in
[0183] As exemplified in
[0184] The air impermeable wall portion 228 has a height extending from a lower end of the air impermeable wall portion 228 to an upper end of the air impermeable wall portion 228. The height of the air impermeable wall portion 228 may be at least 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% or more of a combined height of the porous wall portion 224 and the air impermeable wall portion 228. The remainder of the height may be the porous wall portion. In the illustrated embodiments, the height of the air impermeable wall portion 228 is about 30% the combined height of the porous wall portion 224 and the air impermeable wall portion 228.
[0185] Particles that are larger than the pores of the porous wall portion 224 are inhibited from passing therethrough and collect in the air treatment chamber 110. The porous wall portion 224 may comprise a mesh material, which may be woven or non-woven. The mesh material may be a made of plastic or metal. The plastic mesh material may be a molded porous plastic material or a woven or non-woven plastic mesh. The metal mesh material may be a substrate having a plurality of pores therein, which may be produced by chemical or laser etching. Alternately, the metal mesh material may be a metal screen.
[0186] As exemplified in
[0187] The porous wall portion 224 and an air impermeable wall portion 228 may comprise the rear wall of the air treatment chamber 110 and therefore the porous wall portion 224 may be the air outlet of the air treatment chamber 110 and the air treatment assembly 108. In such a case, an upstream header for a pre-motor filter 168 may be located on the downstream side of the porous wall portion 224. Air may exit the porous wall portion 224 and enter the upstream header of the pre-motor filter 168.
[0188] Alternately, as exemplified in
[0189] As exemplified, if a rib 248 is used, then the porous wall portion 224 and the air impermeable wall portion 228 may be positioned forward of rear wall 250. In such a case, air may exit the air treatment chamber through an outlet port 254 formed in the rear wall 250 and therefore the outlet port 254 may be the air outlet of the air treatment assembly 108 and the porous member may be the air outlet of the air treatment chamber 110. Alternately, if a rib 248 is not provided, then the rear wall 250 may comprise or consist of the porous wall portion 224 and the air impermeable wall portion 228.
[0190] During operation, heavier dirt may be separated from the inflow air stream by gravity due to the air flow rate decreasing as it enters the air treatment chamber 110. Additional dirt may be separated by the porous wall portion 224 due to filtration. Dirt which is too large to pass through the porous wall portion 224 may collect in the air treatment chamber 110 (e.g., the lower end thereof). In addition, if some or all of the air flow is directed at the air impermeable wall portion 228, then the air stream impacting the air impermeable wall portion 228 may cause some dirt to be disentrained from the air stream.
[0191] Some or all of the incoming air stream may be directed to the air impermeable wall portion 228 in various ways. For example, the air inlet 198 of the air treatment chamber 110 may face towards the air impermeable wall portion 228, the air treatment chamber and/or the inlet conduit may have a member that directs some or all of the incoming air towards the air impermeable wall portion 228 or a combination thereof. For example, the air treatment chamber and/or the inlet conduit may have a directing member (e.g., a baffle or deflector) that directs incoming air towards the air impermeable wall portion 228. Optionally, a non-return valve may be such a directing member.
[0192] As exemplified in
[0193] In an open position, the non-return valve 258 may also be oriented in such a way as assist in directing air entering the air treatment chamber 110 towards the air impermeable wall portion 228. Accordingly, the non-return valve 258 may direct some or all of the air entering the air treatment chamber 110 towards the air impermeable wall portion 228 during operation (i.e., when in an open position). It may be advantageous to have the air entering the air treatment chamber 110 change directions for enhanced separation of dirt and other debris. Since air cannot pass through the air impermeable wall portion 228, when the air hits the air impermeable wall portion 228 it is forced to change direction. As a result, by assisting to direct or directing air entering the air treatment chamber 110 towards the air impermeable wall portion 228, the non-return valve 258 increases the percentage of the air flow that will be forced to change direction and thereby increase separation efficiency. Further, by first assisting to direct or directing air entering the air treatment chamber 110 towards the air impermeable wall portion 228, the speed of the air flow may be reduced when it reaches the porous wall portion 224 (e.g., by travelling further through the air treatment chamber and/or due to the loss of velocity as the air is redirected), reducing the likelihood that dirt and debris will be pushed through the porous wall portion 224 due to the speed of the air flow.
[0194] As will be described, the impermeable wall portion 228 may be provided anywhere on the air treatment chamber air outlet 202, beyond just a lower portion 232 or an upper portion 230. Accordingly, in embodiments where the non-return valve 258 acts as a directing member, the non-return valve 258 may rotate to any angle offset from the horizontal axis (in the orientation of
[0195] Optionally, the offset position of the non-return valve 258 may be adjustable to assist to direct or direct the air flow towards different locations of the impermeable wall portion 228. The non-return valve 258 may be adjustable to discrete positions, such as defined angles or 5 increments, or may be adjustable to any angle between 0 and 180. Adjustment of the non-return valve 258 to different positions may be done manually, and/or may be done though electronic means, such as using a servomotor or stepper motor.
[0196] Alternately or in addition, the air inlet 198 may be similarly adjustable to various positions to change the path of the air flow towards the different locations of the impermeable wall portion 228. The non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 may be adjusted when the motor and fan assembly is deenergized. Alternately or in addition, the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 may be adjusted during operation of the vacuum cleaner 100. For example, as will be discussed further, in embodiments with more than one impermeable wall portion 228 or no impermeable wall portion 228, the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 may be adjusted once or a plurality of times during a cleaning operation to assist to direct or direct air flow towards different impermeable wall portions 228 or different open regions 244.
[0197] In operation, after activating the motor and fan assembly 112, dirty air enters the hand vacuum cleaner 100 through the dirty air inlet 116 and is directed through the inlet conduit 180 to the air treatment chamber air inlet 198. From the air treatment chamber inlet 198, the dirty air enters the air treatment chamber 110. Heavy dirt may be separated from the dirty air by gravity due to the air flow rate decreasing as it enters and pass through the air treatment chamber 110. Additional dirt and debris may be separated as the air changes direction and loses speed within the air treatment chamber 110 (e.g., by bouncing off the air impermeable wall portion 228). Some further dirt and debris may be separated from the air as it passes through the porous wall portion 224 of the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 due to filtration.
Air Outlet Comprising a Planar Member
[0198] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have an air treatment chamber wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a generally planar member which extends generally transverse to the air treatment chamber axis. The generally planar member comprises a porous section and an air impermeable section. Air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable wall portion.
[0199] As exemplified in
[0200] As exemplified in
[0201] The position of porous wall portion 224 and the impermeable wall portion 228 of the generally planar member 246 are not limited to an upper portion 230 or a lower portion 232. For example, as exemplified in
[0202] In the illustrated embodiment of
[0203] Alternately, instead of an upper portion 230 and a lower portion 232, the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 may have any number of vertically stacked portions. For example, an air treatment chamber air outlet 202 with three portions may have an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion. Similarly, an air treatment chamber air outlet 202 with four portions may have an upper portion, an upper-middle portion, a lower-middle portion, and a lower portion. Alternately, the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 may have horizontally sequential portions, such as a left portion and a right portion, a left portion, a middle portion, and a right portion, or a left portion, a left-middle portion, a right-middle portion, and a right portion. Alternately, the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 may be split into sections, such as, for example, an upper left quadrant, an upper right quadrant, a lower left quadrant, and a lower right quadrant.
[0204] In the above examples, the porous wall portion 224 may alternate with the impermeable wall portion 228. For example, in an air treatment chamber air outlet 202 with three vertically stacked portions, the lower and upper portion may be porous wall portions 224, while the middle portion is an impermeable wall portion 228, or vise-versa.
[0205] As discussed previously, different screen sections 238 may have different pore sizes. In examples where the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 has more than one porous wall portion 224 as described previously, different porous wall portions may have the same or different pore sizes in the respective screen sections 238. Similarly, different porous wall portions may have different numbers of arms 242, and/or may have different spacings between arms 242 to define different sizes of open regions 244 between adjacent arms 242. A person of skill in the art understands that any configuration, pattern, or sizing of arms 242 and open regions 244 may be possible. For example, although the arms 242 are illustrated in, e.g.,
[0206] As described previously, the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 may be manually or electronically adjustable to different positions to assist to direct or direct air flow towards different porous wall portion 224 or different open regions 244. To prevent a buildup of dirt and debris obstructing the air flow through the screen sections 238, in embodiments with more than one impermeable wall portion 228, it may be preferable to direct the air flow towards different impermeable wall portions 228 after a certain amount of dirt and debris has entered the air treatment chamber 110. To facilitate this, the hand vacuum cleaner 100 may signal to the user through an audible or visual signal that the position of the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 should be adjusted to direct the air flow towards a different impermeable wall portion. Alternately, in embodiments where the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 is electronically adjusted, the position of the non-return valve 258 and/or the air inlet 198 may be automatically adjusted when required. Such a signal or adjustment may be triggered if the rate of air flow through the surface cleaner (e.g., the air treatment chamber) drops a predetermined about, if a sensor (e.g., an optical sensor) detects a build up of dirt of dirt on a porous wall portion to which the air is directed, etc.
[0207] As exemplified in
[0208] In the illustrated embodiment, the generally planar member 246 comprises the second end wall 210 which is axially spaced inwardly from the rear end wall due to rib 248. As discussed previously, if, e.g., a rib 248 is not provided, the generally planar member may be the rear wall 250.
[0209] The generally planar member 246 may be permanently affixed to the air treatment chamber 110 or may be removable therefrom (e.g., it may be an openable portion as discussed previously.
Additional Porous Sections
[0210] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have an air treatment chamber wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises an additional porous section that extends inwardly into the air treatment chamber from a planar or non-planar member as discussed previously herein.
[0211] For example, as exemplified in
[0212] As exemplified in
[0213] As exemplified, the supplemental porous wall portion(s) 2242 may extend axially into the air treatment chamber or at an angle to the air treatment chamber axis 214.
[0214] Similar to the porous wall portion(s) 224, the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may comprise one or more arms 242 within a frame 240 that defines one or more open regions 244 within the supplemental porous wall portion 2242. For example, as exemplified in
[0215] As with the porous wall portion 224, the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may have different spacings between arms 242 to define different sizes of open regions 244 between adjacent arms 242.
[0216] Although
[0217] The supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may be permanently affixed or removably attached to the impermeable wall portion 228.
[0218] Optionally, the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may be movable along one or more impermeable wall portions 228, e.g., along a track. The supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may be manually moveable, or may be moveable by electronic means. In embodiments in which the angular position of the non-return valve 258 may be electronically adjusted during operation, the position of the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may be electronically changed with relation to the change in the angular position of the non-return valve 258. Alternately or in addition, the frame 240 of the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 may be flexible such that the shape of the frame 240 can be changed.
Air Outlet Comprising a Non-Planar Member
[0219] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have an air treatment chamber wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises, consists essentially of or consists of one or more porous sections which are non-planar. Air entering the air treatment chamber may be directed towards the porous section(s) and/or an air impermeable section, if provided.
[0220] The non-planar porous section may be made of any material used to form the porous wall portion 244.
[0221] To increase the total surface area of the porous wall portion 244 in comparison to the generally planar member 246, the air treatment chamber air outlet 202 may instead comprise, consist essentially of or consists of one or more non-planar member 256. The non-planar member 256 may similarly comprise or consist of one or more porous wall portions 224 and may optionally have one or more impermeable wall portions 228, which may be disposed in any position, arrangement, and shape in the non-planar member 256.
[0222] The porous section 224 and any air impermeable portions 228 of the non-planar member 256 may have one or more recesses 260 and/or one or more bulges 270. Each recess may extend axially rearwardly. If the air outlet 202 comprises a generally planar member 246 and/or one or more bulges 270, then each recess may extend axially rearwardly from the one or more bulges 270 and/or the generally planar member 246, which may comprise an air impermeable wall portion or a remainder of the porous section.
