The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application entitled "Water or STEAM CLEANING Apparatus" filed on day 5 and 23 of 2023 and serial No. 63/503,766, the benefit of U.S. provisional application entitled "Water or STEAM CLEANING Apparatus and Accessory for Vacuum Cleaner (attachment to a Water or steam cleaning Apparatus and vacuum cleaner)" filed on day 29 of 2023 and serial No. 63/535,207, and the benefit of PCT international application entitled PCT/CN2024/073318 filed on day 19 of 2024, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Drawings
These and other features and advantages will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic example of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a surface cleaning head of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 3A shows a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3B illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of an example of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A with a steam manifold in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3C illustrates an enlarged view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3B corresponding to region 3C, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3D illustrates an exploded view of the steam manifold of fig. 3B, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A corresponding to region IV of fig. 3A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 5A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A corresponding to region V of fig. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 5B illustrates another cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A corresponding to region V of fig. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A corresponding to region VI of fig. 3A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a paddle of the multi-axis pivot joint of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 8 illustrates a bottom perspective view of a surface cleaning head of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 9A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9B illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9C illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9D illustrates a perspective view of another example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9E illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9F illustrates a perspective view of another example of a squeegee configured for use with the surface cleaning head of fig. 8, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9G illustrates another perspective view of the squeegee of fig. 9F moved relative to the surface to be cleaned according to forward travel according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9H illustrates another perspective view of the squeegee of fig. 9F moved relative to the surface to be cleaned according to reverse travel, according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 9I shows a schematic diagram of the screed of fig. 9G, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 9J shows a schematic view of the screed of fig. 9H, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 9K shows a schematic diagram of another example of a squeegee according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Figure 10 illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the surface cleaning head of figure 8 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of a fluid stripper according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 12 illustrates a side view of an agitator body according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 13A illustrates a side view of another agitator body according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 13B illustrates a perspective view of an agitator having bristle bars according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 13C shows a schematic example of the agitator engagement wall of fig. 13B without bristle bars, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of an agitator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 15 illustrates a perspective view of an agitator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 16A illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A having an agitator in a removed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 16B shows a perspective view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3B with a removable cover in a removed position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 16C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3B showing a steam wand, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 16D illustrates a perspective view of an example of a surface cleaning head having an agitator configured to be removed from the surface cleaning head in response to pivoting the agitator forward and upward, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 17 illustrates another perspective view of a portion of the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 16A with the agitator removed therefrom, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 18 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary motor holder for the surface cleaning apparatus of fig. 3A in a use position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 19 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the motor holder of fig. 18 in a removed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 20A illustrates an exemplary surface cleaning head having an agitator configured to be horizontally removed from the surface cleaning head in a first removal position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 20B illustrates the surface cleaning head of fig. 20A with the agitator in an intermediate removal position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 20C illustrates the surface cleaning head of fig. 20A with the agitator in a removed position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 21 illustrates a perspective bottom view of a removable cover of the surface cleaning head of figure 8 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 22 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the removable cover of fig. 21, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 23 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the removable cap of fig. 21 with the fluid capture plate in a cleaning position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 24A illustrates a perspective view of the fluid capture plate of fig. 23, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 24B illustrates an example of a textured surface for a fluid capture plate, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 24C illustrates an example of a fluid capture plate with a single fluid outlet, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Figure 25A illustrates a perspective view of a debris receptacle of the surface cleaning head of figure 8 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 25B shows a perspective view of an example of a vacuum valve for use with a debris container according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 26 illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the debris container of fig. 25A, taken along line XXVI-XXVI of fig. 25A, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 27 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the debris container of fig. 25A received within the surface cleaning head of fig. 8 when the surface cleaning head is resting on a surface to be cleaned, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 28 illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the debris container of fig. 25A received within the surface cleaning head of fig. 8 when the surface cleaning head is at least partially lifted from a surface to be cleaned in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 29 shows another perspective view of the debris container of fig. 25A, according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 30 illustrates a perspective view of a container valve of the debris container of fig. 25A, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Figure 31 illustrates another perspective cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning head of figure 8 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 32A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of a surface cleaning head in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 32B illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of the surface cleaning head of figure 32A having a debris container with a pivoting door in an open position in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
Fig. 32C is a cross-sectional view of the debris container of fig. 32B with the pivoting door in a closed position, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 33 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a debris container in a delivery position according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 34 illustrates another cross-sectional view of the debris container of fig. 33 in a emptied position in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 35 shows a perspective view of an example of a debris container according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 36 shows a perspective view of an example of a debris container according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 37 shows a perspective view of an example of a collection body of a debris container according to embodiments of the disclosure.
Fig. 38 shows a perspective view of an example of a surface cleaning head according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 39 shows a perspective view of an example of a handheld vacuum cleaner coupled to a surface cleaning head, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 40 illustrates a perspective view of the surface cleaning head of figure 39 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 41 illustrates another perspective view of the surface cleaning head of figure 40 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 42 illustrates a perspective view of the handheld vacuum cleaner of fig. 39 coupled to a wand in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Detailed Description
The present disclosure relates generally to a surface cleaning apparatus configured to clean a surface to be cleaned (e.g., a floor) without the use of suction. The surface cleaning apparatus may include an upstanding section pivotally coupled to the surface cleaning head. The surface cleaning head may include a fluid dispenser configured to dispense cleaning fluid and a debris container configured to collect liquid and solid debris. The debris container may include a fluid debris chamber configured to collect fluid debris and a solid debris chamber configured to collect solid debris.
Fig. 1 shows an illustrative example of a surface cleaning apparatus 100 configured to clean a surface 101 to be cleaned (e.g., a floor) without the use of suction. As shown, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 includes an upright section 102 and a surface cleaning head 104. The upright section 102 is pivotally coupled to the surface cleaning head 104 and may include, for example, a power source 106. In some cases, the upright section 102 may include a fluid reservoir 108 configured to receive a cleaning fluid (e.g., water, a mixture of water and cleaning chemicals, and/or any other cleaning fluid), and a digester 110 fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir 108. Digester 110 is configured to heat fluid from fluid reservoir 108 (e.g., to generate steam). A pump 111 for pushing cleaning fluid from the fluid reservoir 108 may be provided in the upright section 102 and/or in the surface cleaning head 104.
The surface cleaning head 104 includes one or more agitators 112 (e.g., brushrolls), at least one agitator motor 114 configured to drive (e.g., rotate) the one or more agitators 112, and a debris receptacle 116 configured to collect at least a portion of the debris agitated by the one or more agitators 112 from the surface 101 to be cleaned. The surface cleaning head 104 also includes a fluid dispenser 120 that is fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir 108. The fluid dispenser 120 is configured to dispense fluid to one or more of the one or more agitators 112 and/or the surface 101 to be cleaned. For example, the fluid dispenser 120 may include a nozzle configured to apply cleaning fluid directly to the surface 101 to be cleaned (e.g., at a location in front of the surface cleaning head 104 relative to the direction of forward travel). As another example, the fluid dispenser 120 may include a steam manifold (e.g., having a plurality of steam delivery apertures) configured to deliver steam directly to the one or more agitators 112. As yet another example, the fluid dispenser 120 may include a nozzle configured to apply steam directly to the surface 101 to be cleaned. As yet another example, the fluid dispenser 120 may include a manifold configured to deliver cleaning fluid directly to the one or more agitators 112.
In some cases, the surface cleaning head 104 may include one or more of a power source 106, a fluid reservoir 108, and/or a digester 110. This configuration may allow the surface cleaning head 104 to be used interchangeably with other devices while being able to apply cleaning fluid to the surface 101 to be cleaned. For example, the surface cleaning head 104 may be configured to be removably coupled with an upright section of the vacuum cleaner, wherein the suction source of the vacuum cleaner is disabled when the surface cleaning head 104 is attached to the vacuum cleaner. In this example, the surface cleaning head 104 may act as a vacuum cleaning accessory configured to provide a wet sweeping or steam sweeping function to the vacuum cleaner, wherein in some cases, the power supply of the vacuum cleaner may be configured to provide power to the surface cleaning head 104.
Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning head 104 of figure 1. As shown, the surface cleaning head 104 includes a head body 200 and a neck 202 pivotally coupled to the head body 200 such that the neck 202 is configured to pivot about one or more pivot axes. Neck 202 is configured to receive a portion of upright section 102 to pivotally couple upright section 102 to surface cleaning head 104. Neck 202 may include one or more of electrical connector 204 and/or fluid coupling 206. The one or more electrical connectors 204 may be configured to electrically couple the power source 106 (fig. 1) to the surface cleaning head 104 (e.g., to provide power to the agitator motor 114). The fluid coupling 206 may be configured to fluidly couple the fluid dispenser 120 with the fluid reservoir 108 (fig. 1) and/or the digester 110 (fig. 1). In some cases, one or more of fluid reservoir 108 and/or digester 110 may be coupled to neck 202.
