TWI600402B - Cleaning equipment, especially vacuum cleaner or vacuum cleaner attachment - Google Patents

Description

Cleaning equipment, especially for vacuum cleaners or vacuum cleaners Field of invention

The invention relates to a cleaning device, in particular an accessory for a vacuum cleaner or a vacuum cleaner, the cleaning device having a housing having a chassis forming a lower housing portion and a cover portion forming an upper housing portion, wherein the lower housing The body portion and the upper housing portion together form a housing inner chamber for receiving the cleaning member and the driving member.

Background of the invention

In the sense of the invention, the cleaning device is for example an accessory to a vacuum cleaner. The attachment can be constructed, for example, in the form of a motor driven floor brush. Such an attachment has a housing in which a brush chamber for accommodating the brush body, a motor chamber for accommodating an electric motor for driving the brush body, and a transmission member are additionally provided. The bottom plate of the housing (ie the section of the undercarriage that rests on the surface to be cleaned during normal operation) has a housing opening which opens the interior of the housing in the region of the brush chamber to the surface to be cleaned And the brush body can protrude through the housing opening in a conventional operation for cleaning purposes. The brush chamber is defined as part of the inner chamber of the housing, since the portion of the housing encloses the portion at least to the front and the rear (ie, toward and opposite the working direction) and upward (ie, from the bottom plate).

Wet floor cleaning devices are also known from the prior art, which devices can likewise have attachments in the form of cleaning devices.

An attachment as an example of a cleaning device is described in the foregoing. Such an attachment is connected, for example, to a vacuum cleaner, in particular to a household vacuum cleaner, which generates an intake air flow by means of its own electric motor, which spurs the cleaning airflow through the attachment and in particular through the suction passage extending therein. The surface sucks out the dirt. In the sense of the invention, the cleaning device is not only limited to the application of the accessories described above, but can be understood to be any form of the electrical cleaning device in particular. The invention includes, for example, devices that are capable of autonomous operation, in particular floor cleaning robots as well as household vacuum cleaners, hand-held vacuum cleaners or the like.

The housings of the attachments, in particular the housings of the vacuum cleaner nozzles, which have a lateral recess in the region of the brush chamber for the purpose of replacement of the brush body are known in the prior art. In order to close these gaps, a separate cover is attached to the remaining housing. Thus in the assembled state, the brush chamber is defined laterally by separate members. In the case of a separate cover, the problem is that non-sealing may occur in the area of the connection between the cover and the remaining housing, which may cause undesired reductions in the suction power and energy efficiency.

Summary of invention

Starting from this, it is an object of the invention to provide a cleaning device of the type mentioned above, by which a high mechanical strength can be ensured with the greatest possible energy efficiency.

The object cited and proposed in the foregoing is in accordance with the present invention in a clear A cleaning device, in particular in the case of an accessory for a vacuum cleaner or a vacuum cleaner, has a housing having a chassis forming a lower housing portion and a cover forming an upper housing portion, wherein the lower housing The portion and the upper housing portion collectively enclose a housing interior for receiving the cleaning and drive components, such as a housing interior for housing a brush body, an electric motor, a transmission, etc., by using the lower housing portion as a basin The body is configured to have a bottom plate and a side wall, and the basin body laterally defines the entire inner chamber of the housing to be realized.

The lateral definition of the interior of the entire housing means that the interior of the housing extends over its entire length (extension in the working direction of the cleaning device) and transversely to the working direction through the section of the chassis or basin and (around the cleaning device) separate. The direction of work refers to the direction in which the cleaning device is conventionally moved back and forth in order to clean the surface. Since the portion of the inner chamber of the housing is also the brush chamber (the receiving space of the brush body), the pot body, which is provided as a chassis according to the invention, is forcibly also covered to the side of the brush chamber (ie transverse to the working direction). . The lateral restraint of the housing portion below the undercarriage forming the cleaning device thus extends continuously from the front end to the rear end of the housing. Particularly preferably, the tunnel cover is formed in one piece with the lower housing part, with which the vacuum chamber is closed on the inner chamber side of the housing. In this way, it is possible to dispense with a separate component in the form of a cover that has to be mounted on the remaining housing in the region of the brush chamber. The housing preferably also only has a cover as a separate component that separates the inner chamber of the housing from the periphery of the cleaning device, wherein the cover itself does not need to have a basin shape or a side wall due to the basin-predetermined basin shape, but instead It is specially constructed in the form of a plate.