[0223] Each bulge 270 may extend axially forwardly. If the air outlet 202 comprises a generally planar member 246 and/or one or more recesses 260, then each bulge 270 may extend axially forwardly from the one or more recesses 260 and/or the generally planar member 246. For example, as exemplified in
[0224] As exemplified in
[0225] Alternately or in addition to the above, more than one bulge 270 may extend substantially vertically along part of or the entire height of the non-planar member 256. The one or more bulges may be substantially parallel and horizontally spaced spart, such that at least one recess 260 is formed in between the two bulges 270.
[0226] The one or more bulges 270 may instead extend along any portion of the non-planar member 256, including horizontally along some or all of the width of the non-planar member 256, or diagonally across the non-planar member 256 at any angle to the vertical. Alternately, the one or more bulges may extend in a manner other than a straight line, such as a sinusoidal or triangular wave.
[0227] A bulge 270 may be any width in relation to the non-planar member 256, and may incorporate one or more porous wall portions 224. Optionally, a bulge 270 may further incorporate a frame 240 and/or one or more arms 242 to define one or more open regions 244 within the bulge 270. Any open regions 244 defined within the bulge may have the same or different pore size as the other open regions 244 of the non-planar member 256, and may be covered with the same or a different screen as the other open regions 244 of the non-planar member 256.
[0228] As exemplified in
[0229] Instead of a longitudinally extending bulge 270 as exemplified in
[0230] It will be appreciated that the face 276 of the tapered bulge 274 does not necessarily need to be in the exact center of the non-planar member 256. The center of the face 276 may be offset from the center of the non-planar member 256, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. For example, the face 276 may be slightly higher or lower than the center of the non-planar member 256, leading to an oblique frusto-conical shape being created by the tapered bulge 274.
[0231] Similar to the longitudinally extending bulge 270, the face 276 of the tapered bulge 274 may be of any size, height, or width, and may comprise an impermeable wall portion 228 in addition to one or more porous wall portions 224. For example, the face 276 the tapered bulge 274 may comprise a frame 240 with one or more arms 242 that define one or more open regions 244 within the tapered bulge 274. The defined one or more open regions 244 may comprise part of or the entirety of the tapered bulge 274. The face 276 of the tapered bulge 274 may be flat, concave, convex, or any other shape to absorb or deflect incoming air flow.
[0232] Optionally, the number of porous wall portions 224 may be based on the shape of the face 276 of the tapered bulge 274 or tapered recess. For example, a triangular face 276 may define three porous wall portions 224, while a square or rectangular face 276 may define four porous wall portions 224. The defined porous wall portions 224 may be surrounded by a frame 240, which may have a similar shape to the face 276 of the tapered bulge 274. Arms 242 may extend axially between the frame 240 and the face 276 to further define open areas 244 of the porous wall portions 224. Optionally, further arms 242 may extend between axially extending arms 242 to define more open areas 244.
[0233] Alternately, the tapered bulge 274 may not include an end face 276, and may therefore be fully conically shaped, as exemplified in
[0234] As exemplified in
[0235] Similar to previously described embodiments, the non-planar member 256 may comprise one or more recesses 260, which extend axially rearwardly from, e.g., the tapered bulge 274 or any other portion of rear wall 250. A recess may be similarly shaped and/or positioned as described with respect to a bulge 270 but extend rearwardly. Accordingly, similar to embodiments with a bulge 270, a recess may be frusto-conical, conical or rounded (as described with respect to a bulge 270) but extend rearwardly as a recess.
[0236] Accordingly, instead of extending axially forward from the rear wall 250 into the air treatment chamber 110, the non-planar member 256 may alternately have a tapered recess that extends axially rearwardly towards the rear wall 250, as exemplified in
[0237] A non-planar member 256 may have two or more bulges and/or two or more recesses. For example, as exemplified in
[0238] In embodiments with more than one bulge, the porous wall portions 224 of each bulge may have different pore sizes in their respective screen sections 238. For example, in an embodiment with one bulge extending axially forwardly from the rear wall 250 and a recess extending axially rearwardly from the rear wall 250, the forwardly extending or upstream porous wall portions 224 may have a larger pore size than the rearwardly extending or downstream porous wall portions 224, such that larger pieces of particulate are trapped in the first tapered bulge 274 and smaller pieces of particulate are trapped in the recess.
[0239] Although the previous figures illustrate embodiments with one or more arms 242, it should be understood that any number of arms, including zero, may be present. For example, a conical tapered bulge 274 as exemplified in
Position of the Non-Return Valve
[0240] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have a non-return valve that may be moveable, e.g., rotationally, mounted at different locations at, upstream of and downstream of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198.
[0241] The non-return valve 258 has a mount end at the mount (e.g., pivotal mount) and a free end distal to the mount and the free end rotates in the flow direction from the blocking position to the operating position. The free end may rotate inwardly due to air flow during operation of the hand vacuum cleaner. In the blocking position, the non-return valve may block or abut the air treatment chamber air inlet 198. In accordance with this aspect, as exemplified in
[0242] Alternately, in embodiments of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 in which the port of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198 is at an opposite angle to the vertical as described above, i.e., the bottom end of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198 extends further into the air treatment chamber 110 than the top end of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198, the mount end of the non-return valve 258 may be axially forward from the free end of the non-return valve 258 in a blocking position, i.e., in the blocking position, the non-return valve may be at an angle to the vertical. Similarly, in embodiments of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 in which the port of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198 is completely or substantially vertical, i.e., the bottom end and the top end of the air treatment chamber air inlet 198 extend the same distance into the air treatment chamber 110 (
[0243] In accordance with this aspect, as exemplified in
[0244] Alternately, the non-return valve may be located in the air inlet conduit 180. As exemplified in
[0245] Optionally, the axial position of the non-return valve 258 may be adjustable in a de-energized state and/or during operation. For example, the mount end of the non-return valve 258 may be slidable along the inlet conduit 180 (e.g., an inner surface of the inlet conduit may have a track along which the mount of the non-return valve may travel) and/or the top of air treatment chamber 110 to adjust the portion of the length of the non-return valve 258 that is located in the air inlet conduit 180 during operation. The non-return valve 258 may be slidable via rails, a ball screw assembly, rack and pinion assembly, or any other method of enacting linear movement. The position of the non-return valve 258 may be adjusted manually, and/or may be adjusted through electronic means such as stepper or servo motors.
[0246] Alternately, as exemplified in
[0247] Optionally, in any embodiment described above, one or more additional non-return valves 258 may be disposed partially or completely within the air inlet conduit 180 and/or the air treatment chamber 110. The additional non-return valves 258 may be the same or different lengths, and may be configured to rotate inwardly at the same or different angles during a cleaning operation. For example, in an embodiment where a non-return valve 258 acts as a baffle and is inhibited from rotating past a certain angle, an additional non-return valve 258 located upstream may be able rotate 90 so that air flow is not restricted or redirected before reaching the downstream non-return valve.
Change in Pore Size During Cleaning and Backwashing
[0248] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may adjust the pore size of a screen or mesh to be smaller while the surface cleaner is in a cleaning mode, and to be bigger while the surface cleaner is in an evacuation mode. The screen or mesh may be part of an open region 244.
[0249] As described previously, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode, dirt may enter the air treatment chamber 110 through the air inlet 198 and may be separated by the porous wall portion 224 or the supplemental porous wall portion 2242 of a generally planar member 246 or a non-planar member 256. Dirt separated by a porous wall portion 224 may collect in the air treatment chamber 110 or may become stuck in (e.g. imbedded or attached to) a screen section 238. When emptying the air treatment chamber 110, each screen section 238 should preferably also be cleaned to increase the amount of air that can flow through each screen section 238 before they become completely blocked by particulate.
[0250] When using the hand vacuum cleaner 100 in a cleaning mode, it may be generally advantageous to decrease or minimize the pore size of each screen section 238 to inhibit small particulate or dirt from bypassing the screen section 238 and entering a sensitive component such as the motor 142 or electrical housing. Conversely, it may be generally advantageous to increase or maximize the pore size of the screen section 238 when emptying the air treatment chamber, such as in an evacuation mode, as any dirt will more readily detach and become loose. Provided the pore size is larger when emptying the air treatment chamber than during a cleaning mode of operation, dirt will more readily detach from the screen and be emptiable from the air treatment chamber.
[0251] The screen 238 may be made of any material that can have altered pore sizes, such as when the shape of the material changes due to, e.g., the direction of air flow therethrough or the shape of a frame being changed manually or electromechanically or the temperature of air flow therethrough. The screen may be a substrate which has pores provided therein such as chemical etching or mechanical stamping, or the screen may be woven, or it may be non-woven. Optionally, different sections of the screen 238 may be made by different means or may have different characteristics. The screen may be made of a hydrophobic material (e.g. nylon and/or Teflon coated fiberglass mesh).
[0252] The following is a discussion using the embodiment of
[0253] To achieve a temperature differential when cleaning, the air entering the air inlet 198 may be cooled through, e.g., thermoelectric or direct expansion cooling, such that the temperature of the incoming air is cooler than the ambient temperature of the air, and the ambient temperature of the air treatment chamber 110. The screen 238 and/or generally planar member 246 may also be directly cooled to reduce the size of pores 282. Any cooling method used may derive power if required from the energy storage pack 164, and/or an internal or external battery or power source.
[0254] A cooling element may be actuated by an actuator of the surface cleaner, e.g., a trigger 158 on hand grip portion(s) 154 of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 to automatically supply power to the cooling element during a cleaning operation. For example, pressing the trigger 158 may energize the electric motor 142, as well as supply power and energize the cooling element to cool the air stream or the screen immediately as the air flow begins. Optionally, pressing the trigger 158 may energize the cooling element before energizing the electric motor 142, to ensure that the pores 282 have been reduce din size before air flow begins over the screen 238.
[0255] Alternately or in addition to the above, the flexible screen 238 may contract inwardly (rearwardly) towards or rearward of the rear wall 250 (i.e., become concave) when air flows through the air treatment chamber 110 toward the outlet port 254. In an example, a flexible screen 238 may be pressed over a support frame due to the air flow when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is used in a cleaning mode, which may enable the flexible material to relax thereby reducing the size of pores 282.
[0256] As discussed previously, to more effectively remove dirt from the pores 282 of the flexible screen 238 when emptying the air treatment chamber, the size of the pores may be larger than during the cleaning mode. The size of the pores when emptying the air treatment chamber may be increased by air flow therethrough. For example, in an evacuation mode air may travel across the screen 238 in the opposite direction from the cleaning mode and the size of the pores may increase. For clarity, in a cleaning mode, the air may flow through the air inlet 198, through the air treatment chamber 110, past the generally planar member 246, and through the outlet port 254. In an evacuation mode, the air may flow from the air treatment chamber air outlet 202, past the generally planar member 246, and into the air treatment chamber 110.
[0257] As exemplified in
[0258] The direction of air flow in the evacuation mode may be achieved by blowing air in the opposite direction using the motor and fan assembly 112, as will be described, and/or by drawing air out of the air treatment chamber 110, via, e.g., an external suction fan, such as a suction fan of a docking station. For example, the openable portion of the air treatment chamber 220 as described previously may be mounted to a device, such as a docking station, which may include an internal or external fan. The fan in the docking station may be operated to draw air out of motor and fan housing 140 and through the air treatment chamber 110, thereby creating an air flow from the outlet port 254 past the generally planar member 246. In an embodiment with a docking station, the dirt removed from the screen 238 and retained in the air treatment chamber 110 may be removed from the air treatment chamber 110 and travel into the mounting or docking station.
[0259] Alternately or in addition, the pores 282 may also increase in size due to a higher temperature air flow through the pores 282. For example, as the air is drawn through the motor and fan housing 140, the heat emitted from the motor may cause the air flow over the motor to increase in temperature, thereby providing a temperature increase to the air flow through the pores 282 compared to ambient temperature. Alternately or in addition to the above, a heating member such as an induction heater or resistance heater may be disposed inside, e.g., the outlet port 254 and/or the motor and fan housing 142 to heat the air before it reaches the generally planar member 246. Similar to cooling in a cleaning mode, any heating elements that require power may derive power from the energy storage pack 164 and/or an internal or external power source or battery.