The agitator motor 114 is configured to rotate the one or more agitators 112 in a forward rotational direction 208, wherein the forward rotational direction 208 is configured to urge debris on the surface 101 to be cleaned in the direction of the debris receptacle 116. The scraper 210 may be configured to cooperate with at least one of the one or more agitators 112 to deliver debris into the debris receptacle 116. For example, the scraper 210 may be shaped and/or positioned such that the agitator 112 pushes the debris along the scraper 210 and into the debris receptacle 116. Thus, at least a portion of the blade 210 extends between the surface 101 to be cleaned and the head body 200, and between at least a portion of the one or more agitators 112 and at least a portion of the debris receptacle 116.
At least a portion of the fluid dispensed by the fluid dispenser 120 may be absorbed within the one or more agitators 112. The absorbed fluid may have debris from the surface 101 to be cleaned that is entrained in the fluid (which may be generally described as dirty fluid). Thus, it may be desirable to strip the absorbed fluid from the one or more agitators 112 periodically (e.g., with each complete revolution) in order to maintain substantially consistent cleaning performance. For example, the fluid stripper 212 may be configured to cooperate with the one or more agitators 112 to transfer fluid from the one or more agitators 112 and into the debris container 116. In other words, the fluid stripper 212 may generally be described as being configured to remove at least a portion of the fluid absorbed in the one or more agitators 112.
As shown, the debris receptacle 116 can include a solid debris chamber 214 configured to collect at least a portion of solid debris (e.g., debris that cannot be entrained within the cleaning fluid) agitated from the surface 101 to be cleaned, and a fluid debris chamber 216 configured to collect at least a portion of fluid (e.g., dirty fluid with debris entrained therein) transferred from the one or more agitators 112 and into the debris receptacle 116. Collecting solid debris separate from the dirty fluid may allow the solid debris to be emptied from the debris container 116 separate from the collected dirty fluid. This configuration may make it easier to empty the debris container 116, potentially improving the user experience.
Fig. 3A shows a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus 300, which is an example of the surface cleaning apparatus 100 of fig. 1. The surface cleaning apparatus 300 is configured to deliver cleaning fluid directly to the surface 302 to be cleaned and collect debris and dirty fluid from the surface 302 to be cleaned without the use of suction.
As shown, the surface cleaning apparatus 300 includes an upright section 304 and a surface cleaning head 306. The upright section 304 includes a fluid reservoir 308 configured to receive a cleaning fluid (e.g., water, a mixture of water and cleaning chemicals, and/or any other cleaning fluid), a power source 310 (shown schematically in phantom) (e.g., such as one or more batteries), an upright body 312, and a handle 314 removably coupled to the upright body 312. Fluid reservoir 308 may be removably coupled to upright body 312 such that fluid reservoir 308 may be more easily refilled by a user. Alternatively, fluid reservoir 308 may be non-removably coupled to upright body 312. A pump 309 (shown schematically in phantom) is fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir 308 and configured to urge cleaning fluid from the fluid reservoir 308. The pump 309 may be disposed within the upstanding body 312.
The upright section 304 is pivotally coupled to the surface cleaning head 306 via a multi-axis pivot joint 316. Multiaxial joint 316 is configured such that upright section 304 pivots about at least tilt axis 318 and left-right pivot axis 320, wherein tilt axis 318 extends substantially (e.g., within 1 °,2 °,3 °, 4 °, or 5 °) perpendicular to left-right pivot axis 320. The upright section 304 is configured to pivot about the tilt axis 318 to transition between a storage (or upright) position and an in-use (or tilted) position, and the upright section 304 is configured to pivot about the left-right pivot axis 320 between a central position, a first side (e.g., left) position, and a second side (e.g., right) position (e.g., for the purpose of maneuvering the surface cleaning device 300 along the surface 302 to be cleaned).
The surface cleaning head 306 includes an agitator 322 (e.g., a brush roll) configured to agitate the surface 302 to be cleaned, a spray nozzle 324 configured to dispense cleaning fluid to the surface 302 to be cleaned, and a debris collection assembly 326. The spray nozzle 324 is configured to emit cleaning fluid along an emission axis 328 that intersects the surface 302 to be cleaned at an intersection point 330. The agitator 322 is disposed between the intersection 330 and at least a portion of the debris collection assembly 326. In other words, spray nozzle 324 is configured to emit cleaning fluid in front of agitator 322.
In addition to or in lieu of spray nozzles 324, surface cleaning head 306 may include a steam manifold. For example, and as shown in fig. 3B-3D, surface cleaning head 306 includes a steam manifold 350 fluidly coupled to boiler 352, pump 309, and fluid reservoir 308, wherein steam manifold 350 delivers steam directly to agitator 322 (e.g., at a location between the axis of rotation of agitator 322 and the forward-most portion of surface cleaning head 306). Referring to fig. 3D, the steam manifold 350 may include a manifold cover 354 having a flow path connector 356 configured to couple to, for example, a flexible tube, and a steam delivery channel 358 having a plurality of delivery apertures 360 through which steam can pass.
Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus 300 generally corresponding to region IV of fig. 3A. As shown, the handle 314 includes an actuator 400 pivotally coupled to the handle 314 at a grip 402. Pivotal movement of the actuator 400 (e.g., in response to a pulling motion of a user's finger) moves (e.g., linearly) the drive shaft 404. The drive shaft 404 is configured to actuate an electronic switch 406 (shown schematically) (e.g., a button, an optical beam break switch, a toggle switch, and/or any other electronic switch 406) disposed within the upright body 312. In other words, the actuator 400 and the drive shaft 404 may be generally described as providing a mechanical interface disposed within the removable handle 314 for actuating the electronic switch 406 within the upright body 312. An electronic switch 406 and actuator 400 are disposed at opposite ends of the handle 314.
Actuation of the electronic switch 406 may cause the surface cleaning apparatus 300 to operate in accordance with one or more cleaning activities. For example, electronic switch 406 may be configured such that actuation causes cleaning fluid to be emitted from spray nozzle 324 (fig. 3A). In this example, electronic switch 406 may cause pump 309 (fig. 3A) to be activated.
Fig. 5A illustrates a cross-sectional view generally corresponding to region V of fig. 4, wherein the handle 314 is coupled to the upstanding body 312, and fig. 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view generally corresponding to region V of fig. 4, wherein the handle 314 is separated from the upstanding body 312.
As shown, the upright body 312 includes a handle receptacle 500 configured to selectively receive a portion of the handle 314. A depressible handle plunger 502 may be disposed within the handle receptacle 500, wherein the handle plunger 502 is configured to transition between a retracted state (fig. 5A) and an extended state (fig. 5B). The handle plunger 502 is configured to transition to a retracted state in response to the handle 314 engaging the handle plunger 502 when the handle 314 is inserted into the handle receptacle 500. The handle plunger 502 is configured to transition to the extended state in response to the handle 314 being removed from the handle receptacle 500. In other words, when the handle 314 is coupled to the upright body 312, the handle plunger 502 is in a retracted state, and when the handle 314 is separated from the upright body 312, the handle plunger 502 is in an extended state.
When in the extended state, the handle plunger 502 may be configured to extend over at least a portion of the switch cavity 506, wherein the switch cavity 506 includes the electronic switch 406. In some cases, the handle plunger 502 may be configured to close (e.g., sealingly close) the switch cavity 506 when the handle plunger 502 is in the extended position. Such a configuration may mitigate (or prevent) the ingress of debris and/or fluid into the switch cavity 506 when the handle 314 is separated from the upright body 312, which may protect the electronic switch 406 from damage. In some cases, the cavity-facing surface 508 of the handle plunger 502 may include a sealing material 510 (e.g., an elastomeric material) configured to form a seal with one or more sidewalls 512 forming the switch cavity 506. The sealing material 510 may be configured to form a seal that mitigates (e.g., prevents) ingress of fluid and/or dust.
The handle plunger 502 may be biased toward the extended position such that when the handle 314 is separated from the upright body 312, the handle plunger 502 automatically moves to the extended position. For example, a spring 514 (shown schematically) may be configured to urge the handle plunger 502 toward the extended position. Biasing the handle plunger 502 toward the extended position may also increase stability of the handle 314 within the handle receptacle 500 as the handle plunger 502 exerts a compressive force on a portion of the handle 314.
The handle plunger 502 may also include a handle engagement surface 516 generally opposite the cavity-facing surface 508. The handle engagement surface 516 is configured to engage the handle 314 when the handle 314 is inserted into the handle receptacle 500. For example, the shank engagement surface 516 may extend at a non-perpendicular angle transverse to the insertion axis 518 of the shank pocket. The insertion axis 518 extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis 520 of the handle 314. The actuation axis 522 along which the handle plunger 502 moves when transitioning between the retracted state and the extended state may extend substantially perpendicular to the insertion axis 518.
Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view generally corresponding to region VI of fig. 3A, and shows a cross-section of multi-axis pivot joint 316. As shown, polyaxial pivot joint 316 includes pivot body 600 and paddle 602 pivotally coupled to pivot body 600. The pivot body 600 includes a body pivot 604 and a head pivot 606 vertically spaced from the body pivot 604. The body pivot 604 is pivotally coupled to the upright body 312 such that the left and right pivot axes 320 extend through the body pivot 604. Head pivot 606 is pivotally coupled to surface cleaning head 306 such that tilt axis 318 extends through head pivot 606.
Paddle 602 is configured to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position. When paddle 602 is in the locked position, upright section 304 is substantially prevented from pivoting about left-right pivot axis 320 (e.g., rotation in either rotational direction is less than 1 °, less than 2 °, less than 3 °, less than 4 °, less than 5 °, or less than 10 °). When the paddle 602 is in the unlocked position, the paddle 602 does not substantially interfere with side-to-side movement of the upright section 304 about the side-to-side pivot axis 320. Paddle 602 is configured to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position based on a rotational position of upright section 304 about tilt axis 318. For example, when the upright section 304 is in the storage (or upright) position, the paddle 602 may be in the locked position, and when the upright section 304 is in the in-use (or tilted) position, the paddle 602 may be in the unlocked position. Paddle 602 may be biased toward the unlocked position using, for example, a paddle biasing mechanism 609 (e.g., a spring such as a torsion spring).
With additional reference to fig. 7 (which shows a perspective view of paddle 602), paddle 602 includes a retaining portion 608 and a trigger portion 610. The retaining portion 608 may be configured to engage a portion of the upright body 312 and the trigger portion 610 may be configured to engage a portion of the surface cleaning head 306. For example, surface cleaning head 306 may include a paddle protrusion 612 configured to engage (e.g., contact) trigger portion 610 of paddle 602. When the upright section 304 transitions to the storage position, engagement between the paddle protrusion 612 and the trigger portion 610 may cause the paddle 602 to pivot about the paddle axis 614. Pivotal movement of paddle 602 about paddle axis 614 engages retaining portion 608 of paddle 602 with upstanding body 312. As shown, paddle 602 may include a retention cutout 616 configured to receive a retention tab 618 of upright body 312. The retaining cutout 616 and the retaining tab 618 cooperate to limit (e.g., prevent) pivotal movement of the upright section 304 about the left-right pivot axis 320. In other words, the retention portion 608 may be configured to selectively engage a portion of the upright body 312 (e.g., the retention tab 618) to substantially prevent the upright section 304 from pivoting about the left-right pivot axis 320.
The retaining portion 608 and the trigger portion 610 of the paddle 602 may form a paddle angle θ that opens in a direction facing the surface cleaning head 306. The paddle angle θ may be, for example, 90 ° or greater.
Figure 8 shows a bottom perspective view of the surface cleaning head 306. As shown, the surface cleaning head 306 includes a plurality of support wheels 800 and a blade 802, wherein the blade 802 is disposed between at least a portion of the agitator 322 and the support wheels 800. The blade 802 may extend along substantially (e.g., at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 97%, at least 99%) of the entire longitudinal length 801 of the agitator 322 or substantially the entire width 803 of the surface cleaning head 306.
In operation, agitator 322 is configured to cooperate with blade 802 to push debris into debris collection assembly 326 (fig. 3A). For example, the agitator 322 may be configured to rotate according to a forward rotational direction 804, wherein the forward rotational direction 804 is configured to urge solid debris to move along the scraper 802 and into the debris collection assembly 326. As also shown, the surface cleaning head 306 may also include an auxiliary wheel 806. Auxiliary wheel 806 may be configured to rotate about an auxiliary wheel rotation axis 808, and in some cases, move linearly along an actuation axis 810.
As also shown in fig. 8, the surface cleaning head 306 may include one or more drain holes 812. The drain hole 812 may be configured to drain fluid trapped within the surface cleaning head 306. For example, the drain 812 may be disposed substantially below at least a portion of the debris collection assembly 326.
Fig. 9A shows a cross-sectional view of a squeegee 900, which is an example of the squeegee 802 of fig. 8. As shown, the squeegee 900 includes a squeegee core 902 and a squeegee cover 904. The scratch pad core 902 includes an agitator facing side 906 and a mounting side 908 generally opposite the agitator facing side 906. The mounting side 908 may include mounting tabs 910 configured to couple the squeegee 900 with the surface cleaning head 306. For example, the protrusions 910 may be keyed to be received within corresponding slots 912 of the surface cleaning head 306. The blade cover 904 may extend along at least a portion of the blade core 902. For example, the blade cover 904 may extend along a majority (e.g., at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 99%, or 100%) of one or more of the agitator facing side 906 and/or the mounting side 908.
The blade core 902 and blade cover 904 may be made of different materials. For example, the blade core 902 may be made of an elastomeric material (e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, silicone, and/or any other elastomeric material), and the blade cover 904 may be a fabric material (e.g., cloth material, carbon fiber woven material, aramid woven material, polyester material such as polyethylene terephthalate, and/or any other fabric material). An exemplary fabric material may have a thickness in the range of about 0.4 millimeters (mm) to about 0.45mm, a yarn diameter in the range of about 0.28mm to about 0.32mm, and/or a pull force of about 7.23 grams (g) per yarn. The blade cover 904 may have a lower coefficient of friction than the blade core 902. Such a configuration may allow the screed 900 to have similar mechanical properties as the material forming the screed core 902, while allowing the screed to have a lower coefficient of friction. The lower coefficient of friction of the surface of the blade 900 that contacts the debris may improve debris collection (e.g., by making it easier for the debris to move along the blade 900 by the agitator 322 (fig. 3A)). Similarly, a lower coefficient of friction of the surface of the squeegee 900 that contacts the surface 302 to be cleaned may improve movement of the squeegee 900 along the surface 302 to be cleaned (e.g., by reducing squeak noise due to sliding contact between the squeegee 900 and the surface 302 to be cleaned). In some cases (see, e.g., fig. 9B), the blade cover 904 may extend over at least a portion of the mounting side 908 of the blade core 902, rather than along the agitator-facing side 906 of the blade core 902 (e.g., to mitigate friction effects between the blade 900 and the surface 302 to be cleaned).
The flight 900 can have an arcuate shape, a planar shape, and/or any other shape. For example, when the blade 900 has an arcuate shape, the blade 900 may have an arc radius 914 in the range of 15 millimeters (mm) to 45 mm. As another example, when the flight 900 has an arcuate shape, the arc radius 914 may be in the range of 25mm to 35 mm. As yet another example, when the flight 900 has an arcuate shape, the arc radius 914 may be about 30mm (e.g., within 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5%). In some cases, the arc radius 914 may be selected to minimize the separation distance between the agitator 322 and the flight 900. As shown in fig. 9C, in some cases, the screed 900 may have one or more planar surfaces that meet at an intersection point 916.
The blade cover 904 may include an engagement region 918 that extends beyond a distal end 920 of the blade core 902. The engagement region 918 may be configured to engage with the surface 302 to be cleaned. The engagement region 918 has an engagement region extension distance 922. The engagement region extension 922 may be, for example, at least 5% and less than 25% of the total flight extension 924. In some cases, the engagement region 918 may be generally described as forming a selvedge.
Fig. 9D shows a perspective view of a blade 926, which is another example of blade 802 of fig. 8. As shown, the blade 926 includes a blade body 928 having a plurality of spaced apart raised ribs 930 formed on the agitator facing side of the blade 926. The plurality of raised ribs 930 are spaced apart by a rib separation distance 932. The rib separation distance 932 may be the same or different for each set of immediately adjacent raised ribs 930. At least a portion of one or more of the raised ribs 930 may be engaged with the agitator 322 (fig. 3A). In operation, the ribs 930 can reduce the surface area of the blade 926 that the debris contacts.
Fig. 9E shows a perspective view of blade 934, which is another example of blade 802 of fig. 8. As shown, blade 934 includes a rigid portion 936 (e.g., a plastic body) and a flexible portion 938 (e.g., an elastomeric body). The rigid portion 936 may be configured to couple to the surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A), and the flexible portion 938 may be configured to engage the surface 302 to be cleaned. Flexible portion 938 may be overmolded onto rigid portion 936 to form blade 934.
Fig. 9F-9H show perspective views of a squeegee 940, which is another example of the squeegee 802 of fig. 8. As shown, the flight 940 includes a flexible body 942, a leading edge 944, and a frame 946. The flexible body 942 is coupled to the frame 946 and the leading edge 944 is coupled to the flexible body 942 such that the leading edge 944 engages the surface 302 to be cleaned. Frame 946 may be configured to couple blade 940 to surface cleaning head 306. The frame 946 may be constructed of a material that is more rigid than the flexible body 942, which allows the flexible body 942 to flex relative to the frame 946 as the surface cleaning head 306 moves along the surface 302 to be cleaned.