The cleaning device according to the present invention is characterized by a front end to a rear end In addition to the continuous lateral restraint (also laterally extending at the brush chamber), there is a significantly higher sealing, since no separately separate components are connected to each other in the region of the brush chamber, these components will be brushed Separate from the surroundings. In the case of cleaning devices in the prior art, it is possible to produce a leak-tightness at the respective connection position, which reduces the suction power and thus reduces the energy efficiency of the device. In contrast, the minimization of the sealing position in an advantageous manner ensures the greatest possible energy efficiency. According to one embodiment, by eliminating the need for separate components for covering the area of the chassis, the number of chassis components is also reduced and thus the number of housing components is reduced, which simplifies assembly. Another benefit is that the stability of the housing can be improved by continuous lateral restraint and one-piece construction from the front end to the rear end of the cleaning device.

In the following, different designs of the cleaning device and in particular the undercarriage according to the invention are described.

According to a design of the cleaning device of the invention, the basin has a front side wall, two lateral side walls and a rear side wall. These side walls in particular form the outer edge of the cleaning device and thus define the interior of the housing relative to the surrounding environment of the cleaning device. In particular, at least two lateral side walls and front side walls (end walls) are formed continuously and thus do not have any overall interruption of the respective side walls. The overall interruption means that the side wall is interrupted by its entire height. It is not excluded that smaller openings are provided in one or more sections of the side walls, for example for ventilation, but these openings do not interrupt the side walls via their entire height. Such a side wall additionally has the advantage of increasing the stability of the housing and thus the stability of the cleaning device.

As described, a section of the inner chamber of the housing can be configured as a brush chamber (vacuum chamber) in which a brush body rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation is provided. In this case, the rotational axis of the brush body extends in a direction transverse to the working direction, in particular in a horizontal plane. The brush chamber and the brush body are preferably disposed at the front of the housing. The suction passage can thus extend rearwardly from the brush chamber through the remainder of the housing interior, and the suction passage opens into the brush chamber through the suction nozzle.

According to a further embodiment, the brush chamber is restricted to the front (to the front side of the device) by the front side wall and/or laterally by the section of the lateral side wall, respectively. The front side wall particularly forms the outer front edge of the chassis, i.e., separates the interior of the housing from the surrounding environment.

According to another embodiment, the brush chamber is restricted to the rear (to the rear of the device) and/or upward (to the cover) by a partition wall (tunnel cover) which separates the brush chamber from the other housing interior Wherein the partition wall is specially shaped into a tunnel shape. Preferably, the tunnel extends transversely to the working direction. In addition to an opening through which the suction passage is guided from the brush chamber, the partition preferably does not have other openings to hermetically separate the brush chamber from the remaining housing interior. Suitably, the bottom plate has an opening called a suction nozzle in the region of the brush chamber (vacuum chamber). According to one embodiment, the dirt-laden air is introduced into the brush chamber through the suction nozzle, and then the air is sucked through the suction passage.

According to another embodiment, the two lateral side walls laterally (transverse to the front and rear sides of the device) respectively limit the brush chamber and the remaining housing inner chamber. In particular, the two lateral side walls form the outer side edges of the chassis, i.e., the lateral side walls separate the inner chamber of the housing from the surrounding environment. Lateral side walls There is a venting opening, wherein the venting opening is preferably disposed in a rear section of the lateral side wall, wherein the venting opening is not disposed in a side wall section that laterally limits the brush chamber.