[0260] The screen 238 and/or generally planar member 246 may also be heated to increase the size of pores 282. For example, the screen 238 may be made of a metal or metal composite, such as metal and glass, metal and carbon fiber, carbon fiber and fiberglass, or a metal and any other material. The screen may therefore conduct electricity, and may be directly electrically heated through, e.g., induction heating to increase the size of pores 282.
[0261] Alternately or in addition, the texture of the screen 238 may change due to heating. For example, the screen 238 may be coarse or rough when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode or is in a de-energized state, in order to better retain dirt and particulate, and may be smooth or soft when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode to allow dirt and particulate to become more easily detached from the screen 238.
[0262] The pores 282 of the screen 238 may be at the neutral pore size when the screen 238 is not flexed in any direction, and when the temperature of the screen 238 is ambient temperature. The screen 238 may reach ambient temperature slowly after heating or cooling when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is in a de-energized state, or the screen 238 may be heated or cooled by the same means in order to reach the ambient temperature faster. For example, after the screen 238 is cooled while the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is used in a cleaning mode, the screen 238 may be briefly heated as the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is de-energized to quickly return the temperature of the screen 238 closer to ambient temperature. The screen 238 may be heated by any method described previously. Similarly, after the screen 238 is heated while the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is used in an evacuation mode, the screen 238 may be briefly cooled as the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is de-energized to quickly return the temperature of the screen 238 closer to ambient temperature.
Increase in Air Flow Rate During Backwashing
[0263] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, including adjusting the pore size of a screen or mesh to be smaller while the surface cleaner is in a cleaning mode, and to be bigger while the surface cleaner is in an evacuation mode, a higher velocity of air flow may pass through the screen during an evacuation mode.
[0264] The higher flow rate may be produced by directing more of the air produced during the evacuation mode at a portion of the screen. Accordingly, a jet of air may be provided that is directed at a portion of the screen and may be sequentially directed at different portions of the screen whereby all or most of the screen may be treated by the jet of air.
[0265] For example, as exemplified in
[0266] The jet 284 may have a nozzle 286 to provide a concentrated stream of liquid or air. The nozzle 286 may be generally round to provide a circular stream of liquid or air, or may be shaped as a narrow slot to provide a wider stream of liquid or air. Optionally, the shape of the nozzle 286 may be adjustable in-between or during operation to change the speed or direction of the air or liquid stream. For example, areas of the screen 238 which are more blocked with dirt may require a higher amount or velocity of air or liquid to loosen the dirt from the screen 238. By narrowing the width or diameter of the nozzle, the speed of the air or liquid out of the nozzle may increase without requiring additional supply or power.
[0267] To adjust the position of the stream of liquid or air, the jet 284 may be translatable in one or more directions. For example, in embodiments where the jet 284 is between the generally planar member 246 and the rear wall 250, the jet 284 may be mounted on rails spanning horizontally along the bottom of the air treatment chamber 110 from the left side to the right side of the air treatment chamber 110, and/or on rails spanning vertically along the rear wall 250. The jet 284 may be attached to one or more electric motors to move along the rails, such as a servomotor or a stepper motor. Optionally, instead of or in addition to vertical rails, the jet 284 may have a variable height using, e.g., a telescoping configuration, which may be adjusted during an evacuation mode to target the stream of air or liquid towards different parts of the screen 238.
[0268] Alternately or in addition, a direction of air flow exiting the jet may be adjusted by, e.g., changing the direction of the outlet of the jet.
[0269] Alternately or in addition, the nozzle 286 of the jet 284 may be translatable and/or rotatable to adjust the position of the stream of liquid or air. For example, in an embodiment where the jet 284 is immovable, the nozzle 286 may rotate about one or more axes, and/or may translate horizontally and/or vertically to target different parts of the screen 238. In another example, in an embodiment where the jet 284 can translate horizontally, the nozzle 286 may only be required to rotate about a transverse horizontal axis to direct the stream towards the top, middle, and bottom sections of the screen 238.
[0270] Optionally, the jet 284 may be configured to blow both liquid and air, either at the same time or consecutively. For example, the jet 284 may initially blow liquid, and then blow air afterwards to remove excess liquid from the screen 238. Alternately, in an embodiment in which the screen 238 is made out of or coated with, e.g., a hydrophobic material such as Teflon or polyethylene, the jet 284 may blow only liquid, as the liquid is inhibited from adhering to the screen 238.
[0271] The air or liquid sprayed by the jet 284 may be heated to increase the pore size of the screen 238, in addition to or instead of other methods of heating the screen as described above. A heating element such as an electric resistance heater may be present within the jet 284 to heat air before it leaves the nozzle 286. The jet 284 may use pre-heated water, heated externally, or may include heating elements to heat the water before spraying water onto the screen 238. Optionally, the jet 284 may draw heat from the motor 142 to heat the water and/or air.
[0272] The jet 284 may draw power from the energy storage pack 164 if provided, may have its own internal power source such as a battery or capacitor, or may be externally powered. In embodiments with a translatable, rotatable, or adjustable nozzle 286, the nozzle 286 may derive power from the same or a different power source as the jet 284.
[0273] The jet 284 may use a motor and fan assembly to generate air flow out of the nozzle 286, and/or may have one or more air tanks filled with pressurized air that can be opened to exhaust the air over the screen 238. Similarly, the jet 284 may use tubing to draw liquid from an external liquid tank present within the hand vacuum cleaner 100, an external liquid tank present outside of the hand vacuum cleaner 100, or the jet 284 may have an internal liquid reservoir to draw from.
[0274] In embodiments with more than one jet 284, each jet 284 may serve a different function outlined above. For example, in an embodiment with two jets 284, one jet 284 may spray water across the screen 238, while a second jet may spray air across the screen 238 to remove excess moisture. In another example, one jet 284 may spray heated water and/or air at the screen 238 to increase the size of pores 282, and a second jet 284 may spray cool or ambient temperature water and/or air at the screen 238 to reduce the size of pores 282. It should be understood that the above examples are merely exemplary, and that any configurations of any number of jets 284 may be possible.
[0275] Alternately or in addition to the above, a higher flow rate may be produced by drawing more of the air produced during the evacuation mode at a portion of the screen. Accordingly, one or more suction intakes may be positioned downstream from the screen and positioned and/or oriented to draw air through a portion of the screen and may be sequentially positioned and/or oriented to draw air through different portions of the screen whereby all or most of the screen may be treated.
[0276] Accordingly, one or more suction intakes may be positioned in a downstream direction during an evacuation mode to draw air through the screen. The suction intake may be configured to provide high powered suction of air and/or liquid, in a specific area or areas of the screen 238. The suction intake may provide suction through any means, such as a vacuum pump or motor and fan assembly and the like. The suction intake may be located anywhere within the air treatment chamber 100, including anywhere along the sidewall 192. Optionally, the suction intake may be located rearward of the generally planar member 246, such as mounted on rear wall 250 or inside outlet port 254 if air travels in that direction through the screen during a cleaning operation of the screen.
[0277] Similar to the jet 284, the suction intake may be translatable in one or more directions by, e.g., being mounted on horizontal or vertical rails and moved using one or more electric motors. The height of the suction intake may also be adjustable through, e.g., a telescoping mechanism. The suction intake may have a nozzle which may be translatable and/or rotatable, and may change in shape, diameter, or width to adjust suction power and/or accommodate different amounts of air, water, and/or dirt. The suction intake and/or the suction intake nozzle may derive power from the energy pack 164, an internal power source, and/or an external power source.
[0278] In embodiments with one or more suction intakes and one or more jets 284, the suction intakes may be configured to operate synchronously with the jets 284. For example, a suction intake may operate at the same time as a jet 284, and may turn off at the same time as the jet 284. The movement of the suction intake may also mirror the movement of the jet 284, such as horizontal or vertical translation. Similarly, the nozzle of the suction intake may mirror the shape, width, diameter, translation, or rotation of the jet nozzle 286, such that the concentrated air or liquid stream of the jet nozzle 286 makes contact with the same section of the screen 238 as the concentrated suction stream of the suction intake.
[0279] As described previously, air flow over the screen 238 may alter the shape of the screen 238 to change it to a concave or convex shape, thus increasing the size of the pores 282. The air and/or liquid flow from a rearward jet 284 may assist in creating a convex shape of screen 238 to assist with increasing pore size and removing particulate. Similarly, the suction from a forward suction intake may assist in creating a convex shape of screen 238. As described previously, the operation of the jet 284 may mirror the operation of the suction intake to cooperatively alter the shape of screen 238.
Mechanical Cleaning
[0280] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, including adjusting the pore size of a screen or mesh to be smaller while the surface cleaner is in a cleaning mode, and to be bigger while the surface cleaner is in an evacuation mode and/or using a higher velocity of air flow may pass through the screen during an evacuation mode, mechanical cleaning of the screen may be provided.
[0281] Accordingly, alternately or in addition to any of the other embodiments, a wiper may be provided to physically engage the screen and remove dirt therefrom, the screen 238 may be deformed to change the pore size of the screen and/or the screen may be struck once or repeatedly (e.g., vibrated) to remove any trapped dirt from the screen 238.
[0282] For example, a roller 288 may be employed rearward of the generally planar member 246, between the generally planar member 246 and the rear wall 250, as exemplified in
[0283] The roller 288 may be made out of any material, including wood, metal, plastic, rubber, a composite, or any other suitable material. It may be preferable for the roller 288 to be made of a solid but soft material, such that the roller 288 can deform the screen 238 without damaging the screen 238.
[0284] The roller 288 may be of any shape and size. Preferably, the roller 288 is cylindrical or substantially cylindrical in shape, optionally with a constant diameter along its length. However, the roller 288 may have a non-circular cross section, such as ovate, elliptic, oblong, oval, square, triangular, or any other shape. Similarly, the roller 288 may not have a constant diameter, and may form, e.g., a conic, frusto-conic, or diamond shape.
[0285] The roller 288 may be configured to translate vertically and/or horizontally to deform a specific area of the screen 238. The roller 288 may be of any width, and may span the width of the generally planar member 246, such that movement in a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal air treatment axis 214 is not required.
[0286] Vertical translation of the roller 288 may be effected by any means, such as electric actuation on rails. Optionally, the roller 288 may be connected to a holder 291, which is in turn connected to one or more telescoping arms 290. In an example, each end of a roller 288 may be rotatably attached to each end of the holder 291, such that rotation of the roller 288 is still permitted while the holder 291 is stationary. For example, each end of the roller 288 may comprise a bearing which connects to the holder 291, such that the roller 288 may freely rotate without impacting the rotation of the holder 291. Alternately, each end of the holder 291 may comprise a bearing or other rotatable component to allow rotation of the roller 288.
[0287] Optionally only one end of the roller 288 may be connected to the holder 291. For example, the holder 291 may only extend across a portion of the roller 288 and rotatably attach to one end of the roller 288, while the other end of the roller 288 may rotate freely.
[0288] In an alternate example, the ends of the roller 288 may be directly connected to one or more telescoping arms 290. In these embodiments, each arm 290 and/or the roller 288 may comprise a bearing or other rotatable member such that the roller 288 may freely rotate without affecting the rotation of the arms 290. Similar to embodiments with a holder 291, only one end of the roller 288 may be attached to a telescoping arm 290, while the other end of the roller 288 may rotate freely. In an alternate embodiment, one end of the roller 288 may be connected to the holder 291, and the other end of the roller 288 may be connected to one or more arms 290.
[0289] Rotation of the roller 288 may be effected by movement of the roller 288 along the screen 238, and/or the roller 288 may be rotationally actuated. For example, one or more ends of the holder 291 may comprise or be driven by a motor which may be configured to rotate the roller 288 at a variable or constant rate. Alternately, in embodiments where the roller 288 is directly connected to one or more arms 290, one or more of the arms 290 may comprise a motor which may be configured to rotate the roller 288 at a variable or constant rate.
[0290] It should be understood that the above configurations are merely by way of example, and that any configuration which allows rotation of the roller 288 may be employed. Alternately, the roller 288 may be immovably attached to the holder 291 or arms 290 at one or both ends of the roller 288, such that rotation of the roller 288 relative to the holder 291 or arms 290 respectively is prevented.
