KR20190075844A - Surface cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The surface cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid delivery system and a fluid recovery system, as well as a plurality of bristles extending from the locating pin, and microfiber material provided on the locating pin between the bristles Hybrid brush roll is included. The hybrid brush roll is suitable for use on hard and soft surfaces and for wet or dry vacuum cleaning.

Description

SURFACE CLEANING APPARATUS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 331,041, filed October 21, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 247,503, filed October 28, 2015, The entire contents of the document are incorporated herein by reference.

A variety of surface vacuum cleaners are suitable for cleaning hard floor surfaces such as tiles and hard wood, and soft floor surfaces such as carpets and covers. Some of the various surface vacuum cleaners include a fluid delivery system that delivers the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned and a cleaning fluid and debris from the surface which may include trash, dust, dirt, soil, hair, and other debris And a fluid recovery system. The fluid delivery system typically includes one or more fluid supply tanks for storing the rinse fluid, a fluid distributor for applying the rinse fluid to the surface to be cleaned, and a fluid supply conduit for transferring the rinse fluid from the fluid supply tank to the fluid distributor. A stirrer may be provided to sweep the cleaning fluid on the surface to be cleaned. The fluid recovery system typically includes a recovery tank, a nozzle adjacent to the surface to be cleaned and in fluid communication with the recovery tank through a working air conduit, and a nozzle connected to the recovery tank via the nozzle and the working air conduit And a suction source in fluid communication with the working air conduit for suction. Other various surface cleaning devices include "dry" vacuum cleaners that can clean different types of surfaces, but do not dispense or recover liquid.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a surface cleaning apparatus comprising a housing including an upright handle assembly and a base mounted to the upright handle assembly and movable over the surface to be cleaned, a suction source, A suction nozzle assembly including a nozzle housing and a cover on the nozzle housing, the suction nozzle being configured to be in fluid communication with a suction source, a fluid supply chamber provided in the housing and capable of containing liquid, A fluid delivery system provided with a fluid dispenser adapted to be in fluid communication with the fluid supply chamber, a fluid delivery system provided in the base and including a dowel, a plurality of bristle tufts extending from the locating pin, Between the bristle tufts, And it includes a hybrid brush roll that includes a micro-fiber material is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid recovery system comprising a housing, a housing provided with a housing, a fluid recovery system including a suction source and a dirty air inlet adapted to be in fluid communication with the suction source, And a fluid dispenser adapted to be in fluid communication with the fluid supply chamber, the fluid dispensing system being provided in the base and having a locating pin, a perimeter of the locating pin spirally wound And a hybrid brush roll comprising a row of bristles extending from the locating pin and microfiber material provided on the locating pin between the rows of bristles.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus shown along the line II-II in Fig. 1; Fig.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the handle assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the body assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.
5 is an exploded perspective view of the motor assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a clean tank assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of Figure 1;
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a dirty tank assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.
8 is an exploded perspective view of the lowermost assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a brush roll of the surface cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig.
10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the suction port assembly of the suction nozzle assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
11 is a perspective view of the underside of a partially cut intake nozzle assembly to illustrate the internal structure of the suction nozzle assembly;
Figure 12 is a bottom perspective view of the lowermost assembly of the suction nozzle assembly of Figure 1;
13A is a perspective view of the lens cover of the suction nozzle assembly;
13B is an exploded perspective view of the suction nozzle assembly;
Figure 14 is a partially exploded view of the bottom assembly;
15 is a cross-sectional view of the lowermost assembly of FIG. 1 taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 1, including an enlarged view of section A, showing the fluid dispenser of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
16A is a schematic view of the fluid delivery path of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 16B is a schematic view of the fluid recovery path of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.
Figure 17 is a rear perspective view of the surface cleaning apparatus of Figure 1 with a portion removed to show the conduit assembly;
18 is a schematic circuit diagram of the surface cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of a storage container housing the surface cleaning device of Figure 1 and at least one extra brush roll;
20 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a brush roll of the surface cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1;
21 is an exploded front view of the brush roll of Fig. 20;
22 is a front view of the brush roll of Fig. 20;
Fig. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front suction portion of the suction nozzle assembly of the surface cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1 with the brush roll of Fig. 20;

The present invention relates to a surface cleaning apparatus which can be in the form of a generally wide variety of surface wet vacuum cleaners.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a surface cleaning apparatus is provided with a dual wiper configuration in a nozzle having various functions to reduce the long traces of fluid on the surface to be cleaned and to improve dry debris removal. One wiper is used to distribute the cleaning liquid evenly along the length of the agitator and help to remove excess fluid on the agitator, the second wiper to prevent the aging of the surface to be cleaned, as well as to prevent dry debris To prevent scattering, wipe the surface to be cleaned by pushing fluid and debris into the suction nozzle.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a cleaning device for cleaning a surface to be cleaned of different types of surfaces, including hard surfaces and soft surfaces, and a variety of cleaning modes, including wet and dry vacuum cleaning, And a hybrid brush roll including an agitating material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the surface cleaning apparatus includes an integrated fluid delivery channel that reduces the number of additional components such as piping, fittings, and clamps, Increase convenience of maintenance.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a fluid dispenser configured to evenly and uniformly wet the brush roll over the entire length of the brush roll.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a surface cleaning device is provided with a visual indicator system operatively connected to a rinse fluid actuation, wherein the visual indicator system is operable to provide the user with an improved visibility of the rinse fluid delivery flow Provide feedback.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a surface cleaning apparatus can be used during the automatic cleaning mode of the surface cleaning apparatus and has a storage box that can be used to dry the brush roll of the surface cleaning apparatus.

The functional system of the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a box-type electric vacuum cleaner having an upright device having a base and an upright body which guides the base over the surface to be cleaned, a cleaning device connected to the base with wheels by a vacuum hose canister device, a portable device intended to be hand-carried by a user to clean a relatively small area, or a commercial device. Any of the above-described cleaners may be adapted to include a flexible vacuum hose capable of forming a portion of the working air conduit between the nozzle and the suction source. As used herein, the term "multi-surface wet vacuum cleaner" may be used to clean hard floor surfaces such as tiles and hard wood, and soft floor surfaces such as carpets. Includes a vacuum cleaner.

The cleaner may include a fluid delivery system for storing the rinse solution and delivering the rinse solution to the surface to be cleaned, and a recovery system for removing used rinse solution and debris from the surface to be cleaned and for storing used rinse solution and debris.

The collection system may include a suction nozzle, a suction source adapted to be in fluid communication with the suction nozzle to generate working air flow, and a collection container for separating and collecting fluids and debris from the working air flow for later processing have. A separator may be formed in a portion of the collection container to separate debris entrained with the fluid from the working airflow. The collection system may also include one or more additional filters upstream or downstream of the motor / fan assembly. A suction source, such as a motor / fan assembly, is provided in fluid communication with the collection container and may be electrically coupled to a power source.