The leading edge 944 may comprise a material having a lower coefficient of friction than the flexible body 942. This configuration may allow blade 940 to more easily move along surface 302 to be cleaned. Referring to fig. 9G, on a forward stroke (or direction of movement) 948, the leading edge 944 may be configured to cooperate with the flexible body 942 to direct debris into the debris collection assembly 326 (fig. 3A). Fig. 9I shows a schematic diagram of a scraper 940 configured to direct solid debris 950 (e.g., sand) into the debris collection assembly 326 on a forward stroke 948. Referring to fig. 9H, on a reverse stroke (or direction of movement) 952, the leading edge 944 may be configured to cooperate with the flexible body 942 such that debris passes under the scraper 940 such that the agitator 322 (fig. 3A) may push the debris into the debris collection assembly 326. Fig. 9J shows a schematic of a scraper 940 configured to allow solid debris 950 to pass under the scraper on a reverse stroke 952. When the leading edge 944 has a lower coefficient of friction than the flexible body 942, the leading edge 944 may facilitate bending of the flexible body 942 to facilitate the passage of debris under the wiper 940 on the reverse stroke 952. In addition, the lower coefficient of friction may reduce the amount of debris adhering to the leading edge 944.
As shown, the flexible body 942 includes an upper portion 954 configured to be coupled to the frame 946, and a lower portion 956, wherein at least a portion of the lower portion 956 is configured to extend (e.g., in a cantilevered manner) from the frame 946. The leading edge 944 may be coupled to the lower portion 956 of the flexible body 942 and extends along the distal edge 958 of the lower portion 956. This configuration may facilitate flexing of the flexible body 942 as the surface cleaning head 306 moves along the surface 302 to be cleaned. In some cases, a portion of the leading edge 944 may extend along the agitator-facing surface 960 and/or the surface 962 facing the surface to be cleaned.
The flexible body 942 may include silicone, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and/or any other flexible material. Leading edge 944 may include Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (one commercial example is teflon brand PTFE sold by Chemours company), woven nylon, and/or any other material (e.g., having a lower coefficient of friction than flexible body 942).
Fig. 9K shows a schematic example of a blade 964, which is another example of blade 802 of fig. 8. As shown, the blade 964 includes a blade ramp 966 configured to face the agitator 322 (fig. 3A), and a surface wipe 968 configured to move along the surface 302 (fig. 3A) to be cleaned. The ramp 966 is configured to cooperate with the agitator 322 to push debris into the debris collection assembly 326 (fig. 3A). As shown, at least a portion of the ramp 966 is positioned between the agitator 322 and the surface wipe 968. In other words, at least a portion of the ramp 966 is positioned in front of the surface wipe 968.
Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the surface cleaning head 306 of figure 8. As shown, agitator 322 cooperates with blade 802 to facilitate collection of debris (e.g., solid debris) within debris collection assembly 326. The agitator 322 may include an agitator body 1000, a motor cavity 1002 defined within the agitator body 1000 configured to receive at least a portion of the agitator motor 1004, and an agitating material 1006 extending from (e.g., coupled to) an outer surface 1008 of the agitator body 1000. The agitating material 1006 may have a material thickness 1010 ranging, for example, from about 10mm to about 14mm extending from the outer surface 1008 of the agitator body 1000 to a distal-most portion 1012 of the agitating material 1006. As another example, the material thickness 1010 may be in the range of about 8mm to about 12 mm. The material thickness 1010 may be selected based at least in part on the expected debris size to be collected. The agitating material 1006 may include any one or more of microfibers, bristle tufts, bristle bars, elastomeric fins, fabrics, and/or any other agitating material.
The agitator 322 may be tangential to, spaced apart from, or overlap with the blade 802 when dry and/or when wet. In some cases, at least a portion of the blade 802 may be in contact with the agitator 322 when the surface cleaning head 306 is resting on the surface 302 (fig. 3A) to be cleaned. For example, when the surface cleaning head 306 is resting on the surface 302 to be cleaned, a distal region 1013 of the blade 802 may be in contact with the agitator 322, the distal region being proximate (e.g., a distance within 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, or 10% of the maximum dimension of the blade 802) the surface 302 to be cleaned. As another example, at least a portion of the intermediate region 1014 of the blade 802 (e.g., the region extending between the distal ends of the blade 802) may be in contact with the agitator 322 when the surface cleaning head 306 is resting on the surface 302 to be cleaned.
As shown, the surface cleaning head 306 also includes an agitation chamber 1016 in which the agitator 322 rotates, and a fluid stripper 1018 configured to extend into the agitating material 1006. The fluid stripper 1018 is configured to contact the agitating material 1006 to remove at least a portion of any fluid absorbed within the agitating material 1006. The removed fluid is transferred to a debris collection assembly 326. In other words, the fluid stripper 1018 may generally be described as being configured to transfer fluid from the agitator 322 to the debris collection assembly 326.
A fluid stripper 1018 may be disposed within the agitation chamber 1016 such that an axis of rotation 1020 of the agitator 322 is disposed between the surface 302 to be cleaned and the fluid stripper 1018. Additionally or alternatively, the fluid stripper 1018 may be disposed within the agitation chamber 1016 such that the fluid stripper 1018 is between a rotational axis 1020 of the agitator 322 and at least a portion of the debris collection assembly 326.
The fluid stripper 1018 may extend into the agitating material 1006 an extended distance 1022. The extension distance 1022 may be, for example, 5% of the material thickness 1010 of the agitation material 1006 to 95% of the material thickness 1010. As another example, the extension distance 1022 may be in the range of 25% of the material thickness 1010 to 85% of the material thickness 1010. As yet another example, the extension distance 1022 may be in a range of 60% of the material thickness 1010 to 95% of the material thickness 1010.
In some cases, the surface cleaning head 306 may also include a debris stripper 1024. The debris stripper 1024 is configured to strip solid debris from the agitator 322. The debris stripper 1024 may be positioned forward of the fluid stripper 1018 (relative to the forward direction 804 of fig. 8) such that the agitator 322 rotates the agitating material 1006 during operation to contact the debris stripper 1024 prior to contact with the fluid stripper 1018. In other words, the used (or dirty) portion of agitator 322 contacts debris stripper 1024 before contacting fluid stripper 1018.
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the fluid stripper 1018 of fig. 10. As shown, the fluid stripper 1018 includes a mounting region 1100 and a stripping region 1102. The peeling region 1102 may extend from the mounting region 1100 according to the fluid stripper angle β. The fluid stripper angle beta may be an obtuse angle that opens in the direction of the surface 302 (fig. 3A) to be cleaned. The fluid stripper 1018 may be formed at least in part from plastic (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, "ABS"), metal (e.g., stainless steel alloy, aluminum alloy, and/or any other metal), and/or any other suitable material.
Fig. 12 shows an example of an agitator body 1200, which is an example of the agitator body 1000 of fig. 10. As shown, the agitator body 1200 includes a helical rib 1202 extending along an outer surface 1201 of the agitator body 1000. For example, the helical rib 1202 may extend from the outer surface 1201 such that the side surface 1203 of the helical rib 1202 forms a substantially perpendicular angle with the outer surface 1201. As another example, one or more side surfaces 1203 of the helical rib 1202 may extend from the outer surface 1201 at a non-perpendicular (e.g., obtuse) angle (e.g., and form an arcuate or planar surface). In some cases, the agitator body 1200 may include a plurality of helical ribs 1202 (see, e.g., fig. 13A). The helical rib 1202 may be coupled to or integrally formed from the agitator body 1200. In operation, the helical rib 1202 may facilitate entry of larger and/or heavier debris into the debris collection assembly 326 (fig. 3A). For example, the helical rib 1202 may be generally described as operating as an archimedes screw.
In some cases, the agitating material 1006 (fig. 10) may be disposed on opposite sides of the helical rib 1202 such that the helical rib 1202 is disposed between the agitating material 1006. For example, the agitation material 1006 may be in contact with at least one helical rib 1202. Contact with the helical rib 1202 may reduce the flexibility of a portion of the agitating material 1006 adjacent the helical rib 1202. In some cases, the agitating material 1006 may extend over the helical rib 1202. This configuration results in the formation of localized ridges in the agitating material 1006 due to the helical rib 1202. The presence of localized ridges in the agitating material 1006 may increase the engagement with the surface 302 (fig. 3A) to be cleaned at the localized ridges.