[0291] Each telescoping arm 290 may be permanently or removably attached to a base 292, which may be attached to, e.g., the sidewall 192 of the air treatment chamber 110. The length of arms 290 may be configured such at, at a lowest height, the roller 288 overlaps with a bottom portion of the screen 238, and at an upper height, the roller 288 overlaps with a top portion of the screen 238. The arms 290 may be actuated by any means, including electronically, hydraulically, magnetically, and mechanically.
[0292] The telescoping arms 290 may be made of a rigid material to prevent deformation or flexion during operation, such as metal, plastic, carbon fiber, a composite material, or any other suitable material.
[0293] The base 292 may have one or more rotation mechanisms by which the telescoping arms 290 can rotate. For example, the arms 290 may attach to a circular mount in the base 292 which may rotate about an axis of the base 292. The circular mount may be actuated by, e.g., an electric motor such as a stepper motor to control rotation and select discrete rotational positions. Through the rotational mount in base 292, the arms 290, and therefore the roller 288 may move towards and away from the screen 238. Alternately, the roller may be axially translated away from the screen. As a result, the roller 288 may not contact the screen when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is in a de-energized state or in a cleaning mode, but may apply a force to the screen 238 to locally deform the screen 238 when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is in an evacuation mode. Additionally, by controlling the rotation of arms 290, and therefore roller 288, more or less force can be applied to the screen 238 at any time. Accordingly, for example, the roller may be any member that may be brought into contact with, e.g., a downstream side of the screen, during an evacuation mode of operation to deform the screen inwardly.
[0294] In embodiments in which the width of the roller is less than the width of the screen 238, the arms 290 may also be translatably attached to base 292, such that the assembly comprising the roller 288, the holder 291, and the arms 290 can move laterally in a horizontal direction. Alternately, the entire base 292 may be configured to translate along the sidewall 192 to provide horizontal motion to the roller 288.
[0295] Through, e.g., vertical, rotational, and/or horizontal motion of the roller 288, the roller 288 can reach any area of the screen 238 to physically wipe dirt from the screen and/or to locally deform the screen to increase the size of pores 282 during an evacuation operation of part or all of the screen. For example, certain areas of the screen 238 may be more blocked with dirt and particulate than other areas of the screen 238 after the hand vacuum cleaner 100 has been operated in a cleaning mode. By providing adjustable motion of the roller 288, these areas can be deformed to a greater extent than other areas of the screen 238 which do not require as much deformation to loosen trapped dirt and particulate, thereby preventing unnecessary stretching and plastic deformation of the screen 238.
[0296] Alternately or in addition to the rearward roller assembly, a similar assembly may be disposed forward of the screen 238 in the air treatment chamber 110, as exemplified in
[0297] Similar to the roller 288, the brush 294 may serve to assist in removing trapped dirt from the screen 238 when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode. However, instead of locally deforming the screen 238 as done by the roller 288, it may be preferable to contact the screen 238 with the brush 294 but not locally deform the screen 238. By applying a slight force to the screen 238 to keep the brush 294 in contact with the screen 238 during rotation, the bristles 296 may engage the screen to remove dirt trapped within the pores 282. Additionally, by electronically actuating the brush 294 and rotating the arms 290, more force can be applied to the screen 238, and the brush 294 can rotate at a faster speed in areas of the screen 238 which contain more dirt.
[0298] Optionally, in an embodiment with a forward brush assembly and a rearward roller assembly, the assemblies may be operated to not deform the screen or to deform the screen forwardly. For example, instead of locally deforming the screen 238, the roller 288 may mirror the position of the brush 294 and apply a light force to the screen 238 such that local deformation of the screen 238 due to the brush 294 is prevented. For example, if the screen 238 is locally deformed into a concave shape when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode, there may be a higher chance that dirt is forced through the screen 238 and later contacts the motor or other electronics in the hand vacuum cleaner 100. To prevent this, the roller 288 may provide an equal, and optionally higher, and opposite force to the screen 238 in the same location as the brush 294, such that dirt and particulate is not pushed through the screen 238 in a subsequent cleaning mode of operation. Mismatches in force applied to the screen 238 in each direction may be measured using, e.g., a pressure sensor to determine the force exerted onto the screen 238 by the brush 294 and the roller 288, and/or a position sensor to detect any unwanted deflections in the screen 238.
[0299] Although described and exemplified in certain areas of the air treatment chamber 110 relative to the generally planar member 246, it should be understood that the roller assembly and/or the brush assembly may be placed anywhere relative to the generally planar member 246 and/or the screen 238. For example, a roller assembly may be placed forward of the screen 238, and/or a brush assembly may be placed rearward of the screen 238. Additionally, more than one roller assembly or brush assembly may be in any location relative to the screen 238. It should also be understood that a roller assembly or brush assembly may include any number of arms 290, bases 292, and rollers 288 or brushes 294. Further, one or both assemblies may be used with any configuration of an open region 244 discussed herein.
[0300] Any motors or electrical actuation means used in any of the above embodiments may be powered using the energy storage pack 164 or an external power source. Optionally, the motors or electrical actuator may only draw power when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a specific mode, such as an evacuation mode.
[0301] Further, the embodiments listed above may be used in place of or in conjunction with any other embodiments previously described. For example, a roller assembly may be operated at the same time as a jet 284 to locally deform the screen 238 while simultaneously locally blowing water or air from jet 284. Similarly, a brush assembly may be operated at the same time as a suction intake to loosen any trapped dirt and particulate to be drawn into the suction intake.
[0302] The jet 284, roller 288, suction intake, and/or brush 294 may co-operate to all target the same local area of the screen 238 at the same time. Any of the above listed components may operate simultaneously, asynchronously, or consecutively. In embodiments where the jet 284 sprays water, it may be preferable for roller 288, arms 290, base 292, brush 294, and/or bristles 296 to be formed of a hydrophobic or water-resistant material.
[0303] Alternately or in addition to any of the above embodiments, dirt trapped in the screen 238 may be loosened by vibrating the screen 238. The top, bottom, and/or sides of the screen 238 may be mounted to a vibrator, such as an eccentric rotating mass motor or a linear resonant actuator, to vibrate the screen 238 when actuated. Alternately, a vibrator may be mounted to a part of the hand vacuum cleaner 100, such as the sidewall 192, rear wall 250, or outlet port 254, and configured to contact the screen 238 when required. The vibration mechanism may draw power from the energy pack 164, an external power source, and/or an internal battery.
[0304] The vibration mechanism may be used in conjunction with any above-described component or embodiment. For example, the entire screen 238 may be vibrated while areas of the screen 238 are locally worked by a jet 284, a roller 288, a brush 294, and/or a suction intake.
[0305] Although several embodiments and features have been described with reference to a screen 238 on a generally planar member 246, it should be understood that any of the above embodiments may similarly be applied to a non-planar member 256, including embodiments of the non-planar member 256 described herein. It may be advantageous to provide certain configurations or components based on the shape, orientation, size, and layout of a generally planar member 246 or a non-planar member 256.
[0306] It should be further understood that any of the above embodiments may be applied to any screen or filter within the hand vacuum cleaner 100, including a pre-motor filter 168 and a post-motor filter 176. The above embodiments may be implemented in any location within the hand vacuum cleaner 100 and may be of any shape or size necessary to engage the screen or filter.
[0307] It may be advantageous to have a third, middle or neutral pore size when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is de-energized to not strain or elastically deform the flexible screen 238. The neutral pore size may be more effective in releasing trapped particulate than the smaller, cleaning pore size, but less effective in releasing trapped particulate than the larger, removal pore size.
Rotatable Motor and Fan Assembly Such as on a Gimbal
[0308] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may allow rotation of the motor and fan assembly of the hand vacuum cleaner, such that the motor and fan assembly has a cleaning orientation and an evacuation orientation.
[0309] As discussed previously, air may be blown from the air outlet 202 and through the screen 238 via the motor and fan assembly 112. To achieve this, the orientation of the motor and fan assembly 112 may be adjustable during operation of the hand vacuum cleaner 100, or when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is in a de-energized state.
[0310] In an example, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode, the motor and fan assembly 112 may be orientation in a cleaning orientation, wherein the air inlet of the motor and fan assembly 112 faces towards the air treatment chamber air outlet 202. Oppositely, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode, the motor and fan assembly 112 may be orientation in an evacuation orientation, wherein the air inlet of the motor and fan assembly 112 faces away from the air treatment chamber air outlet 202, such as rearwardly.
[0311] The motor and fan assembly 112 may be rotatable from the cleaning orientation to the evacuation orientation via a rotational mount, such as a gimbal or the like. The gimbal may be rotatable about one or more axes, including a vertical axis, motor axis 146, and a horizontal axis transverse to motor axis 146.
[0312] The rotational mount may be manually actuated to move the motor and fan assembly 112 from the cleaning orientation to the evacuation orientation when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is de-energized, or may be mechanically or electrically actuated to automatically adjust the orientation of the motor and fan assembly 112 when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 switches operating modes. For example, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is powered on in a cleaning mode, the gimbal may be actuated to place the motor and fan assembly 112 into the cleaning orientation. The gimbal may actuate to move the motor and fan assembly into an orientation before the motor and fan assembly 112 is energized, to ensure that the proper orientation is reached before air flow begins. Similarly, the gimbal may be automatically actuated to place the motor and fan assembly 112 into the evacuation orientation when the openable portion of the air treatment chamber 220 is mounted to a device, e.g., a docking station, and may be actuated to place the motor and fan assembly 112 before an internal or external fan of the device is energized.
[0313] Rotation of the motor and fan assembly 112 through the gimbal may be used to increase the effectiveness of the evacuation mode of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 alongside any of the embodiments described above, including one or more jets 284, suction intakes, rollers 288, brushes 294, or vibration mechanisms. In an evacuation orientation, the air blown by the motor and fan assembly 112 may be naturally warmer due to the heat generated by the motor 142, providing a temperature increase to the screen 238 to open the pores 282 and further increase the effectiveness of the evacuation operation.
[0314] Alternately or in addition, the motor 142 may have multiple operating speeds for different modes. For example, it may be preferable to operate the motor 142 at a higher speed in an evacuation mode to increase air flow over the screen 238 and dislodge any trapped particulate in the screen. The motor 142 may automatically change operating speed based on the operating mode, or may adjust the operating speed based on the amount of particulate lodged in the screen 238, e.g., by a flow sensor or a pressure sensor. Alternately or in addition, the motor 142 may adjust the operating speed in cooperation with any of the mechanical means described above. For example, the motor 142 may reduce the operating speed when a jet 284 is in operation to locally clean an area of screen 238, and may increase the operating speed once the jet 284 is no longer operating.
[0315] Instead of using a gimbal to change the direction of the motor and fan assembly 112, the motor and fan assembly 112 may alternately rotate in an opposite direction in the cleaning mode and the evacuation mode. Optionally, the fan may be a bidirectional or reversible fan, which may be designed to provide similar or equal air flow in both directions based on a direction of rotation. In this embodiment, the motor 142 may simply switch the direction of rotation, rotating the fan in the opposite direction to reverse the direction of air flow. Alternately, one or more directional fans (i.e., fans that are optimized for unidirectional rotation) may face in opposite directions and be powered at opposite times based on the direction of the motor. For example, such as by using a transmission, a directional fan facing towards the rear of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 may rotate when the motor is operated in one direction, and a directional fan facing towards the front of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 may rotate when the motor is operated in the opposite direction. The directional fan may also rotate in the opposite direction based on the rotation of the motor, providing marginal air flow.
Oval Post-Motor Filter
[0316] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may include an oval filter, which may be an oval post-motor filter.
[0317] As shown in
[0318] As exemplified in
[0319] As exemplified, the pleated material forms recesses between adjacent pleats 306, and the pleats 306 extend axially along the post-motor filter axis 304.
[0320] When the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode, the air flow may travel from the radial open interior, through the pleated material to the radial outer side the, and then towards the clean air outlet 120.
[0321] The pleated material in the post-motor filter 176 may serve to reduce the amount of back pressure built up by air flow through the hand vacuum cleaner 100. In particular, by making the filter ovaloid, the amount of pleated filter media may be increased thereby increasing the surface area of the pleated filter media and reducing the backpressure through the filter.