According to another design, the housing interior is restricted to the rear (to the rear side of the device) by the side wall (rear wall) of the rear side. The rear side wall particularly forms the rear edge of the chassis and separates the interior compartment of the housing from the surrounding environment. The rear side wall has in particular a preferably circular through hole, which is preferably the rear end of the suction channel. Suitably, the suction passage opens into the hinge through the through opening, the hinge having a connector and allowing a rotatable setting of the cleaner body connected to the connector or a rotatable setting of the suction tube relative to the cleaning device . In this way, the cleaning device can be rotated as an accessory with respect to the cleaner body over a wide range of angles. In order to have a continuous edge of the basin rearward despite the through holes (voids) in the rear wall, it is possible to provide further partition walls in the interior of the housing, the partition walls being oriented in the interior of the housing, in particular in the working direction. The area covering the gap or the gap in the rear side wall is separated from the interior of the remaining housing.

A further embodiment of the cleaning device according to the invention provides that there is a one-piece (ie integral or one piece) communication which is: the bottom plate and at least one of them, in particular each side wall And/or between the dividing wall; and/or - between the front side wall and at least one of the two lateral side walls, in particular between each side wall and/or with the dividing wall; and/or - at least one of Especially the lateral side walls and the rear side walls And / or between the partition wall.

In this way, the stability of the undercarriage is not only further improved, but also the sealing property is maximized by minimizing the joint position and the sealing position. In the case of the housing of the cleaning device according to the invention, the sealing position is only between the chassis and the cover. Assembly is also simplified by a one-piece construction.

According to a further embodiment of the cleaning device according to the invention, the lateral projection of at least one, preferably the upper edge of each lateral side wall, ie the edge directed away from the base plate, is parallel to the axis of rotation of the brush body The projections are particularly spaced apart from the top surface of the brush chamber or from the brush chamber (especially vertically). In other words, according to the invention, it is provided in this embodiment that the lateral projection of the upper edge of each side wall does not intersect the brush chamber. The upper edge of each lateral side wall and the bottom plate or the plane (the bottom plate extends in the plane) are constrained within the lateral direction of the respective lateral side walls of the brush chamber. There are at least the same or greater vertical separation distances. In the case of a tunnel-shaped partition wall, the partition wall limits the brush chamber upwards, thus laterally limiting the sections of the respective lateral side walls of the brush chamber, as compared to the inner surface of the partition wall, The upper edge of the lateral side wall has at least the same or greater vertical separation distance from the bottom plate or plane (the bottom plate extends in the plane). The side walls of the basin are thus approximately as high as the diameter of the brush body (roller comprising bristles).

A further embodiment of the cleaning device according to the invention provides that the extension of the upper edge starts from a point on the respective upper edge and rises rearward (to the rear end of the device) and/or forwards (towards the front end of the device). On each side The lateral side of the side wall defines a (vertical) uppermost point of the section of the brush chamber. In this way, the wedge shape of the housing is achieved, wherein a larger component can be provided in the rear housing portion than the front portion. Thus the wedge shape, in which the housing becomes flatter forward, allows the substrate to be cleaned by the cleaning device in a highly restricted area to a predetermined extent.

Finally, according to a further embodiment of the cleaning device according to the invention, the base plate has at least one opening which is each connected in one piece to the bottom plate in a particularly one-piece manner and in a vertical direction in the interior of the housing (from the bottom) The upper) protruding web is partially or completely surrounded. These webs can have any shape and, for example, also bend at least in one section about an axis extending perpendicular to the bottom plate. In the latter case, the web is specially formed into a sleeve-like shape (sleeve) and is used together with the opening for receiving a fixing device (for example a screw). The opening can for example be an inspection opening. The opening in the form of a gap, in particular a lateral gap (opening), can also be provided in the bottom plate and also in the articulated connection area of the vacuum cleaner body in the rear part of the housing. The gap particularly transitions into the gap in the rear side wall.