The helical rib 1202 may have a rib height 1204 and a rib width 1206. The rib height 1204 extends radially outward from the agitator body 1200 and the rib width 1206 extends in a direction parallel to the rotational axis 1208 of the agitator body 1200. The rib height 1204 may be less than the material thickness 1010 of the agitating material 1006. For example, the rib height 1204 may be configured such that the helical rib 1202 does not contact one or more of the surface 302 to be cleaned, the blade 802 (fig. 8), and/or the fluid stripper 1018 (fig. 10). As another example, the rib height 1204 may be 10% of the material thickness 1010 of the agitation material 1006 to 30% of the material thickness 1010. As yet another example, the rib height 1204 may be about 2.5mm. In some cases, the rib width 1206 may be approximately the same as the rib height 1204. The helical rib 1202 may be formed of a rigid material (e.g., a plastic material) or a flexible material (e.g., an elastomeric material). For example, the helical rib 1202 may be formed of the same material as the agitator body 1200.
Fig. 13B shows an example of an agitator 1300 having at least one helical bristle bar 1302 extending therearound and microfibers 1304 extending on either side of the helical bristle bar 1302. In some cases, the agitator 1300 may additionally include at least one helical rib (e.g., helical rib 1202). The bristle bars may generally refer to a row of bristles having a linear length that is at least 25% of the longitudinal length of the agitator 1300, wherein immediately adjacent bristles forming the bristle bar have bases that are spaced apart by a distance that is less than three times the maximum diameter of an individual bristle. The bristle bars 1302 may extend bristle extension distances 1306 from the microfibers 1304. The bristle extension distance 1306 may be, for example, equal to or greater than the thickness 1307 of the microfibers 1304 (e.g., when dry). As another example, the bristle extension 1306 may be about 0.1 times to about 0.9 times the thickness 1307 of the microfibers 1304 (e.g., when dry). In some cases, the bristle bar 1302 may at least partially collapse as a portion of the bristle bar 1302 rotates within the surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A). In these cases, the resiliency of the bristles forming the bristle bar 1302 may straighten the bristle bar 1302 as the bristle bar 1302 rotates to extend out of the surface cleaning head 306 to engage the surface 302 to be cleaned (fig. 3A), which may facilitate debris collection.
Extending the bristle bars 1302 from the microfibers 1304 can improve the edge cleaning and/or corner cleaning performance of the surface cleaning apparatus 300 (fig. 3A). For example, in the absence of suction, the surface cleaning apparatus 300 may have difficulty collecting debris adjacent the wall (e.g., as a result of the surface cleaning head 306 contacting the wall, potentially preventing a portion of the agitator 1300 from contacting the wall). In this example, the bristle extension distance 1306 may be selected such that a portion of the bristle bar 1302 contacts the wall, pulling debris toward the surface cleaning head 306 to be collected. The helical shape of the bristle bars 1302 may facilitate movement of debris (e.g., due to archimedes' helical effect). Fig. 13C shows an example of an agitator 1300 without bristle bars 1302. As shown in fig. 13C, without the bristle bars 1302, there is a dead zone 1308 between the surface cleaning head 306 and the wall 1310, where debris within the dead zone 1308 may not be collected. In one example, the dead zone 1308 may have a dead zone length 1312 of approximately 22mm. Thus, in some cases, the bristle extension 1306 may be at least about 22mm.
Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of an agitator 1400, which is an example of the agitator 322 of fig. 3A. As shown, the agitator 1400 includes an agitator body 1402, an agitating material 1404, and one or more ribs 1406. The one or more ribs 1406 may be configured to briefly raise the surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A) from the surface 302 (fig. 3A) to be cleaned with each rotation (e.g., to create a vibratory motion). This configuration may facilitate the passage of debris under the blade 802 (fig. 8) on the reverse stroke, which may reduce the amount of debris collected behind the blade 802 on the reverse stroke. The one or more ribs 1406 may be formed of a rigid material (e.g., a plastic material) or a flexible material (e.g., an elastomeric material). For example, one or more ribs 1406 may be formed from the same material as the agitator body 1402. In some cases, one or more ribs 1406 may be integrally formed from the agitator body 1402. Alternatively, one or more ribs 1406 may be coupled to the agitator body 1402.
Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of an agitator 1500, which is an example of the agitator 322 of fig. 3A. The agitator 1500 includes an agitator body 1502 and a microfiber material 1504. The microfiber material 1504 may be coupled (e.g., adhesively coupled) to an outer surface 1506 of the agitator body 1502. In some cases, one or more additional agitating elements (e.g., bristles, fins, and/or any other agitating element) may be dispersed within the microfiber material 1504. The one or more additional agitating elements may be dispersed according to a pattern (e.g., forming a spiral pattern, a linear pattern, a chevron pattern, and/or any other pattern), or may be randomly dispersed. In some cases, the microfiber material 1504 can include a plurality of different microfiber materials (e.g., having different agitation characteristics, water absorbing characteristics, and/or the like).
Fig. 16A shows a perspective view of a portion of a surface cleaning apparatus 300. As shown, debris collection assembly 326 includes a removable cover 1600 that extends over at least a portion of debris container 1602 and at least a portion of agitator 322. Debris container 1602 may be at least partially received within debris container cavity 1603 defined within surface cleaning head 306 (e.g., head body 1606 of surface cleaning head 306). In some cases, debris container cavity 1603 can be configured such that an uppermost portion of debris container 1602 is substantially flush with or lower than an uppermost portion of debris container cavity 1603.
The removable cover 1600 may define at least a portion of the agitation chamber 1016 and may include the spray nozzle 324. Spray nozzle 324 may be fluidly coupled to fluid reservoir 308 (fig. 3A) through a removable cap 1600 (e.g., using one or more fluid tubes or fluid passages). Removable cover 1600 includes a cover latch 1604 configured to removably couple the removable cover 1600 to a surface cleaning head 306 (e.g., a head body 1606 of the surface cleaning head 306). The lid latch 1604 may be a clamp latch.
As shown in fig. 16B, removable cover 1600 may also include a steam manifold 350 in addition to or in lieu of spray nozzles 324 (fig. 3A). In these cases, the cover 1600 may include a stem receptacle 1650 configured to receive at least a portion of the steam stem 1652. Stem receptacle 1650 and steam stem 1652 are configured to cooperate to fluidly couple boiler 352 (fig. 3B) with steam manifold 350 when removable cover 1600 is coupled with surface cleaning head 306.
As shown in fig. 16C, the steam stem 1652 includes a steam outlet 1654. The steam outlet 1654 is configured to fluidly couple the steam stem 1652 to the steam manifold 350 via a stem receptacle 1650. The steam outlet 1654 is configured to direct steam along a steam outlet axis 1656. The steam outlet axis 1656 extends in a non-vertical direction (e.g., a direction extending transverse to the surface 302 to be cleaned at a non-perpendicular angle). Thus, when the removable cover 1600 is removed from the surface cleaning head 306, the steam emitted from the steam outlet 1654 is emitted in a non-vertical direction (e.g., away from the user). This configuration may reduce the risk of injury to the user (e.g., by residual steam within boiler 352 (fig. 3B)). For example, the steam outlet axis 1656 may extend in a direction away from the agitator 322. In some cases, when the removable cover 1600 is removed, at least a portion of the emitted steam along the steam outlet axis 1656 may intersect a portion of the head body 1606 (e.g., to facilitate dissipation of the emitted steam into the ambient environment). For example, and as shown, the steam wand 1652 may be disposed within the wand cavity 1658 of the head body 1606 such that at least a portion of the steam emitted from the steam outlet 1654 is incident on a sidewall of the wand cavity 1658 when the removable cover 1600 is removed from the surface cleaning head 306.
Returning to fig. 16A, when the removable cover 1600 is removed from the surface cleaning head 306, the agitator opening 1608 is exposed to allow the agitator 322 to pivot about the agitator pivot axis 1610 between an in-use position and a removed position. As shown, the pivot axis 1610 extends substantially parallel to the surface 302 to be cleaned and transverse (e.g., at a perpendicular angle) to the rotational axis 1020 of the agitator 322. This configuration allows the agitator 322 to pivot upward, for example. In some cases, the pivot axis 1610 may extend transverse (e.g., at a non-perpendicular angle) to the surface 302 to be cleaned. As shown in fig. 16D, this configuration allows the agitator 322 to pivot, e.g., upward and forward, such that at least a portion of the agitator 322 extends in front of the surface cleaning head 306. In some cases, pivoting the agitator 322 upward and forward may allow at least a portion of the cover 1600 to be non-removable.
When the agitator is in the removed position (e.g., as shown in fig. 16A), the agitator 322 extends through the agitator opening 1608. The agitator opening 1608 is positioned opposite at least a portion of the agitator chamber opening 1609. The removal position may correspond to a rotational movement of, for example, about 35 ° to about 55 ° about the agitator pivot axis 1610 from the in-use position. As another example, the removal position may correspond to a rotational movement of about 45 ° about the agitator pivot axis 1610 from the in-use position.
At least a portion of the agitator 322 extends from the agitator chamber opening 1609 to engage the surface 302 to be cleaned when the agitator 322 is in the in-use position. In other words, when in the removed position, the agitator 322 extends upwardly in a direction away from the surface 302 to be cleaned. Such a configuration may allow the agitator 322 to be presented to a user, which may allow the agitator 322 to be more easily removed and/or replaced.