[0322] As described previously, the post-motor filter 176 may be any suitable type of filter media such as one or more of a foam, felt, HEPA, other physical filter media, electrostatic filter, and the like.
[0323] Although exemplified in certain positions in the hand vacuum cleaner 100, it will be understood that a filter 176 as described herein may be placed anywhere suitable within the hand vacuum cleaner 100. For example, it may be used as a pre-motor filter.
[0324] Additionally, more than one filter 176 may be present, and may be any shape or size. In embodiments with more than one filter 176, the filters 176 may be positioned axially sequential or radially sequential. Different filters 176 may have different spacings between pleats 306, or may have fewer or more pleats 306.
Selectively Positioning Parts of a Filter Media in the Airflow Path in the Evacuation Mode
[0325] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may selectively direct air flow through one or more parts of a pre-motor filter when the hand vacuum cleaner is operated in an evacuation mode include a pre-motor baffle plate to restrict air flow through parts of a pre-motor filter when the hand vacuum cleaner is operated in an evacuation mode.
[0326] As described previously, the hand vacuum cleaner 100 may be operated in an evacuation mode, in which the direction of air flow is reversed to dislodge trapped dirt from, e.g., a pre-motor filter 168. Instead of or in addition to any of the methods for dislodging dirt described herein, it may be advantageous to increase the air speed over local sections of the pre-motor filter 168 to dislodge any particulate. Accordingly, during, e.g., a first stage of the evacuation mode, a first portion of the porous filter media may be positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path and the evacuation mode air flow path may bypass a second portion of the porous filter media, and during a second stage of the evacuation mode, the second portion of the porous filter media, as well as optionally the first portion, may be positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
[0327] The filter may be of any configuration, e.g., planar, annular, etc. An air block is provided to limit the portion or portions of the filter media through which air flows during the evacuation mode. The air block may overlie a portion or portions of the filter media through which air flows during the evacuation mode. Alternately or in addition, the air block may limit the portion of a flow passage that is upstream of a portion or portions of the filter media through which air flows during the evacuation mode, e.g., if the filter is annular and during an evacuation mode, air flows through the inner open volume of the annular filter and then radially outwardly through the filter media. Accordingly, the shape of the air block may vary based on the shape of the filter that the air block overlies and/or the shape of the air flow passage. During an evacuation mode, the air block may move to expose one additional portion of the filter media to air flow or to expose a plurality of portions of the filter media to air flow, which portions may be sequentially exposed to the air flow.
[0328] As exemplified in
[0329] As exemplified in
[0330] The baffle plate 310 may be comprised of any material that will enable the air block to limit air flow through portions of the filter media and may be made of an air impermeable material, such as plastic, metal, wood, glass, carbon fiber, or any other suitable material. It may have any thickness, or may be made of layers comprising one or more of any of the above materials.
[0331] When viewed from the side, as in
[0332] The baffle plate is moveably mounted to sequentially travel through the open interior to thereby expose additional portions of the filter media to air flow during an evacuation mode of operation. Accordingly, the baffle plate 310 may be mounted on one or more rails 312, which may extend from the first end of the pre-motor filter 168 to the second end of the pre-motor filter 168. The rails 312 may be attached to a portion of the open interior 170, the rear wall 250, the generally planar member 246, the non-planar member 256, the pre-motor filter housing 172, the motor and fan housing 140, the outlet port 254, and/or any other suitable structure in the hand vacuum cleaner 100. The one or more rails 312 may run parallel to or substantially parallel to the motor axis 146.
[0333] In a first position (
[0334] When the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode as previously described, air flow may travel through the open end of the pre-motor filter 168, into the open interior 170, through the porous sidewalls of the pre-motor filter, and through the outlet port 254. However, air flow will not continue past (forward of) the impermeable baffle plate 310. As such, when the baffle plate is in an intermediate position, air flow may travel into the open interior 170 up to the baffle plate 310, and out of the side walls of the pre-motor filter 168 that are rearward of the baffle plate.
[0335] Due to the decrease in available space for air flow in the open interior 170 when the baffle plate 310 is in an intermediate position, the velocity of the air flow through the sidewall may be increased and may be more likely to dislodge any trapped dirt in the pre-motor filter 168. The velocity of the air flow through the sidewall of the pre-motor filter 168 may be higher the closer that the baffle plate 310 is to the rear end of the filter.
[0336] The baffle plate 310 may be linearly actuated along the rails 312 to change its position. Linear actuation may be driven by any means, such as electronic drive, pneumatic drive, and/or hydraulic drive. The baffle plate may be moved along the rails at a constant speed, or may change positions during defined timings, e.g., 1 centimeter every 5 seconds. Alternately, one or more sensors (optical, flow) may be used to determine which areas of the pre-motor filter 168 are most blocked with dirt, and the baffle plate 310 may remain in a position in which air flow is encouraged over these sections for longer.
[0337] In an alternate embodiment, the baffle plate 310 may move linearly by other means, such as via a ball screw, a rack and pinion system, a belt drive, a pulley system, and/or a linear actuator.
[0338] In a cleaning mode, the baffle plate may be moved out of the air flow path. For example, the baffle plate may be moved transversely into a pocket out of the air flow path. Alternately, the baffle plate made a closeable iris. In the cleaning mode, the iris may open to enable air flow therethrough and in the evacuation mode the iris may close to act as a baffle plate.
[0339] Alternately or in addition to the above, more than one baffle plate 310 may be mounted onto the rails 312. For example, in an embodiment with two baffle plates 310, the two baffle plates 310 may be linearly spaced from each other along the rails 312 and air flow may be directed into the gap between the two baffle plates 310. Each baffle plate 310 may move along the rails 312 synchronously, or may move independent from each other. In an example, to concentrate the most air flow through the center of the pre-motor filter 168, each baffle plate 310 may begin at opposite ends of the pre-motor filter 168, and move towards each other at the same speed or in the same increments. In another example, to provide a constant increased air flow over all sections of the pre-motor filter 168, the two baffle plates 310 may move synchronously along the rails 312 from one end to the other, such that a constant gap remains between the two baffle plates 310 during movement.
[0340] As exemplified, the baffle plate limits the portion of the open interior 170 through which air flows during an evacuation mode. Alternately, or in addition, if the filter is annular, the air block may be an annular telescoping cylinder that overlies the inner side (upstream side during an evacuation mode) of the filter media. The telescoping cylinder may have two or more sections that retract during the evacuation mode to sequentially expose additional portion(s) of the filter media to air flow during an evacuation mode of operation. Alternately, the air block may be a partial annular member that extends, e.g., 270 so that air may flow through 90 of the perimeter of the upstream side during an evacuation mode of operation. Such an air block may be rotatably mounted to a rail 312 and may be rotated to discrete positions via, e.g., a stepper motor to direct air flow to a certain portions of the sidewall of the pre-motor filter 168. Accordingly, the air block may overlie of the upstream side of the filter media. During an evacuation mode, the air block may be rotated such that air may sequentially flow through different portions of the filter media.
Sequentially Backwashing a Screen of Porous Filter Media
[0341] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have one or more portions of a screen or porous filter media, wherein during different, e.g., sequential, stages of an evacuation process, different or additional portions of the screen or porous filter media are positioned in the evacuation air flow path.
[0342] When the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode, it may be preferable to have one or more sections of a porous member, such as a porous filter media or a screen 238 of a generally planar member 246, be exposed to the evacuation mode air flow path (i.e., from the outlet port 254 into the air treatment chamber 110) sequentially, or at different times. By exposing only a portion of a porous member to the air flow at a time, the air flow rate may be higher and may dislodge more dirt trapped in the screen or filter.
[0343]
[0344] The doors 314 may be made of any air impermeable material as described previously. They may be of any thickness or shape. As exemplified in
[0345] The doors 314 may be present on the upstream side of the generally planar member 246, or on the downstream side of the generally planar member 246 when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode. Optionally, one or more doors 314 may be present on both the upstream and downstream side of the generally planar member 246.
[0346] To enable rotation about the respective axes 316, each door 314 may be rotatably mounted to, e.g., a respective hinge, which may be permanently or removably affixed to the generally planar member 246. Optionally, the hinges may affix to the upstream or downstream side or the generally planar member 246, to enable adjustments in position of the doors 314.
[0347] Rotation of the doors 314 may be conducted sequentially, as exemplified in the figures, such that when a porous wall portion 224 is not covered by a door 314, the other porous wall portion(s) 224 are covered by a respective door, such that the air flow can only travel through one porous wall portion 224 at a time. As exemplified, in
[0348] Rotation of each door 314 about its respective hinge may be effected by an electric motor, such as a servomotor or a stepper motor. Optionally, each door 314 may rotate to an intermediate position, between fully opened (as in
[0349] It should be understood that any number of doors 314 may be present to block any number of porous wall portions 224. For example, instead of two doors 314 as exemplified in
[0350] Further, although the doors 314 are exemplified as having a generally vertical axis of rotation, it should be understood that the doors 314 may alternately or in addition have a horizontal axis of rotation. For example, a door 314 may have a semi-circular or semi-oval shape, and may rotate about a horizontal axis to partially or fully overlie (cover) an upper porous wall portion 224 or a lower porous wall portion 224. A door 314 may be connected to more than one hinge, and therefore may have more than one axis of rotation. For example, two quarter-circle or quarter-oval shaped doors may be disposed in opposite corners of the generally planar member 246, and each door 314 may rotate horizontally and vertically, such that each quadrant of the generally planar member 246 may be opened or closed at a particular time. A door 314, e.g., a planar door that is a portion of sector of a circle, may instead have an axis of rotation transverse to the plane of the face of the generally planar member 246 (i.e., parallel to, e.g., motor axis 146), and may rotate to cover one portion of the generally planar member 246 while allowing air flow through the rest of the generally planar member 246.
[0351] Alternately or in addition to the above, the one or more doors 314 may translate laterally horizontally or vertically along the face of the generally planar member 246. For example, as exemplified in
[0352] Although exemplified in the Figures as being of a rectangular shape, it should be understood that, as previously described, the door 314 may be of any shape or size. In an embodiment with multiple doors 314, each door may be of a different shape and/or a different size. Further, if a porous member is non-planar, the air block may be similarly or consequentially shaped.
[0353] Translation of the door 314 may be effected by electronic, hydraulic, mechanical, or pneumatic means. For example, the base of the door 314 may be permanently or removably affixed to one or more a linear actuators, which may be actuated to move the door vertically and/or horizontally across the face of the generally planar member 246. In another example, the door 314 may be electronically actuated to travel along a rail, or translated using a mechanical drive such as a lead screw or rack and pinion system.
[0354] Optionally, the door 314 may translate in any direction using, e.g., magnetic force. In an example, the door 314 and the generally planar member 246 may be made of a magnetic material, such that the door 314 remains movably affixed to the generally planar member 246 and does not fall due to the force of gravity. Part or all of the perimeter of the generally planar member 246 may be surrounded by electromagnets, which can be activated by introducing an electric current into the electromagnet. By introducing varying levels of current into electromagnets at specific locations, the door 314 may be moved in any direction along the face of the generally planar member 246 without requiring attachment to the generally planar member 246 or other connected actuation means.
[0355] Alternately or in addition to any of the above, all or portions of a door 314 may be telescoping or extendable to change the size/shape of the door 314, to thereby cover all or certain portions of a porous member such as a generally planar member 246. For example, a door 314 may be immovably affixed in the center of a generally planar member 246. Instead of rotating or translating along the face of the generally planar member 246, one or more sides of the door 314 may extend (e.g., telescope) to cover a portion of the generally planar member 246. Each telescoping side may extend sequentially, or a plurality of telescoping sides may extend concurrently. In another example, the door 314 may be horizontally laterally translatable across the face of the generally planar member 246 by any method described previously. To adapt to the dimensions of the generally planar member 246, the height of the door 314 may be variable such that the door covers the entirety of the height of the generally planar member 246 as it moves across the face of the generally planar member. Extension of one or more sides of the door may similarly be actuated through electronic, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, or electromagnetic drives.