1‧‧‧Cleaning equipment

2‧‧‧ vacuum cleaner

3‧‧‧Annex

4‧‧‧Shell

5‧‧‧Lower housing part, chassis

6‧‧‧Upper housing part, cover

7‧‧‧Indoor housing

7a‧‧‧section of the inner chamber of the housing

7b‧‧‧Other housing interiors

8‧‧‧ basin

9‧‧‧floor

10‧‧‧ front side wall

11, 11'‧‧‧ lateral side walls

11a, 11’a‧‧‧Section of lateral side walls

12‧‧‧ Rear side wall

13‧‧‧brush room

14‧‧‧ brush body

15‧‧‧ partition wall

16‧‧‧ vent

17‧‧‧ gap

18, 18'‧‧‧ upper side edge of the lateral side wall

19, 19’ ‧ ‧ points of each upper edge

20, 21‧‧‧ openings in the bottom plate

22-26‧‧‧ web

27‧‧‧ Vacuum cleaner body

28‧‧‧dust room

29‧‧‧Wire

30‧‧‧Equipment handle

31‧‧‧Hands

32‧‧‧ floor covering

X‧‧‧ horizontal axis of rotation of the brush body

There are a large number of possibilities for designing or expanding a home appliance according to the invention. To this end, reference is made to the dependent request item of claim 1 on the one hand, and the description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings on the other hand. 1 shows a perspective view of a domestic vacuum cleaner having a cleaning device in the form of an accessory according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the chassis of the accessory; FIG. 3 shows a section along the FIG. a cross-sectional view of the chassis of III-III; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the chassis along section IV-IV of Figure 3.

detailed description

The attachment 3 of the vacuum cleaner 2 (here a household vacuum cleaner) is shown in FIG. 1 as a preferred application of the cleaning device 1. The vacuum cleaner 2 is implemented as a manually guided handle type electric appliance. It has the following structure in this embodiment:

The cleaner 2 first has a cleaner body 27, which preferably has an electric motor for the intake/blast unit. A dust collecting chamber 28 for accommodating the sucked dust is connected to the cleaner main body 27. The dust collection chamber preferably contains a dust filter bag (not shown).

The current supply of the motor integrated in the cleaner body 27 is performed by the electric wire 29. Further, a plug portion for the device handle 30 is provided at the cleaner body 27. The plug has a handle 31 at the end.

In order to handle the floor cleaner body 27, it is connected to the attachment 3 in the form of a suction nozzle, here a floor nozzle. This embodiment shows an attachment 3 having a rotating body 14 for detaching soiled particles from the floor covering 32 and for receiving soiled particles.

The attachment 3 has a housing 4 having a lower housing portion 5 and an upper housing portion 6. The lower housing portion 5 forms a chassis, and the upper housing portion 6 forms a cover portion that is detachably coupled to the chassis. The lid-shaped upper housing part 6 is here directly connected to the underframe 5 . The structure of the chassis 5 and the housing inner chamber 7 surrounded by the housing 4 is described in detail below in connection with FIGS. 2 to 4.

Figure 2 shows the unassembled state (ie no like a brush body) 14. A perspective view of the angle from the top of the undercarriage 5 in the case of an integrated motor, transmission component or the like. The lower housing part or the underframe 5 is here formed as a basin 8 having a bottom plate 9, a front side wall 10, two lateral side walls 11 and 11' and a rear side wall 12, wherein the basin 8 passes through the lateral side walls The 11 and 11' define the housing interior 7 over the entire length laterally (i.e. transverse to the working direction).

In the present case, the basin 8 is of one-piece construction, which means that the side walls 10-12 are connected to the bottom plate 9 in one piece (as long as they are contiguous).

The housing inner chamber 7 is divided into different sections and has a front section 7a configured as a brush chamber 13, and a brush body 14 is provided in the brush chamber in such a manner as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation X. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the brush chamber 13 is defined forwardly by the front side wall 10 and laterally by the sections 11a or 11'a of the respective lateral side walls 11 or 11', respectively. The brush chamber 13 is restricted rearwardly and upwardly by a partition wall (tunnel cover) 15, which separates the brush chamber 13 from the remaining housing inner chamber 7b. The partition wall 15 is here shaped as a tunnel.