Transitioning the agitator 322 between the in-use and removed positions may be accomplished by a user applying a force on the agitator tab 1612 that pivots the agitator 322 about the agitator pivot axis 1610. When in the in-use position, the agitator tab 1612 may be received within a tab receptacle 1614 of the head body 1606 of the surface cleaning head 306. In some cases, the agitator tabs 1612 may define a portion of the outer surface of the surface cleaning head 306 when the agitator 322 is in the in-use position.
As shown in fig. 17, when in the removal position, the agitator 322 may be moved along the removal axis 1700 to remove the agitator 322 from the surface cleaning head 306, thereby exposing the agitator motor 1004. In other words, the agitator 322 is slidably coupled to the agitator motor 1004. Such a configuration may allow for easier cleaning and/or replacement of the agitator 322. The removal axis 1700 may correspond to (e.g., coincide with) the rotational axis 1020 (fig. 10) of the agitator 322. As also shown, the agitator motor 1004 includes drive dogs 1702 configured to cooperate with corresponding drives of the agitator 322 to rotate the agitator 322.
The agitator motor 1004 pivots simultaneously with the agitator 322 as the agitator 322 pivots between the in-use and removed positions. The agitator motor 1004 may be configured to be selectively maintained in an in-use position and a removed position. For example, as shown in fig. 18 and 19, the motor retainer 1800 may selectively retain the agitator motor 1004 in the in-use position (fig. 18) and the removed position (fig. 19). The motor holder 1800 may include a pawl 1802 pivotally coupled to a head body 1606 of the surface cleaning head 306. The pawl 1802 is configured to cooperate with a protrusion 1804 of the agitator motor 1004 to selectively retain the agitator motor 1004 in the in-use and removed positions. The tab 1804 includes a recess 1806 configured to selectively receive the pawl 1802, and an engagement surface 1808 spaced from the recess 1806 configured to selectively engage (e.g., contact) the pawl 1802. As shown, the notch 1806 and pawl 1802 include corresponding angled surfaces such that when the agitator motor 1004 is pivoted from the use position toward the removal position, the pawl 1802 is pushed out of the notch 1806 and into engagement with the engagement surface 1808 of the tab 1804. Pawl 1802 is biased into engagement with recess 1806 and engagement surface 1808 by a biasing mechanism 1810 (e.g., a spring, such as a compression spring). The biasing force applied by the biasing mechanism 1810 may be configured such that the weight of the agitator 322 and the agitator motor 1004 is insufficient to transition the agitator motor 1004 from the removed position toward the in-use position. In other words, the agitator motor 1004 is configured to remain in the removed position until a user applies a force sufficient to transition the agitator motor 1004 to the in-use position.
While fig. 18 and 19 illustrate the motor holder 1800 as selectively holding the agitator 322 in two positions (in-use and removed positions), other configurations are possible. For example, the motor holder 1800 may be configured to selectively hold the agitator 322 in three or more positions. In this example, the motor holder 1800 may be configured to selectively hold the agitator 322 in a use position, an intermediate position (e.g., a rotational position corresponding to about 25 ° of rotational movement about the agitator pivot axis 1610 from a use position), and a removal position (e.g., a rotational position corresponding to about 45 ° of rotational movement about the agitator pivot axis 1610 from a use position). When in the neutral position, the agitator 322 may or may not be removable from the surface cleaning head 306.
As shown in fig. 19, when in the removed position, the agitator motor 1004 may be configured to engage a portion of the head body 1606. This configuration may prevent excessive pivoting of the agitator motor 1004.
As also shown in fig. 18 and 19, the agitator motor 1004 may further include a wire passing portion 1812 through which one or more wires 1814 (e.g., power wires) pass. The wire passing portion 1812 may also be used to provide a cooling path for providing cooling air to the agitator motor 1004.
Although fig. 16A-19 depict the agitator 322 being pivoted upward toward the removal position, other configurations for removing the agitator 322 are possible. For example, fig. 20A-20C illustrate a surface cleaning head 2000, which is an example of a surface cleaning head 306, with an agitator 2002, which is an example of an agitator 322, wherein the agitator 2002 may be removed from the surface cleaning head 2000 without pivoting upward. As shown, the agitator 2002 includes an agitator latch 2004 configured to engage a head body 2006 of the surface cleaning head 2000. In response to actuating the agitator latch 2004, the agitator 2002 may be removed through an opening in the sidewall 2008 of the head body 2006 by moving the agitator 2002 along the removal axis 2010. The removal axis 2010 may correspond to (e.g., coincide with) an axis of rotation of the agitator 2002.
Fig. 21 shows a perspective bottom view of the removable cover 1600, and fig. 22 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the removable cover 1600. As shown, removable cover 1600 includes a fluid capture plate 2100. The fluid capture plate 2100 is configured to collect fluid stripped from the agitator 322 (fig. 3A) by the fluid stripper 1018. Fluid capture plate 2100 is configured to direct collected fluid toward at least one chamber defined within debris container 1602 (fig. 16A). As shown, the fluid capture plate 2100 may include one or more of a debris stripper 1024 and/or a fluid stripper 1018. The debris stripper 1024 can include a plurality of spaced apart ridges 2102 (e.g., forming a comb) configured to engage the agitator 322 (e.g., protrude into the agitating material 1006 of the agitator 322 by about 1 mm). The engagement between the plurality of ridges 2102 and the agitator 322 may mitigate (e.g., prevent) a quantity of solid debris (e.g., fibrous debris, such as hair) from entering the fluid capture plate 2100.
As shown in fig. 23, the fluid capture plate 2100 is configured to transition between a in-use position (fig. 21) and a cleaning position (fig. 23) when the removable cover 1600 is removed from the surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A). For example, the fluid capture plate 2100 may be configured to pivot about the plate pivot axis 2300 between a in-use position and a cleaning position. The fluid capture plate 2100 is configured to selectively remain in the in-use position such that the fluid capture plate 2100 transitions from the in-use position to the cleaning position in response to a user applying a force. For example, fluid capture plate 2100 may include a stopper 2302 configured to be selectively receivable within a stopper receptacle 2304 of removable cover 1600. In some cases, the fluid capture plate 2100 may be removably coupled with the removable cover 1600.
Fig. 24A shows a perspective view of a fluid capture plate 2100. As shown, fluid capture plate 2100 has a collection region 2400, a first channel 2402, and a second channel 2404, where collection region 2400 is fluidly coupled with first channel 2402 and second channel 2404. When the fluid capture plate 2100 is in the in-use position and the removable cover 1600 (fig. 16A) is coupled to the surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A), the collection region 2400 is disposed between the agitator 322 (fig. 3A) and the first channel 2402 and the second channel 2404. In other words, the collection region 2400 can be generally described as being disposed forward of the first channel 2402 and the second channel 2404. The collection region 2400 is configured to receive fluid stripped from the agitator 322 and direct the received fluid to the first channel 2402 and the second channel 2404. The collection region 2400 includes a fluid diverter 2406 extending between a first channel 2402 and a second channel 2404. The fluid diverter 2406 is configured to divert fluid incident thereon into a respective one of the first channel 2402 or the second channel 2404. For example, the fluid diverter 2406 may have a generally triangular shape with the apex of the triangular shape pointing toward the agitator 322.
The first fluid grid 2408 may extend between the first channels 2402 and the collection region 2400. The first fluid grid 2408 may extend from the fluid diverter 2406 to a first sidewall 2410 of the fluid capture plate 2100. Thus, fluid transferred from the collection region 2400 into the first channel 2402 passes through the first fluid grid 2408. The second fluid grid 2412 may extend between the second channel 2404 and the collection region 2400. The second fluid grid 2412 may extend from the fluid diverter 2406 to a second side wall 2414 of the fluid capturing plate 2100, with the first side wall 2410 and the second side wall 2414 at opposite ends of the fluid capturing plate 2100. Thus, fluid transferred from the collection region 2400 into the second channel 2404 passes through the second fluid grid 2412. The first fluid grid 2408 and the second fluid grid 2412 include a plurality of spaced apart fluid passages 2416. The fluid passing portion 2416 is configured to allow fluid having debris entrained therein to pass through the first and second fluid grids 2408, 2412, while the first and second fluid grids 2408, 2412 collect solid debris (e.g., fibrous debris such as hair) thereon. In some cases, at least a portion of the fluid surface 2421 of the fluid capture plate 2100 may include a rough texture (e.g., a plurality of raised protrusions) in addition to or in lieu of the first and second fluid grids 2408, 2412, the rough texture configured to capture solid debris (e.g., fibrous debris, such as hair) while allowing fluid to pass there between. An exemplary texture is shown in fig. 24B. As shown in fig. 24B, the texture may be formed using a plurality of raised protrusions 2450 (e.g., cylindrical protrusions, rectangular protrusions, spherical protrusions, and/or any other shape protrusions).