[0356] Rotation, movement, and/or extension of the door 314 may be manually effected, or may occur automatically. In an example, portions of the screen 238 may be sequentially covered and/or uncovered in certain time intervals, periodically changing the position or configuration of the door 314 until air flow has been allowed through all porous wall portions 224. In another example, the position or configuration of the door 314 may depend on the level of buildup in a porous wall portion 224. A pressure sensor may sense the backpressure during evacuation, and may permit air flow over a porous wall portion 224 until a certain amount of dirt has been removed, after which a signal may be sent to, e.g., an electric motor or a solenoid to move the door 314 into the next position. Alternately, an optical sensor may determine when an appropriate amount of dirt has been removed from the porous wall portion 224 before blocking air flow across the porous wall portion 224.
[0357] As discussed previously, although reference has been made to a generally planar member 246, it should be understood that the aforementioned features may be similarly implemented in embodiments with a non-planar member 256. A door 314 may cover an angled or arcuate screen 238, and/or may cover the rear opening of the non-planar member 256. The aforementioned features may be similarly implemented in any other filter, including but not limited to the pre-motor filter 168 and the post-motor filter 176.
[0358] Alternately or in addition to the above, the air block may be in the form of a valve that overlies (e.g., immediately upstream or downstream of) a portion of a porous member and, when open, enables air to flow linearly to and through that portion of the porous member and when closed inhibits air flow therethrough. As exemplified in
[0359] The valves 318 may be disposed in the pleated filter such that each valve is between an upper and lower pleated section. When the valves 318 are in a first position (
[0360] Each valve 318 may be rotatably connected to a respective hinge 320 such that the valve 318 may rotate from the first position to the second position or vice versa. The first position and the second position may be bounded by the pleats in the filter material (i.e., as exemplified the valve 318 abuts the upper pleated section and the lower pleated section in the first and second positions respectively), or the first and second position may be anywhere between the upper and lower pleated portions. The valves 318 may only rotate between the first and second position, or may optionally rotate to any number of intermediate positions between or outside of the first and second position.
[0361] Optionally, the width of the valves 318 may be the same or greater as the width of the pleated filter, such that the valves 318 block the entirety of a section of the pleated filter. Alternately, each pleat may have more than one valve 318 spaced laterally horizontally from each other along the width of the pleat, such that air cannot travel in the space between two valves. Similarly, the length of each valve 318 may be the same as or greater than the length of each pleat, such that each valve 318 blocks the entire length of the pleat.
[0362] Rotation of each valve 318 may be effected by an electrical drive, such as a servomotor or stepper motor. Each valve 318 may be actuated by the same motor, or may each be operated by a respective motor. Each valve 318 may further rotate from a first position to a second position concurrently, or may rotate asynchronously.
[0363] As evacuation air flow travels over the first portion of the porous filter (i.e., the lower pleated section associated with each respective valve 318,
[0364] The valves 318 may be rotated from the first position to the second position after a time interval, or may rotate based on information received by a sensor. Optionally, the sensor may be a pressure-based sensor such as an aneroid capsule, which may react to pressure changes in the air treatment chamber 110 and/or in the air outlet 254 as a result of increased air flow through the porous filter due to dirt being dislodged. Once the pressure in the air treatment chamber 110 reaches a certain level, the aneroid capsule may inflate or deflate and trigger an electronic signal to a motor, and/or may trigger one or more mechanical drives such as a piston to actuate the valves 318. Once the valves 318 rotate from the first position to the second position, the pressure in the air treatment chamber 110 may return to the previous value, and the aneroid capsule returns to the neutral state. Optionally, once the aneroid capsule inflates or deflates again, this may signal to end the evacuation operation, as all portions of the porous filter are sufficiently free of dirt.
[0365] Alternately or in addition to embodiments described above, the valves 318 may instead be disposed within the pleats of a porous member. In this embodiment, instead of directly blocking air flow through certain portions of the porous filter, the valves 318 may compress two or more pleats together, while simultaneously expanding the space between other pleats. When the pleats are compressed, air flow may travel past the compressed pleats, rather than between them, and will travel through the pleats which have been expanded as a result of movement of the valves 318.
[0366] Similar to the above, after a defined time interval or upon being signaled by, e.g., a pressure sensor such as an aneroid capsule, the valves 318 may move from the first position in which certain pleats are compressed and certain pleats are expanded, into the second position in which the pleats which were previously compressed are expanded, and in which the pleats which were previously expanded are compressed. Each valve 318 may similarly have an intermediate position between the first position and the second position, in which the pleated filter is in a neutral state, in which no pleats are expanded or compressed.
[0367] Alternately, valves 318 may be disposed upstream of a porous member with a screen 238 and no pleated filter when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is used in an evacuation mode. Instead of a first position and a second position abutting pleats in the pleated filter, the first position and second position of the valves 318 may abut the screen 238 of the porous member, such that the first position and the second position are, e.g., approximately 180 from each other if the screen is planar.
[0368] In this embodiment, the valves 318 may be spaced vertically from each other and sized such that the length of each valve is shorter than the space between each valve. For example, the length of each valve may be half the vertical distance between each valve, such that when all valves are in a first position (i.e., facing vertically upwards), air flow is permitted across an equal amount of the screen 238 as when the valves are in a second position (i.e., facing vertically downwards). Each valve 318 may also have an intermediate position, in which, e.g., the valve 318 is completely or substantially horizontal such that air flow is not prevented through any portion of the screen 238.
[0369] The orientation of the valves 318 may be dependent on the orientation of the pleats in the pleated filter or the orientation of a screen. For example, if the pleats in the pleated filter extend vertically rather than horizontally, the valves 318 may similarly be horizontally spaced from each other rather than vertically spaced. If pleats in the pleated filter extend at an angle to the vertical, the valves 318 may similarly be spaced along a plane defined by the same angle. In embodiments with a screen 238 on a generally planar member 246, valves 318 may be of the same or different orientations, lengths, spacings, or widths to accommodate the shape of the screen 238.
[0370] Although embodiments have been described with a first position and a second position, it should be understood that the valves 318 may move to any number of positions to prevent or allow air flow through any number of portions of the porous filter. Each valve 318 may rotate sequentially, asynchronously, asymmetrically, or in any manner with respect to the rest of valves 318 to define any number of portions of the porous member.
[0371] It should further be understood that, although exemplary embodiments discuss the above with reference to a generally planar member 246, valves 318 may be disposed in and may define portions of a porous member of any non-planar member 256 described previously, as well as in any sort of filter, including but not limited to pre-motor filter 168 and post-motor filter 176.
Sequentially Opening Screen in a Cleaning Operation
[0372] A surface cleaner using any one or more aspects discussed herein, including one or more of the other aspects set out herein in the general description and/or the detailed discussion, may have one or more portions of a porous member such as a porous filter media or screen, wherein during consecutive stages of a cleaning process, portions of the porous member are positioned in the cleaning air flow path.
[0373] Similar to the above described operations when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode, it may be preferable to introduce portions of a filter or screen to a cleaning mode air flow sequentially, such that once air flow is reduced by a certain amount over a portion of the filter or screen due to trapped dirt within the screen or filter, a new, clean portion of the filter or screen is introduced into the cleaning mode air flow.
[0374] Embodiments described previous may be similarly implemented when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode. For example, the valves 318 may be disposed upstream of the pleated filter of the generally planar member 246 when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode (i.e., between the generally planar member 246 and the air inlet 116), such that incoming air may only pass through a portion of the pleated filter or screen before travelling through the outlet port 254. A pressure sensor such as an aneroid capsule may inflate or deflate based on pressure changes in the air treatment chamber 110 as the portions of the pleated filter become filled with dirt and particulate, and may signal to, e.g., a motor or a piston to actuate the valve 318 to move the valve 318 from the first position to the second position.
[0375] Optionally, valves 318 may be present on both upstream and downstream sides of the pleated filter or screen, such that portions of the pleated filter or screen can be blocked from air flow during a cleaning operation and during an evacuation operation. For example, when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in a cleaning mode, upstream valves 318 (i.e., valves 318 forward of the pleated filter) may be in a first or a second position, while downstream valves 318 (i.e., valves 318 rearward of the pleated filter) are in an intermediate, neutral position such that they do not affect air flow through any portion of the pleated filter. When the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode, the upstream valves (i.e., valves 318 rearward of the pleated filter) may be in a first or a second position, while downstream valves 318 (i.e., valves 318 forward of the pleated filter) are in a neutral position such that they do not affect air flow through any portion of the pleated filter. Alternately, both upstream and downstream valves may be in any position at any time to direct air flow through any portion of the pleated filter and/or screen 238.
[0376] As exemplified in
[0377] The screen 322 is positioned interior of the air treatment chamber housing 332. The screen 322 may be held in position inside the air treatment chamber housing 332 such as by being affixed, optionally removably affixed to the front or rear end of the housing. An annular flow region is provided between the screen and the air treatment chamber housing 332. The rear end of the annular flow region is open such that, during a cleaning operation, air may flow rearwardly out of the annular flow region to, e.g., a pre-motor filter header in the pre-motor filter housing 172.
[0378] Surrounding the outer diameter of the cylindrical screen 322, an air block such as a plug 324 may be disposed between the sidewall 192 of the air treatment chamber housing 332 and the cylindrical screen 322. The plug 324 may be made partially or entirely of an air impermeable material, such as wood, metal, plastic, composite, glass, or any other suitable material. As exemplified, the inner diameter of the plug 324 may be equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical screen 322, and the outer diameter of the plug 324 may be equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the air treatment chamber housing 332, such that air is inhibited from flowing between the plug 324, the cylindrical screen 322, and/or the sidewalls 192 of the air treatment chamber housing 332. It will be appreciated that a deformable material such as a gasket or felt may be provided between the plug 324 and the cylindrical screen 322 and/or the plug and the sidewalls 192 to seal the gap therebetween.
[0379] The plug 324 may be of any shape to match the shape of the cylindrical screen 322 and/or the air treatment chamber 110. For example, in embodiments in which the cylindrical screen 322 has, e.g., a square cross section, the plug 324 may have a square inner shape with each side having a length equal to or slightly smaller than the length of each side of the cylindrical screen 322. Similarly, in embodiments in which the air treatment chamber housing 332 has, e.g., an oblong shape, the plug 324 may have an oblong outer shape.
[0380] In operation, the plug 324 may translate along the length of the cylindrical screen 322 from a first position near or at the closed end 328 of the cylindrical screen 322, to a second position near or at the open end 326 of the cylindrical screen 322. When the plug 324 is in the first position as exemplified in
[0381] The plug 324 may be slidably connected to axially extending rails on one or more portions of the cylindrical screen 322 to reduce kinetic friction between the inner portion of the plug 324 and the cylindrical screen. Alternately or in addition, the plug 324 may be slidably connected to rails on one or more portions of the sidewall 192 of the air treatment chamber 110 to reduce kinetic friction between the outer portion of the plug 324 and the sidewall 192.
[0382] As air is inhibited from passing through the plug 324, the incoming air stream may be directed from the air inlet 116 into the air treatment chamber 110, and subsequently from the air treatment chamber 110 outwardly through the portion of the cylindrical screen 322 that is rearward of the plug 324 into the annular flow region and then downstream to, e.g., a pre-motor filter. As the portions of the cylindrical screen 322 which are rearward of the plug 324 are filled with dirt, the plug 324 may translate forwardly to open a further portion of the cylindrical screen 322 which was previously unavailable.
[0383] In an embodiment, the plug 324 may translate along the cylindrical screen 322 a fixed amount based on defined time intervals. For example, the plug 324 may translate 1 cm forwardly every 10 seconds, until the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is de-energized or until the plug 324 reaches the open end 326 of the cylindrical screen 322. Alternately, the plug 324 may translate based on the amount of dirt and particulate build up in the sections of the cylindrical screen 322 open to air flow.