The suction nozzle may be provided on a base or cleaning head adapted to move over the surface to be cleaned. A stirrer may be provided near the suction nozzle to sweep the surface to be cleaned so that the debris is more easily sucked into the suction nozzle. The agitator may be driven by the same motor / fan assembly functioning as a suction source, or alternatively may be driven by a separate drive assembly, such as the agitator dedicated motor shown herein.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a non-limiting example of a surface cleaning apparatus in the form of a wet-type vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown herein, the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 are pivotally and / or pivotally mounted to the upright body or handle assembly 12 and the upright handle assembly 12, Is a wet-type vacuum cleaner for various surfaces of an upright having a housing including a base (14) made movable over the entire surface. The terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "rear", "forward", "vertical", "horizontal", " The derivation will relate to the present invention in the orientation in FIG. 1 from the point of view of the user behind the wet vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces, rearward of the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10. It should be understood, however, that the invention can take various alternative forms of placement, except where expressly stated to the contrary.

The upright handle assembly 12 includes an upper handle 16 and a frame 18. The upper handle 16 includes a handle assembly 100. The frame 18 includes a main support or body assembly 200 that supports at least the clean tank assembly 300 and the dirty tank assembly 400 and further supports additional components of the upright handle assembly 12 . The base 14 includes a lowermost assembly 500. A variety of surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 include a clean tank assembly 300 for storing the rinse solution and delivering the rinse solution to the surface to be cleaned and having a fluid delivery or supply path at least partially defined by the clean tank assembly 300 , A dirty tank assembly (400) for storing spent cleaning liquid and debris from the surface to be cleaned and for storing spent cleaning liquid and debris used until it is emptied by the user and is at least partially defined by a dirty tank assembly (400) Path < / RTI >

A pivotable swivel joint assembly 570 is formed at the lower end of the frame 18 and movably mounts the base 14 to the upstanding assembly 12. In the embodiment shown here, the base 14 may pivot up and down relative to at least one axis with respect to the upstanding assembly 12. The pivotable swivel joint assembly 570 may, in an alternative embodiment, include a universal joint such that the base 14 can pivot relative to the upstanding assembly 12 about at least two axes. A conduit for supplying air and / or liquid between the wiring and / or base 14 and the upstanding assembly 12 may extend through the pivotable swivel joint assembly 570. A swivel lock mechanism 586 (FIG. 2) may be provided to lock and / or unlock the swivel joint assembly 570 for movement.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the vacuum cleaner 10 shown along the line II-II in Fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The handle assembly 100 generally includes a handle 119 and a user interface assembly 120. In another embodiment, the user interface assembly 120 may be provided elsewhere in the vacuum cleaner 10, for example, in the body assembly 200. In this example, the handle assembly 100 further includes a hollow handle pipe 104 extending vertically and connecting the handle assembly 100 to the body assembly 200. The user interface assembly 120 may be any of a variety of systems, such as, but not limited to, any of a variety of systems, such as buttons, triggers, toggles, switches, etc., that are operatively connected to various systems of the vacuum cleaner 10 for affecting and controlling functionality . ≪ / RTI > In this example, a trigger 113 is mounted on the handle 119 and is operatively connected to the fluid delivery system of the vacuum cleaner 10 to control fluid delivery from the vacuum cleaner 10. Other actuators, such as a thumb switch, may be provided instead of the trigger 113. An upper cord wrap 103 is provided on the rear portion of the handle assembly 100.

The lower end of the handle pipe 104 terminates at the upper portion of the frame 18 to the body assembly 200. The body assembly 200 generally includes a support frame to support the various components of the fluid delivery system and the collection system described with respect to FIG. In this example, the body assembly 200 includes a central body 201, a front cover 203, and a rear cover 202. The front cover 203 may be mounted to the centerbody 201 to form the front cavity 235. [ The rear cover 202 may be mounted to the central body 201 to form a rear cavity 240. The motor housing assembly 250 can be mounted on the upper portion of the front cover 203. To the front of the handle assembly 100 at an angle to the hollow handle pipe 104 to facilitate lifting and transporting the wet hand vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces by the carrying handle 78, Assembly. The motor housing assembly 250 includes a cover 206 disposed below the transport handle 78, a lower motor bracket 233 and a cover 206 and a motor bracket 233 in fluid communication with the dirty tank assembly 400. [ Fan assembly < RTI ID = 0.0 > 205 < / RTI >

The rear cavity 240 includes a receiving support 223 for receiving a clean tank assembly 300 at the upper end of the rear cavity 240 and a fluid storage chamber 224 below the clean tank assembly 300 and in fluid communication with the clean tank assembly 300. [ (Not shown). (300). The central body 201 further comprises a lower cord wrap 255.

The clean tank assembly 300 may be mounted to the frame 18 in any configuration. A clean tank assembly 300 is partially supported at the upper rear portion of the central body 201 of the body assembly 200 and is used for filling and / And is removably mounted to the body assembly 200 for removal.

The dirty tank assembly 400 may be detachably mounted to the front of the body assembly 200 below the motor housing assembly 250 and may be mounted to the vacuum cleaner 10 such that the suction motor / So that they can communicate with each other. The flexible conduit hose 518 connects the dirty tank assembly 400 to the lowermost assembly 500 and passes through the swivel joint assembly 570.

Optionally, a heater (not shown) may be provided to heat the cleaning fluid prior to delivery to the surface to be cleaned. In one example, an in-line heater may be disposed downstream of the clean tank assembly 300 and upstream or downstream view of the pump assembly 140. Other types of heaters may be used. In another example, the cleaning fluid can be heated using exhaust air from a motor-cooling path for the suction motor / fan assembly 205.

The bottom-most assembly 500 includes a removable suction nozzle assembly (not shown) that can be adjusted adjacent the surface to be cleaned as the base 14 moves across the surface to be cleaned and is in fluid communication with the dirty tank assembly 400 through the flexible conduit 518 (580). An agitator 546 may be provided in the suction nozzle assembly 580 to swirl the surface to be cleaned. Some examples of stirrers include, but are not limited to, a horizontally rotating brush roll, a double horizontally rotating brush roll, at least one vertically rotating brush roll, or a stationary brush. A pair of rear wheels 539 are positioned to rotate about a central axis in the rear portion of the bottom assembly 500 to steer the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 over the surface to be cleaned.

In this example, the agitator 546 may be a hybrid brush roll positioned within the brush roll chamber 565 to pivot about a central rotational axis, as described in more detail below. A single brush roll 546 is shown; A double rotating brush roll may be used within the scope of the present invention. In addition, within the scope of the present invention, a brush roll 546 can be mounted in a fixed or floating vertical position relative to the brush roll chamber 565 within the brush roll chamber 565.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the handle assembly 100. FIG. The handle 119 may include a front handle 101 and a rear handle 102 that are fixedly coupled to the handle pipe 104. The user interface assembly 120 may be provided on the front handle 101. [ The user interface assembly 120 of the illustrated embodiment includes a front portion of the front handle 101 for engaging the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 110 with the bracket 112 provided on the rear side of the front handle 101 And a control panel 111 mounted together with a waterproof seal 108 and connected to a floating key 109. The bracket 112 is provided with a spring 114 which biases the trigger 113 mounted on the rear handle 102 to a position where the inside of the recess formed by engaging the front handle 101 to the rear handle 102 To the trigger 113, as shown in FIG. Trigger 113 may be electronically coupled to the fluid delivery system. Trigger 113 may alternatively be electrically connected to the fluid delivery system through a push rod (not shown) extending through handle pipe 104, for example. The hollow handle pipe 104 is connected to the frame 18 by means of a bracket connection formed by a right bracket 106, a left bracket 105 and a female connector 107 which are connected together at the distal end of the hollow handle pipe 104 ).