The first and second channels 2402 and 2404 are fluidly coupled to respective fluid outlets 2418 and 2420. Fluid outlets 2418 and 2420 are fluidly coupled with at least one chamber defined within debris container 1602 (fig. 16A). Thus, in operation, fluid may flow along a capture plate flow path 2422 that extends from the collection region 2400 through the respective fluid grid 2408 or 2412 and into the respective fluid outlet 2418 or 2420. In some cases, and as shown in fig. 24C, the fluid capture plate 2100 may have a single channel 2452 configured to direct fluid to a single fluid outlet 2454.
Fig. 25A shows a perspective view of debris container 1602, and fig. 26 shows a cross-sectional view of debris container 1602 taken along line XXVI-XXVI of fig. 25A. As shown, debris container 1602 includes solid debris chamber 2500 and fluid debris chamber 2502, solid debris chamber 2500 being fluidly separated from fluid debris chamber 2502 by partition wall 2503. Solid debris chamber 2500 is disposed between agitator 322 (fig. 3A) and fluid debris chamber 2502. The fluid debris chamber 2502 includes a first collection region 2504, a second collection region 2506, and an interconnection region 2508. An interconnect region 2508 extends between the first collection region 2504 and the second collection region 2506. An interconnect region 2508 fluidly couples the first collection region 2504 to the second collection region 2506. The interconnect region 2508 has an interconnect region maximum width 2510, the first collection region 2504 has a first collection region maximum width 2512, and the second collection region 2506 has a second collection region maximum width 2514. The interconnect region maximum width 2510 can be less than the first collection region maximum width 2512 and the second collection region maximum width 2514. For example, the interconnect region maximum width 2510 may be less than half of the first collection region maximum width 2512 and the second collection region maximum width 2514.
Interconnect region 2508 is selectively fluidly coupled to fluid collection tray 2516 of debris container 1602 via container valve 2518 of debris container 1602. A container valve 2518 is disposed within the fluid collection tray 2516. The fluid collection tray 2516 is vertically spaced above the interconnection area and is fluidly coupled to the first fluid outlet 2418 and the second fluid outlet 2420 (fig. 24A) of the fluid capture plate 2100 (fig. 21). In other words, the fluid collection tray 2516 is fluidly coupled to the fluid capture plate 2100. Thus, fluid flowing through the fluid capture plate 2100 passes through the first fluid outlet 2418 and the second fluid outlet 2420 to be received within the fluid collection tray 2516. Once within fluid collection tray 2516, fluid passes through container valve 2518 (when container valve 2518 is in the open position) and into fluid debris chamber 2502. In other words, the container valve 2518 is configured to selectively fluidly couple the fluid collection tray 2516 to the fluid debris chamber 2502.
A first access door 2522 (shown in an open position) is configured to selectively extend over the first collection area 2504, and a second access door 2524 (shown in a closed position) is configured to selectively extend over the second collection area 2506. For example, first access door 2522 and second access door 2524 are pivotably coupled to container body 2526 of debris container 1602 such that first access door 2522 and second access door 2524 pivot between an open position and a closed position. When in the open position, fluid debris within fluid debris chamber 2502 can be emptied from fluid debris chamber 2502. In some cases, each of the first access door 2522 and the second access door 2524 may include a seal 2528 configured to sealingly engage with the container body 2526. As also shown, in some cases, each of the first access door 2522 and the second access door 2524 may include a respective door latch 2530 configured to releasably engage a corresponding door latch 2532 on the container body 2526. Although the first access door 2522 and the second access door 2524 are shown as separate doors, other configurations are possible. For example, the first access door 2522 and the second access door 2524 may be coupled together to form a single door.
As shown, debris container 1602 may include a grip 2534 for displacing debris container 1602. Grip 2534 may extend within central portion 2536 of debris container 1602. For example, central portion 2536 may generally correspond to a central third of debris container 1602 in the longitudinal direction.
In some cases, one or more of the first access door 2522 and/or the second access door 2524 may not include a door latch 2530 configured to engage a corresponding door latch 2532. In these cases, the first access door 2522 and/or the second access door 2524 may be maintained in a closed position by creating a vacuum within the fluid debris chamber 2502. For example, removal of the removable cover 1600 (fig. 16A) may cause a vacuum to be generated in the fluid debris chamber 2502 (e.g., by actuating a piston configured to draw air from the fluid debris chamber 2502). As another example, removal of debris container 1602 from surface cleaning head 306 (fig. 3A) may cause a vacuum to be generated in fluid debris chamber 2502 (e.g., by actuating a piston configured to draw air from fluid debris chamber 2502). As yet another example, a vacuum may be generated in fluid debris chamber 2502 (e.g., a piston configured to draw air from fluid debris chamber 2502 actuated) in response to a user grasping grip 2534. To transition the first access door 2522 and/or the second access door 2524 to an open position, the vacuum within the fluid debris chamber 2502 may be released by actuating a vacuum valve 2550 (see, e.g., fig. 25B). Actuation of vacuum valve 2550 allows air to enter fluid debris chamber 2502, thereby releasing the vacuum. As shown in fig. 25B, a vacuum valve 2550 may be used to transition the first access door 2522 and/or the second access door 2524 to an open position. In other words, the vacuum valve 2550 may also be a gripping point where a user opens the first access door 2522 and/or the second access door 2524.
Referring to fig. 26, debris container 1602 can include a fluid level detector 2600 within fluid debris chamber 2502. For example, the fluid level detector 2600 can be disposed within the second collection region 2506. Fluid level detector 2600 can include a float 2602 pivotally connected to debris container 1602 via a hinge 2604. Float 2602 can be configured to actuate a switch (e.g., hall effect sensor) when a fluid level within fluid debris chamber 2502 reaches a predetermined level (e.g., resulting in the generation of a prompt to empty fluid debris chamber 2502, disable agitator motor 1004 (fig. 10), disable pump 309 (fig. 3A), and/or the like). For example, when the switch is a hall effect sensor, the fluid level detector 2600 can include a magnet that can be detected by the hall effect sensor when the fluid level reaches a predetermined level. The use of a hall effect sensor may allow debris receptacle 1602 to be electrically isolated from surface cleaning apparatus 300 (e.g., by including the hall effect sensor in surface cleaning head 306).
Figure 27 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of debris receptacle 1602 received within surface cleaning head 306 when surface cleaning head 306 is resting on surface 302 to be cleaned. Fig. 28 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of debris receptacle 1602 received within surface cleaning head 306 when surface cleaning head 306 is at least partially lifted from surface 302 to be cleaned. Fig. 29 shows a perspective view of debris container 1602 when removed from surface cleaning head 306.
As shown, the container valve 2518 is configured to transition between an open position (fig. 27) and a closed position (fig. 28) based on the engagement of the surface cleaning head 306 with the surface 302 to be cleaned. The container valve 2518 is biased toward a closed position by a valve biasing mechanism 2700 (e.g., a spring such as a torsion spring) such that linear movement of the head plunger 2702 transitions the container valve 2518 between an open position and a closed position.
For example, and as shown in fig. 27, when the surface cleaning head 306 is resting on the surface 302 to be cleaned, the head plunger 2702 is pushed in the direction of the reservoir valve 2518, thereby moving (e.g., pivoting) the reservoir valve 2518 toward the open position. In this example, the head plunger 2702 may be in a retracted position within a plunger receptacle 2704 of the surface cleaning head 306 (e.g., defined within the head body 1606 of the surface cleaning head 306).
As another example, and as shown in fig. 28, when the surface cleaning head 306 is at least partially lifted from the surface 302 to be cleaned, the head plunger 2702 is pushed (e.g., by gravity and/or a biasing mechanism) in a direction away from the container valve 2518 such that the valve biasing mechanism 2700 pushes the container valve 2518 toward a closed position. In this example, the head plunger 2702 may be in an extended position relative to the plunger housing 2704, wherein in the extended position the head plunger 2702 extends a greater distance from the plunger housing 2704 than in the retracted position. As also shown, auxiliary wheel 806 may be rotatably coupled to head plunger 2702 and configured to move linearly with head plunger 2702 along actuation axis 810. Thus, engagement between auxiliary wheel 806 and surface 302 to be cleaned may result in actuation of container valve 2518.
As yet another example, and as shown in fig. 29, when debris container 1602 is removed from surface cleaning head 306 (e.g., for the purpose of emptying debris container 1602), container valve 2518 is urged toward a closed position by valve biasing mechanism 2700. Such a configuration may mitigate (e.g., prevent) accidental spillage from fluid debris chamber 2502 when emptying debris container 1602.
In other words, in view of the above examples, container valve 2518 can be generally described as being configured to mitigate (e.g., prevent) fluid from escaping fluid debris chamber 2502 when surface cleaning head 306 is at least partially lifted from surface 302 to be cleaned or when debris container 1602 is removed from surface cleaning head 306.