[0384] As described previously, a pressure sensor such as an aneroid capsule may inflate or deflate from a neutral position due to pressure changes in the air treatment chamber 110 as the cylindrical screen 322 becomes clogged with dirt, and may actuate, e.g., a mechanical or electromechanical drive such as a piston, solenoid, or motor to translate the plug 324 and introduce a new section of the cylindrical screen 322 to the air flow. Once the new section is introduced, the pressure in the air treatment chamber 322 may return to a normal level, and the aneroid capsule may return to a neutral state.
[0385] Alternately or in addition, other sensors may be used to determine when a portion of the cylindrical screen 322 has become adequately clogged with dirt such that a new section should be introduced to the air flow. For example, a noise sensor may measure the noise of the electric motor 142 and/or the impeller blade(s) 144, and determine that the plug 324 should be translated once the noise of the electric motor 142 and/or the impeller blade(s) 144 reach a certain volume. In another example, the plug 324 may be translated once the power level in the electric motor 142 reaches a certain level or a temperature sensor thermally connected to the motor raises detects a predetermined temperature rise of the motor.
[0386] In an alternate embodiment, as exemplified in
[0387] Although exemplified as cylinders, it should be understood that the air treatment chamber 110 and the housing 332 may be of any shape and size. For example, the shape of the cross-section of the air treatment chamber when viewed from the front of the hand vacuum cleaner 100 may be circular, square, rectangular, triangular, elliptical, or rhomboidal. The air treatment chamber 110 may extend axially by any length towards the outlet port 254. It should further be understood that although the porous screen sections 334 of the air treatment chamber 110 are illustrated as rectangular, they may be of any shape or size, and may be located anywhere along the sidewalls 192 of the air treatment chamber 110. Alternately, the entire sidewall 192 of the air treatment chamber 110 may comprise a porous screen section 334.
[0388] To prevent air flow through sections of the porous screen section 334, an air block such as the plug 324 may be disposed within the air treatment chamber. As previously described, the plug 324 may have any thickness, and may be made of any impermeable material. The size and shape of the plug 324 may correspond to the size and shape of the air treatment chamber 110, such that the outer edge of the plug 324 abuts the sidewall 192 of the air treatment chamber 110 and does not allow air flow past the plug 324.
[0389] Similar to the embodiment described previously, the plug 324 may translate along the length of the air treatment chamber 110, from a first position near the open end 336 of the air treatment chamber, to a second position near the closed end 338 of the air treatment chamber. When the plug 324 is in the first position, only a portion of the porous screen section 334 may be available for air flow out of the air treatment chamber 110. When the plug 324 is in the second position, most of or the entirety of porous screen section 334 may be available for air flow out of the air treatment chamber 110.
[0390] Translation of the plug 324 from the first position to the second position may be similarly effected by any means, such as electronic, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and/or electromagnetic drives as described previously. The plug 324 may be slidably attached to one or more axially extending rails on the sidewalls 192 of the air treatment chamber 110 to reduce the amount of kinetic friction during translation.
[0391] As described previously, when the plug 324 is in the first position, air flow out of the air treatment chamber 110 may be limited to only a first portion of the porous screen section 334 (the forward portion as exemplified in
[0392] To expose various portions of the porous screen section 334 to the air flow, the plug 324 may translate along the air treatment chamber 110 a fixed amount based on defined time intervals. Alternately, the plug 324 may translate based on the amount of dirt build up in the portions of the porous screen section 334 that is open to airflow.
[0393] As previously described, a pressure sensor such as an aneroid capsule may inflate or deflate to actuate the plug and effect translation along the air treatment chamber 110. Alternately or in addition, other sensors such as a noise sensor or a current sensor or a temperature sensor may be used to determine when the plug 324 should be moved towards the second position. The plug 324 may alternately not have a drive, and may translate along the air treatment chamber 110 due to an increase in force on the plug 324 from the air flow as porous screen sections 334 become blocked, e.g., the plug may be biased forwardly (e.g., by a spring) and may move rearwardly as the air pressure in the air treatment chamber 110 exceeds the biasing force which biased the plug forwardly.
[0394] Although described with reference to a cleaning operation of the hand vacuum cleaner 100, it should be understood that in any of the embodiments described herein, the plug 324 may have a similar functionality when the hand vacuum cleaner 100 is operated in an evacuation mode. For example, in the embodiment exemplified in
[0395] While the above description describes features of example embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. For example, the various characteristics which are described by means of the represented embodiments or examples may be selectively combined with each other. Accordingly, what has been described above is intended to be illustrative of the claimed concept and non-limiting. It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
[0396] This specification also includes the subject matter of the following clause sets:
Clause Set A
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0397] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0398] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an inlet end comprising a first end wall, an outlet end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber air inlet provided at the inlet end, an air treatment chamber air outlet provided at the outlet end, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the inlet end of the air treatment chamber to the outlet end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a generally planar member which extends generally transverse to the air treatment chamber axis, the generally planar member comprising a porous section and an air impermeable section.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 further comprising a non-return valve wherein, when the motor and fan assembly is deenergized, and the air treatment chamber air inlet is oriented downwardly, the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and wherein, in operation, the non-return valve assists in directing air entering the air treatment chamber towards the air impermeable section.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 1 further comprising a non-return valve wherein, when the motor and fan assembly is deenergized, and the air treatment chamber air inlet is oriented downwardly, the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and wherein, in operation, the non-return valve directs air entering the air treatment chamber towards the air impermeable section.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the lower portion comprises the air impermeable section.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 4 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air impermeable section has a height extending from a lower end of the air impermeable section to an upper end of the air impermeable section and the height of the air impermeable section is at least 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% or more of the height of the air treatment chamber air outlet.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the upper portion comprises the air impermeable section.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 6 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air impermeable section has a height extending from a lower end of the air impermeable section to an upper end of the air impermeable section and the height of the air impermeable section is at least 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% or more of the height of the air treatment chamber air outlet.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous section comprises a frame having a plurality of arms that are spaced apart to define an open region between adjacent arms and the open regions are covered by a screen.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein a screen section is provided for each open region.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 9 wherein at least one of the screen sections has a different pore size than another of the screen sections.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous section comprises a first porous portion and a second porous portion, and the first porous portion has smaller openings than the second porous portion.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein the first porous portion comprises a first screen and the second porous portion comprises a second screen.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the second end wall comprises the air treatment chamber air outlet.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable section.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the porous section comprises a screen.
16. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the porous section comprises a frame having a plurality of arms that are spaced apart to define an open region between adjacent arms and the open regions are covered by a screen.
17. The surface cleaner of clause 15 wherein, in operation to clean a floor, the air treatment chamber air outlet has an upper portion, a lower portion, and a height extending from a lower end of the air treatment chamber air outlet to an upper end of the air treatment chamber air outlet, and the lower portion comprises the screen.
18. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the surface cleaner is a hand vacuum cleaner, the dirty air inlet is provided at a front end of the hand vacuum cleaner, the inlet end of the air treatment chamber is a front end of the air treatment chamber and the outlet end of the air treatment chamber is a rear end of the air treatment chamber.
19. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises an stationary portion and an openable portion, the openable portion is rotationally mounted between a closed operating position and an open emptying position, each of the stationary and openable portions comprise a portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall and, when the surface cleaner is oriented with the air treatment chamber axis extending horizontally and the dirty air inlet at an upper end of the surface cleaner, the openable portion comprises a lower portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall.
20. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a stationary portion and an openable portion, the openable portion is rotationally mounted between a closed operating position and an open emptying position, each of the stationary and openable portions comprise a portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall and the openable portion is generally U shaped in a plane transverse to the air treatment chamber axis.
21. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the first end wall comprises the air treatment chamber air inlet.
Clause Set B
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0399] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0400] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an inlet end comprising a first end wall, an outlet end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber air inlet provided at the inlet end, an air treatment chamber air outlet provided at the outlet end, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the inlet end of the air treatment chamber to the outlet end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the second end wall comprises the air treatment chamber air outlet and wherein the second end wall comprises a porous section which is non-planar.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous section comprises a screen.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the second end wall comprises an air impermeable section.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 3 wherein air entering the air treatment chamber is directed towards the air impermeable section.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the second end wall comprises a first recess, which extends axially away from the first end wall.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein the first recess is rounded.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 6 wherein the first recess is concave.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein the porous section comprises at least a portion of the first recess.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein the second end wall further comprises a second recess, which extends away from the first end wall.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 9 wherein the porous section comprises at least a portion of the first recess and at least a portion of the second recess.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein the second end wall further comprises a bulge, which extends towards the first end wall.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 9 wherein the second end wall further comprises a bulge, which extends towards the first end wall and which is located between the first and second recesses.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the second end wall comprises a first bulge, which extends towards the first end wall.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the first bulge is rounded.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 14 wherein the first bulge is convex.
16. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the porous section comprises at least a portion of the first bulge.
17. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the second end wall further comprises a second bulge, which extends towards the first end wall.
18. The surface cleaner of clause 17 wherein the porous section comprises at least a portion of the first bulge and at least a portion of the second bulge.
19. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous section which is non-planar comprises a concave screen section, which extends away from the first end wall.
20. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous section which is non-planar comprises a convex screen section, which extends towards the first end wall.
Clause Set C
2. A surface cleaner comprising: [0401] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; [0402] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air inlet is provided at the first end and comprises an inlet port; and, [0403] (c) a non-return valve that is moveably mounted by a mount between a blocking position in which the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and an operating position in which the non-return valve is positioned to enable dirt entrained in an air flow to enter the air treatment chamber, [0404] wherein the air flow path comprises an inlet conduit extending from the dirty air inlet to the inlet port and the mount is located in the air inlet conduit.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein, in the operating position, a portion of the non-return valve is located in the air inlet conduit.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the non-return valve has a first end at the mount, a second end distal to the mount and a length from the first end to the second end and, in the operating position, at least about 50% of the length is located in the air inlet conduit.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein, in the operating position, the non-return valve is located in the air inlet conduit.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the mount is a rotational mount.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein, in operation, air travels inwardly in a flow direction through the inlet conduit into the air treatment chamber, the non-return valve has a mount end at the mount and a free end distal to the mount and the free end rotates in the flow direction from the blocking position to the operating position.
8. A surface cleaner comprising: [0405] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; [0406] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air inlet is provided at the first end and comprises an inlet port; and, [0407] (c) a non-return valve that is moveably mounted by a mount between a blocking position in which the non-return valve inhibits dirt exiting the air treatment chamber, and an operating position in which the non-return valve is positioned to enable dirt entrained in an air flow to enter the air treatment chamber, [0408] wherein the mount is located in the air treatment chamber.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein, in operation, air travels inwardly in a flow direction into the air treatment chamber, the non-return valve has a mount end at the mount and a free end distal to the mount and the free end rotates in the flow direction from the blocking position to the operating position.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein, in the blocking position, the mount end of the non-return valve is further from the first end than the free end.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein the air flow path comprises an inlet conduit extending from the dirty air inlet to the inlet port and the mount is located forward of the inlet port.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein, in operation, air travels inwardly in a flow direction into the air treatment chamber and the inlet port extends at an angle to the flow direction and, in the blocking position, the non-return valve abuts the inlet port.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein, in the blocking position, the free end is located closer to the dirty air inlet then the mount end.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein the mount is a rotational mount.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein, in operation, air travels inwardly in a flow direction through the inlet conduit into the air treatment chamber, the non-return valve has a mount end at the mount and a free end distal to the mount and the free end rotates in the direction opposite to the flow direction from the blocking position to the operating position.