4 is an exploded perspective view of the body assembly 200. FIG. The body assembly 200 includes a front cover 203, a central body 201 and a rear cover 202 and terminates at a bottom cover 216. The front cover 203 and the rear cover 202 may be mounted on the central body 201 to form at least partially enclosed cavities 235 and 240. In the present example, the front cavity 235 accommodates electrical components, such as a printed circuit board 217 (PCB) and other essential networks 215, that are generally electrically connected to various components of the fluid delivery system and the fluid recovery system. The pump assembly 140 may include a coupler 219, a pump 226, a clamp 220 and a gasket 218 and may be mounted to the front cavity 235. As an alternative embodiment, the pump assembly 140 may be mounted to the rear cavity 240 or partially mounted to both the front cavity 235 and the rear cavity 240, respectively. The pump 226 may be a solenoid pump having a single speed, dual speed, or variable speed.

In this example, the rear cavity 240 receives a receiving assembly 245 for the generally clean tank assembly 300 (FIG. 2). The receiving assembly 245 includes a receiving support 223, a spring insert 227, a clamp 224, a receiving body 222, a receiving gasket 224, (231) and a clamp cover (225). The pump assembly 140 may be mounted under the receiving assembly 245 and in fluid communication with the receiving assembly 245.

5 is an exploded perspective view of the motor housing assembly 250. FIG. The carrying handle 78 includes a handle upper portion 209 mounted on the lower handle portion 207 and has a gasket 230 between the handle upper portion 209 and the lower handle portion 207, As shown in FIG. The motor housing assembly 250 includes an upper motor housing body 204 and a lower motor housing body 204 to partially surround the upper motor housing body 204 and the lower motor housing body 208 and the intake motor / And a vacuum motor cover 228 provided between the vacuum motor cover 208 and the vacuum motor cover 228. The upper motor gasket 229 and the rubber gasket 221 are provided on the upper portion of the suction motor / fan assembly 205 and the lower vacuum motor gasket 210, 211 is provided on the lower portion of the suction motor / . A clean air outlet of the working air path passing through the vacuum cleaner can be defined by the left ventilation hole 213 and the right ventilation hole 214 of the lower motor housing body.

6 is an exploded perspective view of a clean tank assembly 300. The clean tank assembly 300 generally includes a supply valve assembly 320 that regulates fluid flow through at least one supply tank 301 and an outlet 311 of the at least one supply tank 301. As an alternative embodiment, the clean tank assembly 300 may include a plurality of supply chambers, for example, one chamber to receive water and another chamber to receive the cleaner. A check valve 310 and a check valve umbrella 309 may be provided in the supply tank 301. The feed valve assembly 320 may be configured to automatically open when coupled to and installed with the receiving assembly 245. The supply valve assembly 320 is held in place within the assembly outlet 302 by an O-ring 305, an assembly outlet 302 that is mounted to the outlet of the fluid supply tank 301 by a threaded cap 303, A rod release insert 304 and an insertion spring 308 within the spring housing 306 that biases the valve assembly 320 to the closed position. When the valve assembly 320 is coupled to the receiving assembly 245, the valve assembly 320 is opened to release the fluid to the fluid delivery path. A screen mesh insert 307 may be provided between the tank outlet and the valve outlet to prevent particles of a predetermined size from entering the pump assembly 140.

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a dirty tank assembly 400. The dirty tank assembly 400 generally includes a collection container for a fluid recovery system. In this example, the dirty tank assembly 400 includes a recovery tank 401 having an integral hollow upright pipe 420 (FIG. 2) formed therein. The upright tube (420) is oriented so as to substantially coincide with the longitudinal axis of the recovery tank (401). The upright tube 420 forms a flow path between the formation inlet 422 (FIG. 2) and the outlet 423 (FIG. 2) formed in the recovery tank 401 at the lower end of the recovery tank 401 do. When the recovery tank 401 is mounted to the body assembly 200 (FIG. 2), the inlet 422 is connected to the flexible conduit hose 518 such that fluid communication is established between the bottom assembly 500 and the recovery tank 401. [ . A lid 402 sized to be received in the recovery tank 401 is connected to the filter cover plate 403 mounted on the lid 402 by a pleated filter 405 and a mesh screen 406 And is supported between the filter cover plate 403 and the lid. Preferably, the pleated filter 405 is made of a material that retains porosity when wet. The vacuum cleaner 10 may have one or more additional filters upstream or downstream. A gasket 411 located between the mating surface of the lid 402 and the mating surface of the recovery tank 401 forms a seal between the lid 402 and the recovery tank 401 to prevent leakage.

A shut-off valve may be provided to stop the suction when the fluid in the recovery tank 401 reaches a predetermined level. The shutoff valve includes a float bracket 412 fixedly attached to the bottom wall 416 of the lid 402 at a position offset from the upright tube 420 and a movable float 412 supported by the floating bracket 412. [ (410). The float 410 is floated and the air outlet 415 of the recovery tank 401 leading to the downstream flow inhalation source when the fluid in the recovery tank 401 reaches a predetermined level, .

A releasable latch 430 is provided to facilitate separation of the dirty tank assembly 400 for emptying and / or cleaning and may be located in a hole 417 formed in the front side of the lid 402. The releasable latch 430 may include a latch button 407 held within the latch bracket 404 and biased toward the engagement or latch engagement position by the latch spring 408. [ The latch button 407 is releasably engaged with the front cover 203 to releasably secure the dirty tank assembly 400 to the body assembly 200 (FIG. 2). The handle 419 may be provided in the recovery tank 401 and disposed under the latch button 407 to facilitate operation of the dirty tank assembly 400. [

8 is an exploded perspective view of the lowermost assembly 500. FIG. The lowermost assembly 500 generally includes a housing that supports at least some of the components of the fluid delivery system and the fluid recovery system. In this example, the housing includes a lower cover 501 coupled with an upper cover 542 and an upper cover 542, and the lower cover 501 includes at least some of the fluid delivery path and the fluid return path Defines a cavity 561 partially surrounded by the top cover 542 to accommodate the element. The housing may include a cover base 537 coupled with the lower front portion of the lower cover to define a portion of the brush roll chamber 565 (FIG. 10). The upper cover 542 may extend from the substantially center of the lowermost assembly 500 to the rear of the lowermost assembly 500 and may have decorative panels 543 and 544 mounted on the upper surface. The top cover 542 may be configured to releasably receive the suction nozzle assembly 580. [