The lateral direction of the two lateral side walls 11 and 11' not only limits the brush chamber 13 but also the remaining housing inner chamber 7b. In the rear section, the lateral side walls 11 and 11' each have a vent 16 .

The rear side wall 12 finally restricts the housing inner chamber 7 to the rear. The rear side wall 12 here has a recess 17 through which the rotational movement of the cleaner body 27 relative to the attachment 3 is permitted.

All of the side walls 10-12 form the outer edge of the chassis 5, thus The housing interior 7 is limited relative to the surrounding environment of the accessory 3.

The lateral projection of the upper edge 18 or 18' of the lateral side walls 11 and 11' (i.e. the projection parallel to the axis of rotation X) contacts the dividing wall 15 as shown in particular in the cross-sectional views in Figures 3 and 4. External surface. This means that the outer surface of the partition wall 15 and the corresponding upper edge 18 or 18' are in a point or section in which the projections of the upper edges 18 and 18' respectively contact the partition wall 15 respectively. It is equally high or equally distant from the lateral projection of the bottom plate 9 or the bottom plate. In the present case, the lateral projection of each of the upper edges 18 or 18' in said points or sections is vertically spaced from the brush chamber 13, i.e., vertically spaced apart by the thickness of the dividing wall 15.

The extension of the upper edges 18 and 18' rises rearward from the point 19 or 19' of the upper edge 18 or 18' and decreases forward from the point 19 or 19', the point 19 or 19' laterally defining the brush chamber Vertically above the highest point of section 11a or 11'a of 13.

Finally, it is shown in Figure 2 that the bottom plate 9 has a plurality of openings, of which only the openings 20 and 21 are shown in the selected view. The openings are each partially formed by one or more webs 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 which are integrally connected to the bottom plate 9 and project into the housing interior 7 in a vertical direction (perpendicular to the direction of the bottom plate). Or completely surrounded. The individual webs 22, 23, 25 extend in the longitudinal direction (working direction), the other webs 24 extend in the transverse direction (transverse to the working direction) and the other web 26 is bent around the vertical axis and is configured as a sleeve Shaped.

Claims (9)

A cleaning device, in particular an accessory for a vacuum cleaner or a vacuum cleaner, the cleaning device having a housing having a chassis forming a lower housing portion and a cover portion forming an upper housing portion, wherein the lower portion The housing portion and the upper housing portion collectively surround a housing inner chamber for receiving a cleaning member and a driving member, wherein the lower housing portion is configured as a basin having a bottom plate and a side wall, the side wall Restricting the entire interior of the housing laterally, characterized in that the extension of the upper edge of each of the lateral side walls is raised from a point of the upper edge to the rear and descends to the front, the point The lateral side of the side wall laterally limits the uppermost point of the section of a brush chamber in the inner chamber of the housing. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the basin has a front side, two lateral sides, and a rear side wall. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the section of the inner chamber of the housing is configured as a brush chamber in which a brush body rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation is disposed. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the brush chamber is laterally restricted by the side wall of the front side, and the brush chamber is laterally restricted by a section of the side wall, respectively. . A cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the brush chamber is restricted rearward and/or upward by a partition wall, the partition wall separating the brush chamber from the remaining housing inner chamber, wherein The dividing wall is especially tunneled The shape of the road is shaped. The cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the two lateral side walls respectively restrict the brush chamber and the remaining housing inner chamber in a lateral direction, wherein the lateral side walls have a plurality of Vent. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing inner chamber is restricted rearward by the rear side wall, wherein the rear side wall particularly has a gap. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein between the bottom plate and at least one side wall, particularly each side wall, and/or between the partition walls; and/or the front side wall At least one of the two lateral side walls, in particular between each of the side walls, and/or between the partition walls; and/or at least one of the lateral side walls There is a one-piece communication between one of the side walls, particularly between each of the side walls, and between the side walls of the rear and/or with the dividing wall. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one, preferably each, lateral projection of the upper edge of the lateral side wall contacts the brush chamber or particularly vertically The brush chambers are spaced apart.