Clause Set D
2. A surface cleaner comprising: [0409] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0410] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet is provided at the second end, the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous member, [0411] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in a cleaning mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air inlet and entrained dirt is retained in the air treatment member, and [0412] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in an evacuation mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air outlet and dirt that has been retained in the air treatment chamber is removed from the air treatment chamber, and [0413] wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet has a first configuration during the cleaning mode and a second configuration during the evacuation mode.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a flexible portion.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the flexible portion comprises the porous member.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 3 wherein the porous member comprises a screen.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 3 wherein the porous member has a plurality of pores and the pores have a larger size during the evacuation mode than during the cleaning mode.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 3 wherein the porous member has a plurality of pores and the pores have a first size when the motor and fan assembly is de-energized, a second size that is smaller than the first size during the cleaning mode, and a third size that is larger than the second size during the evacuation mode.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 6 wherein the third size is larger than the first size during the evacuation mode.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous member contracts inwardly in a cleaning flow direction through the porous member during the cleaning mode and the porous member expands outwardly in an evacuation flow direction through the porous member during the evacuation mode.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous member comprises a screen extending into the air treatment chamber from the second end of the treatment chamber towards the first end of the treatment chamber.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the air treatment member comprises a screen and the air treatment member air outlet comprises a vortex finder.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the motor and fan assembly is used during the cleaning mode and during the evacuation mode.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein, during the cleaning mode, the motor and fan assembly is in a cleaning position and the air inlet of the motor and fan assembly faces towards the air treatment chamber air outlet and, during the evacuation mode, the motor and fan assembly is in an evacuation position and the air inlet of the motor and fan assembly faces away the air treatment chamber air outlet.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 12 wherein the motor and fan is rotatable from the cleaning position to the evacuation position.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein, during the cleaning mode, the motor and fan assembly rotates in a first direction and, during the evacuation mode, the motor and fan assembly rotates in a direction opposite to the first direction.
16. The surface cleaner of clause 1 further comprising a mechanical member that is operable to impact the air treatment chamber air outlet during the evacuation mode.
17. A method of operating a surface cleaner, the surface cleaner comprising: [0414] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0415] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet is provided at the second end, the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous member, [0416] the method comprising: [0417] (c) operating the surface cleaner in a cleaning mode during which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air inlet and entrained dirt is retained in the air treatment member whereby a pore size of the porous member is reduced; and [0418] (d) operating the surface cleaner in an evacuation mode during which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air outlet and dirt that has been retained in the air treatment chamber is removed from the air treatment chamber whereby a pore size of the porous member is increased.
18. The method of clause 16 further comprising mechanically impacting the air treatment chamber air outlet during the evacuation mode.
19. The method of clause 16 further comprising vibrating the air treatment chamber air outlet during the evacuation mode.
20. The method of clause 16 further comprising directing one or more jets of air at the porous member during the evacuation mode.
Clause Set E
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0419] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0420] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, [0421] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in a cleaning mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air inlet and entrained dirt is retained in the air treatment member, and [0422] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in an evacuation mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air outlet and dirt that has been retained in the air treatment chamber is removed from the air treatment chamber, and [0423] wherein, during the cleaning mode, the motor and fan assembly is in a cleaning position and the inlet of the motor and fan assembly faces towards the air treatment chamber air outlet and, during the evacuation mode, the motor and fan assembly is in an evacuation position and the air inlet of the motor and fan assembly faces away from the air treatment chamber air outlet.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the motor and fan is rotatable from the cleaning position to the evacuation position.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 1 further comprising a rotational mount for the motor and fan assembly.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 3 wherein the rotational mount for the motor and fan assembly comprises a gimbal.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 1 further comprising a mechanical member that is operable to impact the air treatment chamber air outlet during the evacuation mode.
Clause Set F
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0424] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path, wherein the motor and fan assembly has a motor axis of rotation; [0425] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber; and, [0426] (c) a post motor filter wherein the post-motor filter has a first end, a spaced apart second end, a radial outer side positioned between the first end of the post-motor filter and the spaced apart second end of the post-motor filter, a post-motor filter axis extending centrally through the post-motor filter from the first end of the post-motor filter to the spaced apart second end of the post-motor filter and a radial inner open interior, whereby in operation to clean a surface, air travels outwardly through from the open interior to the radial outer side and then towards the clean air outlet, wherein in a plane transverse to the axis, the post motor filter is generally oval.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the post-motor filter comprises a pleated filter material.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the pleated filter material comprises recesses between adjacent pleats and the pleats extend axially.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the motor axis of rotation extends in a common direction with the post-motor filter axis.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein, in the plane transverse to the axis, the open interior is generally oval.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the motor axis of rotation extends in a common direction with the post-motor filter axis.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 4 wherein, in the plane transverse to the axis, the open interior is generally oval.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the surface cleaner is a hand vacuum cleaner having a front end having a dirty air inlet, a rear end and a hand vacuum cleaner axis extending centrally through the hand vacuum cleaner from the front end to the rear end and the post-motor filter axis extends in a common direction with the hand vacuum cleaner axis.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein the motor axis of rotation extends in a common direction with the post-motor filter axis.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein the post-motor filter comprises a pleated filter material.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 10 wherein the pleated filter material comprises recesses between adjacent pleats and the pleats extend axially.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 10 wherein the post-motor filter comprises a pleated filter material.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 12 wherein the pleated filter material comprises recesses between adjacent pleats and the pleats extend axially.
14. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1 wherein the motor is at least partially positioned in the open interior.
15. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 5 wherein the motor is at least partially positioned in the open interior.
Clause Set G
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0427] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; [0428] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a first end comprising a first end wall, a second end comprising a second end wall, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the first end wall of the air treatment chamber to the second end wall of the air treatment chamber, an air treatment chamber sidewall extending from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous member; and, [0429] (c) a pre-motor filter upstream of the motor and fan assembly, the pre-motor filter comprising a porous filter media, [0430] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in a cleaning mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air inlet and entrained dirt is retained in the air treatment member, and [0431] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in an evacuation mode in which an evacuation mode air flow path comprises a portion that extends from the motor and fan assembly to the air treatment chamber whereby air is drawn into the air treatment chamber and dirt that has been retained in the air treatment chamber is removed from the air treatment chamber, and [0432] wherein during a first stage of the evacuation mode, a first portion of the porous filter media is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path and the evacuation mode air flow path bypasses a second portion of the porous filter media, and during a second stage of the evacuation mode, the second portion of the porous filter media is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein during the first stage, an air block is positioned upstream of the second portion of the porous filter media and in the second stage, the air block is adjusted to expose the second portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein during the first stage, the air block overlies the second portion of the porous filter media.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the pre-motor filter is annular and has an open interior, the air block is moveable mounted in the opening interior from a first position in which the first portion of the porous filter media is provided in the evacuation mode air flow path to a second position in which the second portion of the porous filter media is provided in the evacuation mode air flow path.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 4 wherein the air block is translatably moveable.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 5 wherein the pre-motor filter has a first end and an axially opposed second end, the interior opening is provided on a downstream side of the porous filter media during the cleaning mode, the interior opening has a closed end and an open end located at the second end of the pre-motor filter and the air block is axially moveable in the interior volume.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the air block is automatically moveable based on at least one of a velocity of air flow during the evacuation mode and a pressure in the evacuation mode air flow path.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 7 further comprising a pressure sensor that is drivingly connected to the air block.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein the pressure sensor issues a signal to an electromechanical member that is drivingly connected to the air block.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein the electromechanical member comprises a solenoid or motor.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 8 wherein the pressure sensor is inflatable based on a pressure in a volume on an outer side of the pressure sensor.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the air block is rotatable between a first stage position in which the evacuation mode air flow path bypasses the second portion of the porous filter media and a second stage position in which the second portion of the porous filter media is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 12 wherein the air block comprises a valve positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 13 wherein the valve is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path upstream of the second portion of the porous filter media.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the air block is translatable between a first stage position in which the evacuation mode air flow path bypasses the second portion of the porous filter media and a second stage position in which the second portion of the porous filter media is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
16. The surface cleaner of clause 15 wherein the pre-motor filter is planar and the air block is translatable in a direction that generally extends in a common direction with a plane that extends along a downstream face of the pre-motor filter.
17. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the air block selectively exposes the first portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path and selectively exposes the second portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path.
18. The surface cleaner of clause 17 wherein the air block comprises a first air block part that selectively exposes the first portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path and a second air block part that selectively exposes the second portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path.
19. The surface cleaner of clause 18 wherein during the first stage, the first air block part exposes the first portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path and the second air block part blocks the second portion of the porous filter media from the evacuation mode air flow path and, during the second stage, the first air block part blocks the first portion of the porous filter media from the evacuation mode air flow path and the second air block part exposes the second portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path.
20. The surface cleaner of clause 17 wherein during the first stage, the air block exposes the first portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path and the air block blocks the second portion of the porous filter media from the evacuation mode air flow path and, during the second stage, the air block exposes the first portion and the second portion of the porous filter media to the evacuation mode air flow path.
Clause Set H
1. A surface cleaner comprising: [0433] (a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet provided at a front end of the hand vacuum cleaner to a clean air outlet positioned rearward of the front end with a motor and fan assembly provided in the air flow path; and, [0434] (b) an air treatment chamber provided in the air flow path, the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber air inlet, an air treatment chamber air outlet, a front end, a rear end, an air treatment chamber axis extending centrally through the air treatment chamber from the front end of the air treatment chamber to the rear end of the air treatment chamber, wherein the air treatment chamber air outlet comprises a porous member, [0435] wherein the surface cleaner is operable in a cleaning mode in which air is drawn into the air treatment chamber through the air treatment chamber air inlet and exits the air treatment member through the porous member, and [0436] wherein during a first stage of the cleaning mode, air exits the air treatment chamber through a first portion of the porous member but not a second portion of the porous member and, during a second stage of the cleaning mode, air exits the air treatment chamber through the second portion of the porous member.
2. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the porous member comprises a screen extending axially along at least a portion of an axial length of the air treatment chamber.
3. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the screen is provided in the air treatment chamber.
4. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber sidewall that extends from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber and at least a portion of the porous member comprises a porous portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall.
5. The surface cleaner of clause 2 wherein the air treatment chamber comprises an air treatment chamber sidewall that extends from the first end of the air treatment chamber to the second end of the air treatment chamber and at least a portion of the porous member comprises the air treatment chamber sidewall.
6. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein the surface cleaner is operable in an evacuation mode in which an evacuation mode air flow path comprises a portion that extends from the motor and fan assembly to the air treatment chamber whereby air is drawn into the air treatment chamber and dirt that has been retained in the air treatment chamber is removed from the air treatment chamber, wherein during a first stage of the evacuation mode, the first portion of the porous member is positioned in an evacuation mode air flow path and the evacuation mode air flow path bypasses the second portion of the porous member, and during a second stage of the evacuation mode, the second portion of the porous member is positioned in the evacuation mode air flow path.
7. The surface cleaner of clause 1 wherein during the first stage, an air block is positioned to inhibit airflow through the second portion of the porous member and in the second stage, a position of air block is adjusted whereby air flows through the second portion of the porous member.
8. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein during the first stage, the air block overlies the second portion of the porous member.
9. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein the air block is translatably moveable.
10. The surface cleaner of clause 7 wherein the air block is automatically moveable based on at least one of a velocity of air flow during the cleaning mode and a pressure in the cleaning mode air flow path.
11. The surface cleaner of clause 10 further comprising a pressure sensor that is drivingly connected to the air block.
12. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein the pressure sensor issues a signal to an electromechanical member that is drivingly connected to the air block.
13. The surface cleaner of clause 12 wherein the electromechanical member comprises a solenoid or motor.
14. The surface cleaner of clause 11 wherein the pressure sensor is inflatable based on a pressure in a volume on an outer side of the pressure sensor.
15. The surface cleaner of clause 4 further comprising a housing positioned outward of the porous portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall and, in the cleaning mode, a downstream passage extends from the porous portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall to a downstream passage air outlet.
16. The surface cleaner of clause 15 wherein, during the cleaning mode, an air block adjusts a section of the porous portion of the air treatment chamber sidewall through which air exits the air treatment chamber.
17. The surface cleaner of clause 16 wherein the air block is translatably moveable through the downstream passage.
18. The surface cleaner of clause 17 wherein the first portion of the porous member is positioned forward of the second portion of the porous member.
19. The surface cleaner of clause 18 wherein during the first stage of the cleaning mode, the air block is at a first location in the downstream passage whereby air exits the air treatment chamber through the first portion of the porous member and during the second stage of the cleaning mode, the air block is at a second location that is rearward of the first location and the downstream passage is open from the second location forward to the downstream passage air outlet.
20. The surface cleaner of clause 19 wherein during the second stage, the first portion of the porous member is available for air flow therethrough to the downstream passage.