The suction nozzle assembly 580 may be configured to include at least one inlet nozzle for withdrawing fluid and debris from the surface to be cleaned and at least one outlet for delivering the fluid to the surface to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the suction nozzle assembly 580 may include a nozzle housing 551 and a nozzle cover 552, and the nozzle housing 551 and the nozzle cover 552 may be connected at one end to a spray connector And a pair of fluid transfer channels 40 fluidly connected to the nozzle housing 551 and the nozzle cover 552, respectively. At the opposite, or second, end of each fluid delivery channel 40, the fluid dispenser 554 is configured to have at least one outlet to deliver fluid to the surface to be cleaned. The fluid dispenser 554 may comprise one or more spray tips configured to transfer rinse fluid from the fluid transfer channel 40 to the brush chamber 565. In this example, a fluid dispenser 554 is a pair of spray tips fluidly connected to the fluid delivery channel 40. The spray tip 554 is mounted to the nozzle housing 551 and has an outlet that is in fluid communication with the brush chamber 565. The nozzle cover 552 may have a decorative cover 553, and one or both may be made of a translucent or transparent material. The nozzle housing 551 may further include a horizontally disposed front interference wiper 560 mounted in a forward position relative to the brush roll chamber 565. Optionally, the front interference wiper 560 can be held by an elongated bracket 559 that engages the lower end of the nozzle housing 551.

The lower cover 501 further includes a plurality of upright bosses 562 projecting into the cavity 561 for mounting the internal components. The rear portion of the lower cover 501 is pivotally mounted to the swivel joint assembly 570 to steer the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 over the surface to be cleaned. The rear wheels 539 are positioned to rotate about the central axis at opposite sides of the lower cover 501 to steer over the surfaces to be cleaned of the wet vacuum cleaners 10 for various surfaces. The swivel joint assembly 570 may comprise a swivel joint 519, covers 520 and 521, and a swivel lock mechanism 586 for releasing the swivel joint assembly 570 for pivoting and pivoting movement.

The conduit assembly 585 is partially disposed in the cavity 561 and extends through the swivel joint 519 together with the flexible conduit hose to engage the components of the upper body assembly 200 (FIG. 2). The conduit assembly 585 includes a fluid supply conduit 532 and a wiring conduit 533. Fluid supply conduit 532 passes clean tank assembly 300 through spray coupler 528 through a T-shaped connector 530 passing into the interior of swivel joint assembly 570 and having a pair of spray conduit connectors 531, As shown in FIG. The wiring conduit 533 provides an electrical wiring passageway through the swivel joint assembly 570 from the upright assembly 12 to the base 14. For example, the electrical wiring may be used to power at least one electrical component of the bottom assembly 500. One example of the electric component is the brush motor 503. [ Another example is an indicator light assembly. In this example, the lamp assembly includes an LED base 516 configured to mount a pair of indicator lamps 517 and a pair of lenses 545 on a pair of indicator lamps 517. The pair of indicator lamps 517 may include light emitting diodes (LEDs) or other illumination sources.

The lower central portion of the partially enclosed cavity 561 and the lower rear portion of the suction nozzle assembly 580 are connected to a lower conduit 564 of a fluid return path fluidly connected to the flexible conduit 518, As shown in FIG. The flexible conduit 518 fluidically connects the dirty tank assembly 400 (FIG. 2) to the suction nozzle assembly 580.

The brush roll 546 may be provided in the front portion of the lower cover 501 and may be received in the brush roll chamber 565. [ In this example, a cover base 537 rotatably receives the brush roll 546 and also mountably receives a wiper 538 located on the rear side of the brush roll 546. [ Alternatively, the brush roll 546 may be configured to be detached from the lowermost assembly 500 by the user for cleaning and / or drying. A pair of front wheels 536 are positioned to pivot about a central axis at the end face of the cover base 537 to steer over the surface to clean the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10.

In an exemplary embodiment, a brush roll 546 may be disposed on one or more belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, or combinations thereof, that provide engagement with a dedicated brush motor 503 disposed in cavity 561 of lower cover 501 And may be driven by the drive assembly. Here, the transmission 510 operatively couples the motor 503 to the brush roll 546 to transmit the rotational motion of the motor shaft 505 to the brush roll 546. In this example, the transmission 510 may include a drive belt 511 and one or more gears, shafts, pulleys, or a combination thereof. As an alternative embodiment, a single motor / fan assembly (not shown) may provide vacuum suction and brush roll rotation in various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10. The brush motor exhaust pipe 515 may be provided to the brush motor 503 and configured to exhaust air to the outside of the wet vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces.

The transmission 510 may include a drive head 506 secured together with a brush gear 507 by a mandrel 508, for example. A bearing 509 may be mounted on the mandrel 508. The drive belt 511 can be coupled between the pulley 511 on the motor shaft 505 and the brush gear 507. [

The drive head 506 is driven by a drive belt 511 and engaged with a brush roll 546. The brush roll 546 includes a locating pin 46 that supports the agitating element and is rotatably mounted within the brush chamber 565 through an end plate 512, 8 and is disposed at the end of the locating pin 46. As shown in Fig. The drive head 506 is, for example, splined to the end plate 512 at the transmission-side of the brush roll 546. The cylindrical locating pin 46 further includes a mandrel 513 on the opposite end plate 512 (not visible in Fig. 8). The mandrel 513 is received in a bearing assembly 514 mounted to a housing of a lowermost assembly 500, for example, mounted on a lower cover 501, Thereby enabling the locating pin 46 to rotate relative to the central axis of the locating pin 46 with respect to the brush chamber 565.

9 is a perspective view of the hybrid brush roll 546. FIG. The hybrid brush roll 546 is suitable for use on hard and soft surfaces and for wet or dry vacuum cleaning. In this exemplary embodiment, the brush roll 546 includes a locating pin 46 that supports the agitating element, wherein the agitating element is here coupled from the plurality of tight bristles 48 or the locating pin 46 Is shown as a single bristle strip extending and a hybrid or double agitating element provided with a locating pin 46 and containing microfiber material 49 disposed between the bristles 48.

The bristles 48 are arranged in a row of bristles 48 extending from the locating pin 46 in a helical pattern that is wrapped around the locating pin 46. As shown in FIG. In another embodiment, a plurality of rows of bristles 48 may be provided with microfiber material 49 disposed between the bristles 48 of the plurality of rows.

As also shown herein, the bristles 48 project radially from the locating pin 46 and are not projected beyond the microfiber material 49. 10, in at least some embodiments of the hybrid brush roll 546, the end or distal end of the bristles 48 may be retracted back against the outer surface of the microfibrous material 49 .

The locating pin 46 may be comprised of a polymeric material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene or styrene, or any other suitable material such as plastic, wood, or metal. The bristles 48 may be densely or singly bristle strips and may be comprised of nylon, or any other suitable synthetic or natural fibers. The microfiber material 49 may be made of a combination of materials including polyester, polyamide, or polypropylene or any other suitable material known in the art to make up the microfibers.

In one non-limiting example, the locating pin 46 is comprised of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and is formed by injection molding in one or more portions. A bristle hole (not shown) may be formed by perforating the locating pin 46 after molding, or it may be molded integrally with the locating pin 46. The bristles (48) are densely planted and consist of nylon with a diameter of 0.15 mm. The bristles 48 are pressed into the bristle holes and secured to the bristles 48 by means of a non-limiting example using fasteners (not shown) such as staples, wedges, or anchors, Can be assembled in a spiral pattern on the locating pin (46). The microfiber material 49 is composed of a plurality of strips 50 of polyester treated with Microban® and is bonded to the locating pin 46 between the bristles 48. As an alternative embodiment, one continuous microfibre strip 50 can be used and can be sealed by a hot wire to prevent the one strip 50 from being detached from the locating pin 46 have. The polyester material may have a weight of 912 g / m < ² > and a thickness of 7-14 mm. The polyester material may have an initial absorption rate of 269 wt% and a total absorption rate of 1047 wt%.

10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front portion of the suction nozzle assembly 580. FIG. The brush roll 546 is positioned to rotate in the R direction with respect to the central rotational axis X defined by the locating pin 46. [ The suction nozzle assembly 580 is adapted to be in fluid communication with the lowermost conduit 564 and includes a suction nozzle 594 defined within the brush chamber 565 configured to draw liquid and debris away from the brush roll 546 and the surface to be cleaned . Suction nozzle 594 defines a dirty air inlet of the working air path or recovery path throughout the vacuum cleaner. The suction nozzle 594 is also fluidly connected to the dirty tank assembly 400 (see FIG. 16B) through the lowermost conduit 564 and the flexible hose conduit 518. The front interference wiper 560 mounted at the front position of the nozzle housing 551 is provided in the brush chamber 565 and is supported by the brush roll 546 as is limited by the rotational direction R of the brush roll 546 546, respectively. A spray tip 554 is mounted to the nozzle housing 551 with an outlet in the brush roll chamber 565 and is oriented to spray the fluid inward toward the brush roll 546. The wetted portion of the brush roll 546 thus rotates past the interference wiper 560 that scrapes excess fluid from the brush roll 546 before reaching the surface to be cleaned. A rear wiper rubber mop 538 is mounted to the cover base 537 behind the brush roll 546 and configured to contact the surface to be cleaned as the base 14 moves across the surface to be cleaned. The rear wiper rubber mop 538 wipes the residual liquid from the surface to be cleaned so that the residual liquid can be sucked through the suction nozzle 594 into the fluid recovery path, thereby bringing the surface to be cleaned into a damp, .

The front interference wiper 560 and the rear wiper 538 may be made of a polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride, a rubber copolymer such as a nitrile butadiene rubber, , May be a squeegee made of any material known in the art having sufficient stiffness to hold the material, and may be smooth or optionally comprise a nub at the end. The front interference wiper 560 and the rear wiper 538 may be made of the same material in the same way or may be made of different materials that provide different structural characteristics suitable for functioning as an alternative embodiment.

11 is a perspective view of the underside of a suction nozzle assembly 580 in a partially cutaway configuration to show some of the internal structure of the suction nozzle assembly 580. The brush roll chamber 565 is formed on the underside of the suction nozzle assembly 580 in front of the lowermost conduit 564. A pair of spray tip outlets 595 may be provided in the brush chamber 565. [ A latch mechanism 587 is provided in the rear portion of the suction nozzle assembly 580 and is configured to be received within the top cover 542 (FIG. 8). The latch mechanism 587 may be received in a latch receiving recess 587a (FIG. 8) formed in the upper cover 542 of the base 14 and a user may remove the suction nozzle assembly 580 from the base 14 And / or fixed. The suction nozzle assembly 580 may be biased by the spring 556 such that the suction nozzle assembly 580 is disengaged from the lowermost assembly 500 when the latch mechanism 587 is actuated. A pair of spray connector inlets 590 are provided on the underside of the nozzle housing 551 and fluidically connected to the first end of the fluid delivery channel 40 at the top side of the nozzle housing 551 . The front interference wiper 560 is provided at the foremost portion of the brush roll chamber 565. [

12 is a bottom perspective view of the bottom assembly 500. A rear wiper 538 is provided on the cover base 537 behind the brush roll 546 and is configured to contact the surface to be cleaned.

13A is a perspective view of the bottom surface of the nozzle cover 552, and FIG. 13B is an exploded perspective view of the suction nozzle assembly 580. FIG. The nozzle cover 552 is comprised of two fluid channel portions 40a that form the upper portion of the flow channel 40 when mated with the nozzle housing 551. The nozzle housing 551 includes two fluid channel portions 40b that, when combined with the nozzle cover 552, form the lower portion of the flow channel 40. The fluid channel portion 40a and the fluid channel portion 40b are coupled to form a fluid transfer flow channel 40 between the fluid channel portion 40a and the fluid channel portion 40b to form the spray tip 554 And partially at the second end.

The nozzle housing 551 may be provided with a lens for the brush chamber 565 and may be made of a translucent or transparent material in order to make the brush roll 546 visible. Likewise, the nozzle cover 552 may be formed of a translucent or transparent material that may be formed with a lens cover and allow the user to see fluid flow through the flow channel 40.

Figure 14 is a partially exploded exploded view of the base. In Fig. 14, the suction nozzle assembly 580 is removed to show the indicator lamp 517. Fig. The indicator 517 may be configured to operate in conjunction with the pump assembly 140 when the trigger 113 (Fig. 2) is pressed to deliver fluid. A portion of the base can form an indicator tube or indicator pipe 578 that indicates to the user that fluid is being revealed by the indicator 517 as fluid is delivered to the surface beneath the base 14 have. The light pipe 578 may be of any physical structure capable of transmitting or propagating light from the indicator light 517. The light pipe 578 can be a hollow structure that confines light by reflective lining, or a transparent solid structure that confines light by total internal reflection. In the illustrated example, the indicator pipe 578 is a solid structure formed in the suction nozzle assembly 580 and extends longitudinally along the fluid delivery channel 40 and distributes the light over the length of the indicator pipe 578 Consists of. More specifically, a light pipe 578 is implemented as a raised rail on the surface of the nozzle cover 552, generally formed on the fluid transfer channel 40.

15 is a cross-sectional view of a bottom assembly 500 shown along line XV-XV in FIG. 1, with an enlarged A portion for an enlarged view of the fluid dispenser in the form of a spray tip 554. The spray tip 554 may be configured to be mounted at each end of each of the fluid transfer flow channels 40 of the suction nozzle assembly 580 and end at the brush chamber 565. Each spray tip 554 includes a hole 595 oriented to spray towards the brush roll 546, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. The spray tip 554 is sprayed along a horizontal axis that may be parallel to the rotation axis X of the brush roll 546 to wet the entire length of the brush roll 546 during dispensing of the fluid, . ≪ / RTI > The "substantially horizontal" may be such that the spray angle of the hole 595 ranges from 0 to 30 degrees, depending on the length of the brush roll and the spacing of the spray tip 554 to cover the entire brush roll 546 with fluid . The angle of the spray tip 554 may be fixed or adjustable during or during operation of the wet vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces. The spray tip discharge aperture 595 may have any diameter suitable for delivering fluid from the spray tip 554 at a desired pressure, type, and / or volume. In this example, the spray tip 554 has a discharge hole diameter of 1.0 mm and is oriented to spray inward toward the top of the brush roll 546 at an angle of 15 degrees from the horizontal.

16A is a schematic view of the fluid supply path of the vacuum cleaner 10. Fig. The arrows indicate the flow direction of the fluid in the fluid supply path according to this example. The fluid supply path may include a supply tank 301 for storing fluid. The fluid may include one or more of any suitable cleaning liquids, including, by way of non-limiting example, water, compositions, concentrated detergents, dilute detergents, and the like, and mixtures thereof. For example, the fluid may comprise a mixture of water and a thickening detergent.

The fluid supply path may further include a flow control system 705 that controls fluid flow from the supply tank 301 to the fluid supply conduit 532. In one configuration, the flow control system 705 may include a pump 226 to pressurize the system and a feed valve assembly 320 to control delivery of fluid to the fluid supply conduit 532. In this configuration, fluid flows from the supply tank 301 to the fluid supply conduit 532 through the pump 226. [ The drain pipe 706 provides a path for discharging any fluid that may leak from the supply tank 301 to the discharge hole (not shown) of the lowermost assembly 500 while the vacuum cleaner 10 is not operating And collected in the storage 900 (FIG. 19). From the fluid supply conduit 532 the fluid is passed through the spray connector 528 and through the fluid transfer channel 40 and through the spray tip 554 to a brush roll 546 15).

The trigger 113 (FIG. 2) may be pressed to actuate the flow control system 705 and dispense fluid to the fluid dispenser 554. Trigger 113 may be operably coupled to supply valve 320 to open supply valve 320 by depressing trigger 113. The supply valve 320 is connected to a supply valve 320 and a power source (not shown) that supplies power to move the supply valve 320 to the open position, for example, 22) (Fig. 18). In one example, the supply valve 320 may be a solenoid valve. The pump 226 may be coupled to the power source 22. In one example, the pump 226 may be a centrifugal pump. In another example, the pump 226 may be a solenoid pump.

In another configuration of the fluid supply path, the pump 226 may be eliminated and the flow control system 705 may be coupled to a gravity-feed system (not shown) having a valve fluidly coupled to the outlet of the supply tank 301 system, in which case the fluid will flow under gravity to the fluid dispenser 554 when the valve is opened. The valve 320, as described above, may be mechanically actuated or electrically actuated.

16B is a schematic view of the fluid recovery path of the vacuum cleaner 10. Fig. The arrows indicate the flow direction of the fluid in the fluid return path. The fluid return path includes a suction nozzle assembly 580, a lowermost conduit 564, a flexible conduit hose 518, a suction motor / fan assembly 540 in fluid communication with the suction nozzle assembly 580 to generate working air flow, (205), and a recovery tank (401) for separating and collecting fluids and debris from the working airflow for later processing. Uptube 420 may be formed in a portion of the recovery tank 401 to separate fluid and debris from the working air flow. The suction motor / fan assembly 205 includes a vacuum source that is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle assembly 580 to draw fluid and debris from the surface to be cleaned through the flexible hose conduit 518 to the recovery tank 401 to provide.

17 is a rear perspective view of the vacuum cleaner 10 with a portion thereof removed to show the conduit assembly 585. FIG. In this example, the flexible conduit hose 518 connects the dirty tank assembly 400 to the lowermost assembly 500 through the forward portion of the swivel joint assembly 570 that can pivot. Fluid supply conduit 532 and wiring conduit 533 may be provided on the back side of flexible conduit hose 518. The fluid supply conduit 532 couples the pump 226 fluidly with the T-shaped connector 530 of the lowermost assembly 500.

18 is a detailed circuit diagram of the vacuum cleaner 10. The user interface assembly 120 may be operatively connected to the various components of the vacuum cleaner 10 either directly or through the central control device 750. [ The user interface assembly 120 may include one or more actuators and may include buttons, switches, toggles, triggers, or buttons to allow the user to select multiple cleaning modes and / or to control the fluid delivery system and the fluid recovery system And the like. A power source 22 such as a battery or a wire connected to a household electrical outlet can be electrically connected to the electric part of the vacuum cleaner 10 including the motor 205 and 503 and the pump 226. [ The suction power switch 25 between the suction motor / fan assembly 205 and the power source 22 can be selectively closed by the user, thereby actuating the suction motor / fan assembly 205. In addition, the brush power switch 27 between the brush motor 503 and the power source 22 can be selectively closed by the user, thereby enabling the brush motor 503 to operate. The user interface assembly 120 may be operably coupled to the pump 226 to actuate the pump 226 when an actuator is coupled such as a trigger 113 to thereby transmit the fluid to the fluid supply path The pump 226 can be powered. The operation of the pump 226 is controlled by the LED indicator 517 to further supply power to the LED indicator 517 by operating the trigger 113 to provide user feedback that fluid is being delivered to the fluid supply path Can be operatively connected.

In one example, the user interface assembly 120 of the vacuum cleaner 10 may include an actuator 122 for selecting a plurality of cleaning modes to be selected by the user. Actuator 122 sends a signal to a central control unit 750, which may include a PCBA. The output from the central control unit 750 adjusts the frequency of the solenoid pump 226 to generate a desired flow rate according to the selected mode. For example, the vacuum cleaner 10 may have a hard floor cleaning mode and a carpet cleaning mode. In the rigid floor cleaning mode, the liquid flow rate to the fluid dispenser 554 is less than in the carpet cleaning mode. This liquid flow rate is controlled by the speed of the pump 226. In one non-limiting example, the speed of the pump 226 is controlled such that the liquid flow rate is approximately 50 ml / min in a rigid floor cleaning mode and the liquid flow rate is approximately 100 ml / min in the carpet cleaning mode. The speed is controlled. Alternatively, the vacuum cleaner 10 may be operated in a wet rubbing mode (wet), in which the suction motor / fan assembly 205 may be deactivated while the brush motor 503 is operated so that the soiled cleaning solution is not removed from the surface to be cleaned. scrubbing mode.

19 is a perspective view of a storage bin 900 for a vacuum cleaner 10. FIG. The storage case 900 may be configured to receive the base 14 of the vacuum cleaner 10 in an upright storage position. The reservoir 900 may optionally be modified to contain liquid for the purpose of cleaning the interior portion of the vacuum cleaner 10 and / or for receiving liquid from the drain tube 706 (FIG. 16A). In this example, the storage 900 is adapted to include a removable brush roll holder 905 that houses the base 14 and is provided on the outer sidewall of the storage 900. As an alternative embodiment, the storage bin 900 may be configured to have an integrated brush roll holder 905. In this case, the brush roll holder 905 can be fixed to the storage case 900 by the holding latches 910. The retaining latch 910 may include a sliding lock, a clamp, a brace, or any other mechanism that secures the brush roll holder 905 in place in the retainer 900 during use. And may be configured to be biased or otherwise configured such that the user releases the locking device to disengage the brush roll holder 905 from the storage 900. The brush roll holder 905 may be adapted to releasably receive one or more brush rolls 546 for storage and / or drying purposes. The brush roll holder 905 may include one or more brush roll slots 915 to securely receive the brush roll 546 in a vertical fixed position for drying and storage. The brush roll slot 915 may be fixed or adjustable and may include a clamp, a rod, or a molded (not shown) brush housing that may receive a brush roll 546, Receiving portion. The brush roll holder 905 includes a plurality of horizontal holds such as a rack, a hook, or a clamp (not shown) to secure the brush roll 546 in a horizontal position can do.

The various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 shown in the drawings can be used to effectively remove debris and fluid from the surface to be cleaned in accordance with the following method. Without departing from the present invention, the discussed steps may be performed in different logical orders, or additional or intermediate steps may be included, or it is contemplated that the steps described may be divided into a plurality of steps, And is not intended to be limiting in any way.

In use, the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 are ready for use by connecting the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 to the power source 22 and filling the supply tank 301 with the cleaning liquid. The user selects a floor surface type to clean through the user interface assembly 120. While the vacuum cleaner 10 moves back and forth over the surface to be cleaned, the user actuates the trigger 113 to transmit the cleaning liquid through the fluid supply path to the surface to be selectively cleaned. The pump 226 may be actuated by the user interface assembly 120. The user actuates the trigger 113 to actuate the pump 226 to discharge fluid from the clean tank assembly 300 into the fluid delivery path and spray through the spray tip 554 into the brush roll 546. [ Wipe the entire surface to be cleaned to remove debris and debris from the wet brush roll (546) surface to be cleaned.

The LED indicator 517 is also operated simultaneously by activating the trigger 113 and the LED indicator 517 emits light to the LED lens 545 in order to provide an illuminated indication that the fluid is being dispensed. Through the light pipe 578 into the nozzle cover 552. [ The LED indicator light 517 and the light of the indicator pipe 578 indicate to the user that the fluid dispenser 554 is operating and the fluid is being dispensed onto the surface to be cleaned.

At the same time, the brush power switch 27 can actuate the brush roll 546 to flush or rotate the cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned. This interaction removes attached garbage, dirt, and debris, then floats in the rinse solution. As the brush roll 546 rotates, the front interference rubber mop 560 strikes the brush roll 546 such that the brush roll is evenly wetted and uniformly distributed over the entire length of the cleaning fluid brush roll 546. [ The front interference rubber mop 560 may also be constructed by simultaneously scraping off the soiled fluid and debris on the brush roll 546 to be drawn into the suction nozzle assembly 580 and the fluid return path. When the suction motor / fan assembly 205 is actuated when the vacuum cleaner 10 moves over the surface to be cleaned, soiled cleaning liquid and trash near the nozzle openings 594 are sucked into the suction nozzle assembly 580 and the fluid return path. In addition, the cleaning liquid and the garbage are washed by the rear wiper rubber mop 538 and sucked into the fluid recovery path.

Alternatively, the suction motor / fan assembly 205 may not operate while the brush roll 546 is operating, which prevents the cleaning solution from being removed when the cleaner 10 moves back and forth over the surface to be cleaned Thereby promoting a wet scrubbing mode.

During operation of the fluid return path, working air containing much fluid and debris is transferred through the suction nozzle assembly 580 to the downstream recovery tank 401 where fluids and debris are generally separated from the working air . This air flow then passes through the suction motor / fan assembly 205 before being discharged from the vacuum cleaner 10 through the clean air outlet defined by the vents 213, 214. By actuating the latch 430 and detaching the dirty tank assembly 400 from the body assembly 200, the recovery tank 401 can periodically empty the collected fluid and debris.

When the operation is interrupted, the vacuum cleaner 10 can be fixedly disposed in the storage box 900 for storage or cleaning. If desired, the suction nozzle assembly 580 may be disengaged from the lowermost assembly 500. The brush roll 546 may then be detached from the lowermost assembly 500 and disposed in the brush roll holder 905.

The various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 may optionally have an automatic cleaning mode. The automatic cleaning mode can be used to clean the brush roll and the internal components of the fluid recovery path of the vacuum cleaner 10. A variety of surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 are ready to be cleaned by connecting the various surface wet vacuum cleaners 10 to the power supply 22 and filling the reservoir 900 to a predefined charge level with a cleaning liquid or water. The user selects an associated cleaning mode from the user interface assembly 120. In one example, the locking mechanism 586 is released to allow the upstanding assembly 12 to pivot backward and a hard floor cleaning mode is selected by the user from the user interface assembly 120. The suction motor / fan assembly 205 provides a suction force to the suction nozzle assembly 580 that sucks the fluid in the reservoir 900 for a predetermined time or until the fluid in the reservoir 900 is emptied and sends it to the fluid recovery path The brush roll 546 is actuated by the brush motor 503. When the automatic cleaning mode is completed, the vacuum cleaner 10 can be returned to the upright locking position in the storage 900 and the brush roll 546 can be stored separately as described above.

20 to 23 show a second embodiment of the brush roll for the surface cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1 in the form of a wet-type vacuum cleaner 10 for various surfaces. The brush roll 546 'may be substantially similar to the brush roll 546 of the first embodiment described above, and similar elements are described using similar reference numbers with the prime (') mark. The brush roll 546 'further includes outer bristle tufts 920 at both ends of the locating pin 46'. Unlike the inner bristle tuft 48 'which is radially arranged with respect to the locating pin 46' and which is densely planted perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis or central rotation axis of the locating pin 46 ' The bundle 920 is configured such that the end or distal end 922 of each outer bristle tuft 920 engages the distal end 924 of the locating pin 46'or in other words the curvature of the cylindrical locating pin 46 ' Is oriented outwardly at an acute angle with respect to the central axis of rotation X so as to extend beyond the lateral end or surface of the outer locating pin 46 'of the surface 926. 21-22, the distal end 922 of the outer bristle tuft 920 may extend beyond the inner surface 928 of at least the end plate 512 ' 512 ', or to the outer surface 930 of the end plate 512'.

As shown in the figure, the inner bristle bundle 48 'and the outer bristle bundle 920 each include a plurality of bristles, and in one embodiment, the bristles of the outer bristle bundle 920 are located on the inner side It is thicker and longer than the bristles of the bristle tuft (48 '). Also, in one non-limiting example, the outer bristle tufts 920 are oriented outwardly at an acute angle of approximately 50 to 60 degrees relative to the central rotation axis X, and the radially inner bristle tufts 48 ' Is oriented at an angle of about 90 degrees with respect to the center rotational axis X. In addition, the length of the outer bristle tufts 920 may be longer than the length of the inner bristle tufts 48 '. In one non-limiting example, the length of the outer bristle tufts 920 is approximately 17.5 mm while the length of the inner bristle tufts 48 'is approximately 12.5 mm.

The outer bristle bundle 920 does not protrude outwardly beyond the microfibre material 49 'in a radial direction relative to the central rotation axis X and the hybrid brush rolls 546' , The distal portion 922 of the outer bristle bundle 920 may be radially retracted relative to the outer surface of the microfibrous material 49 '. However, the distal end 922 of the outer bristle bundle 920 may protrude beyond the microfibrous material 49 'at its outer lateral end.

The outer bristle bundle 920 may be made of nylon bristles thicker than the bristles used for the inner bristle bundle 48 '. In one non-limiting example, the bristles used in the outer bristle tufts 920 have a diameter of 0.25 mm, whereas the bristles used in the inner bristle tufts 48 'have a diameter of 0.15 mm. The bristles forming the outer bristle bundle 920 may be formed by pressing the bristles into a bristle hole (not shown) of the locating pin 46 ', and in a non-limiting example, a staple, a wedge, Can be assembled to the locating pin 46 'by securing it with a fastener (not shown) such as an anchor.

As in the first embodiment, the microfibrous material 49 'is provided in the locating pin 46' and is disposed between the bristles 48 ', 920 to expose the bristles 48', 920 . The hybrid brush roll 546 ' is suitable for use on rigid and soft surfaces, and for wet or dry vacuum cleaning.

The sloping outer bristle bundles 920 serve to extend the effective cleaning / agitating path of the hybrid brush roll 546 ', thereby improving and increasing edge cleaning performance.

23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front portion of the suction nozzle assembly 580. Fig. The brush roll 546 'is positioned to rotate in the R direction with respect to the central rotation axis X. [ The front interference wiper 560 is configured to interfere with the leading portion of the brush roll 546 ', as limited by the rotational direction R of the brush roll 546'. The spray tip 554 is oriented to spray the fluid inward toward the brush roll 546 '. The wetted portion of the brush roll 546 'thus rotates past a front interference wiper 560 that scrapes excess fluid from the brush roll 546' before reaching the surface to be cleaned.

To the extent not yet described, the different features and structures of the various embodiments of the present invention may be used in combination with each other as desired, or may be used separately. The description of one vacuum cleaner herein as having all of these features does not mean that all of these features should be used in combination, but rather is so described herein for the sake of brevity of description have. In addition, although the vacuum cleaner 10 shown in this specification has an upright configuration, the vacuum cleaner can be configured as a canister or a portable device. For example, in a box-type electrostatic vacuum cleaner device, the lowermost components such as the suction nozzle assembly 580 and the brush roll 546 may be provided to a cleaning head associated with the box-type vacuum cleaner device. In addition, the vacuum cleaning may further have a steam delivery capability. Thus, to create a new embodiment, whether or not a new embodiment is explicitly described, various features of different embodiments may be combined or matched in various vacuum cleaner configurations as desired.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the specific dimensions and other physical characteristics of the various embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting unless otherwise specified in the claims.

Claims (17)

As a surface cleaning apparatus,
A housing including an upright handle assembly and a base mounted to the upright handle assembly and capable of moving across the surface to be cleaned;
Suction source;
A suction nozzle assembly provided in the base and having a suction nozzle in fluid communication with the suction source, the suction nozzle assembly including a nozzle housing and a cover of the nozzle housing;
A fluid supply chamber provided in the housing and adapted to contain a liquid; And
A fluid dispenser provided in the base and in fluid communication with the fluid supply chamber;
A fluid delivery system comprising: And
A plurality of bristle tufts extending from the locating pin, a microfiber material provided in the locating pin between the plurality of bristle tufts, and a plurality of bristles located at one end of the locating pin, Wherein the outer bristle bundle is oriented outwardly at an acute angle with respect to the central rotational axis of the locating pin;
And a surface cleaning device for cleaning the surface. 2. The brush dispenser of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a brush chamber and the hybrid brush roll is mounted to the brush chamber and the fluid dispenser is disposed in the brush chamber to distribute fluid to at least one of the hybrid brush roll and the surface to be cleaned. Wherein the surface cleaning device is provided with a surface cleaning device. 3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an interference wiper provided in the brush chamber and adapted to interfere with a portion of the hybrid brush roll to remove excess liquid from the hybrid brush roll. 4. The hybrid brush roll of claim 3, wherein the interference wiper is positioned on a front side of the brush chamber and is adapted to interfere with a preceding portion of the hybrid brush roll before the preceding portion of the hybrid brush roll is in contact with a surface to be cleaned Wherein the surface cleaning device is a surface cleaning device. 3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a rubber mop provided on the base at the rear side of the hybrid brush roll and adapted to contact a surface to be cleaned when the base moves across the surface to be cleaned. The surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of bristle bundles includes a plurality of nylon bristles, and the microfibre material includes polyester. 2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfibre material comprises a plurality of strip materials attached to the locating pin between the plurality of bristle tufts. 2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfibre material comprises at least one strip material bonded to the locating pin between the plurality of bristle tufts. The hybrid brush roll according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid brush roll further comprises another outer bristle bundle at an opposite end of the locating pin, in addition to the outer bristle bundle at the end, and the outer bristle bundle and the other outer bristle bundle And the bristle bundle extends the path of the brush at the end portion and the opposite end portion, respectively. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the locating pin is a cylindrical locating pin including a curved surface and both side ends, wherein distal ends of outer bristle tufts at opposite ends of the locating pin are located on opposite sides of the cylindrical locating pin And extends beyond the end portion of the surface cleaning device. 11. The hybrid brush roll of claim 10, wherein the hybrid brush roll further comprises an end plate disposed at both lateral ends of the cylindrical locating pin, the distal ends of the outer bristle tufts extending at least over a portion of the end plate The surface cleaning device comprising: The surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts are closely arranged in a radial direction with respect to the locating pin and perpendicularly to a central rotation axis of the locating pin. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts and the outer bristle tuft each include a plurality of bristles, and the bristles of the outer bristle bundle are thicker and longer than the bristles of the plurality of bristle tufts Surface cleaning device. 14. The surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts extend in a spiral pattern with respect to the locating pin. 14. The surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the hybrid brush roll is operatively coupled to a drive assembly such that the hybrid brush roll is rotatable about an axis defined by the locating pin. 14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the fluid dispenser comprises at least one spray tip with a discharge orifice, the discharge orifice having a flow of fluid substantially in the direction of the axis of the hybrid brush roll, And is directed to spray toward the brush roll. 14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 13 further comprising a pivotable joint for coupling said upright handle assembly to said base and a working air conduit for fluidly connecting said suction nozzle to said suction source And wherein a portion of the working air conduit passes through the pivotable joint.

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