Fig. 30 is a perspective view of container valve 2518 separated from debris container 1602. As shown, container valve 2518 includes a hinge portion 3000 configured to pivotally couple with debris container 1602, a valve body 3002 having a seal 3004 extending thereabout, and an actuation portion 3006 configured to engage (e.g., contact) head plunger 2702. The valve body 3002 is configured to be at least partially received within a tray opening 3008 (see fig. 27) of a fluid collection tray 2516 (fig. 25A) such that at least a portion of the seal 3004 sealingly engages at least a portion of the tray opening 3008. The hinge portion 3000 and the actuation portion 3006 are disposed on opposite sides of the valve body 3002.
As shown in fig. 31, the fluid capture plate 2100 defines a pivot cavity 3100 within which the container valve 2518 pivots as it transitions between an open position and a closed position. The pivot cavity 3100 may generally correspond to an area disposed behind the fluid diverter 2406.
Fig. 32A shows a cross-sectional view of surface cleaning head 3200, which is an example of surface cleaning head 104 of fig. 1. As shown, the surface cleaning head 3200 includes an agitator 3202, a debris container 3204 configured to cooperate with the agitator 3202 to collect debris from a surface to be cleaned 3206, and a scraper 3208 configured to cooperate with the agitator 3202 to direct debris from the surface to be cleaned 3206 into the debris container 3204. The scraper 3208 may be coupled to a head body 3210 of the surface cleaning head 3200 or to a debris container 3204. The blade 3208 may engage one or more of the agitator 3202 and/or the surface 3206 to be cleaned.
As shown, debris container 3204 includes a fluid stripper 3212 that engages (e.g., protrudes into) at least a portion of agitator 3202 such that at least a portion of any fluid absorbed within agitator 3202 is stripped from agitator 3202 as a result of the engagement. The fluid stripper 3212 may be positioned over at least a portion of the container inlet 3252 of the debris container 3204. The fluid stripper 3212 may be formed, at least in part, from plastic (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, "ABS"), metal (e.g., stainless steel alloy, aluminum alloy, and/or any other metal), and/or any other suitable material.
The stripped fluid may flow along at least a portion of the outflow surface 3216 and drip into the debris container 3204. Thus, the outflow surface 3216 may be angled such that a vertical separation distance 3218 between the outflow surface 3216 and the axis of rotation 3220 of the agitator 3202 decreases within a horizontal separation distance 3222 that increases from the axis of rotation 3220. For example, outflow surface 3216 may form an outflow angle μ with surface 3206 to be cleaned that is greater than 0 ° and less than 90 °. This configuration may facilitate the flow of the stripped fluid along the outflow surface 3216. One or more of the fluid detacher 3212 and/or the outflow surface 3216 may be coupled to or integrally formed from a portion of the debris container 3204 (e.g., the cover 3224 of the debris container 3204).
As shown, debris container 3204 includes a single collection chamber 3226 configured to collect both solid and fluid debris. The debris container 3204 can also include a grip 3228 (e.g., handle). The grip 3228 may be coupled to or integrally formed from the cover 3224. The grip 3228 and cap 3224 may be exposed (e.g., defining at least a portion of a top surface of the surface cleaning head 3200) during use. Such a configuration may enable removal along a substantially vertical removal axis 3230.
In some cases, and referring to fig. 32B, the debris container 3204 can include a pivoting door 3250 configured to selectively open and close the container inlet 3252. For example, the pivoting door 3250 may be configured to pivot from an open position to a closed position (fig. 32C) in response to the debris container 3204 being removed from the surface cleaning head 3200. As another example, the pivoting door 3250 may be configured to pivot from a closed position to an open position in response to the debris container 3204 being inserted into the surface cleaning head 3200 (e.g., after being emptied). When the debris container 3204 is removed from the surface cleaning head 3200, the pivoting door 3250 may be biased toward a closed position, which may result in an automatic closing of the pivoting door 3250. When in the closed position, the pivoting door 3250 can completely close or substantially close the container inlet 3252 to mitigate (e.g., prevent) debris from exiting the container inlet 3252.
Fig. 33 shows the debris container 3204 removed from the surface cleaning head 3200 (fig. 32A) in a transport position (the transport position generally corresponds to a position of use when the debris container 3204 is disposed within the surface cleaning head 3200), and fig. 34 shows the debris container 3204 removed from the surface cleaning head 3200 in a emptied position.
As shown, the collection body 3300 of the debris container 3204 is pivotally coupled to the cover 3224 (e.g., forming a "clamshell" configuration). The cover 3224 includes a latch 3302 configured to releasably engage a catch 3304 on the debris container 3204. The latch 3302 is configured to transition (e.g., in response to a sliding motion) between a hold position (fig. 33) and a release position (fig. 34). When in the released position, the collection body 3300 can pivot relative to the cover 3224, thereby transitioning the debris container 3204 from the delivery position to the emptying position. As such, the latch 3302 may generally be described as being configured to selectively retain the debris container 3204 in the delivery position. As shown, the actuation end 3306 of the latch 3302 may be disposed within the grip 3228. In some cases, when the debris container 3204 is coupled to the surface cleaning head 3200, the actuation end 3306 of the latch 3302 may be at least partially obscured by a portion of the surface cleaning head 3200. For example, the finger cavity 3307 of the grip 3228 may be opposite the actuation end 3306 of the latch 3302 (e.g., such that the actuation end 3306 may be actuated by a user's thumb after the debris container 3204 is removed from the surface cleaning head 3200). Such a configuration may prevent inadvertent actuation of the latch 3302 during removal of the debris container 3204 from the surface cleaning head 3200.
The collection body 3300 may pivot through a pivot angle of about 90 ° when transitioning between the delivery position and the clear position. In some cases, a biasing mechanism 3309 (e.g., a spring) may urge the collection body 3300 to pivot (e.g., transition the debris container 3204 toward the clear position in a direction away from the cover 3224). Using the biasing mechanism 3309 to urge the collection body 3300 to pivot away from the cover 3224 may facilitate debris to exit the collection body 3300 via the emptying opening 3308 of the collection body 3300. In some cases, a seal 3310 may extend around at least a portion of the purge opening 3308, wherein the seal 3310 is configured to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the cap 3224 when the debris container 3204 is in the delivery position. Such a configuration may mitigate (e.g., prevent) dirty fluid leakage at the interface between the cap 3224 and the collection body 3300.
Fig. 35 shows a perspective view of a debris container 3500, which is an example of debris container 3204 of fig. 32A. As shown, debris container 3500 includes a collection body 3502 and a cover 3504 pivotally coupled to collection body 3502. The collection body 3502 defines at least a portion of a collection chamber 3506. The collection chamber 3506 may include one or more spaced baffles 3508 extending therein. Each of the spaced apart baffles 3508 may include at least one fluid passage 3510 and extend from a container inlet 3512 of the debris container 3204 toward a rear end wall 3514 of the debris container 3204. In operation, one or more spaced baffles 3508 may mitigate (e.g., prevent) the amount of fluid sloshing within debris container 3204 (which may reduce the amount of fluid exiting from container inlet 3512). In some cases, and as shown in fig. 36, one or more of the one or more baffles 3508 can include a top wall 3600, wherein the top wall 3600 is spaced apart from the bottom wall 3602 of the collection body 3502. In some cases, for example, the top wall 3600 may extend from the respective baffles 3508 toward the longitudinal side wall 3604 (e.g., the closest longitudinal side wall 3604) of the collection body 3502, thereby forming a baffle chamber 3606.
Fig. 37 shows a perspective view of a collection body 3700, which may be an example of the collection body 3300 of fig. 33. As shown, the collection body 3700 includes a first rib 3702 extending longitudinally along the collection body longitudinal axis 3704 and at least one second rib 3706 extending transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to the first rib 3702. The first rib 3702 has a first rib width 3708 and a first rib height 3710, and the second rib 3706 has a second rib width 3712 and a second rib height 3714. The first rib width 3708 can be less than the second rib width 3712 and the first rib height 3710 can be less than the second rib height 3714. The first and second ribs 3702, 3706 can be configured to cooperate to mitigate (e.g., prevent) fluid sloshing within the collection body 3700. In some cases, the first rib 3702 may be centrally disposed within the collection body 3700, and the second rib 3706 may be disposed within an end region 3716 (e.g., an end third) of the collection body 3700.
Fig. 38 shows a perspective view of a surface cleaning head 3800, which is an example of the surface cleaning head 104 of fig. 1. As shown, surface cleaning head 3800 includes a debris-container lift 3802 pivotally coupled to a head body 3804 of surface cleaning head 3800. The debris container lift 3802 is configured to selectively receive a debris container (e.g., the debris container 116 of fig. 1). The debris container lift 3802 is configured to transition between an in-use position and a removal position (e.g., such that the debris container can be removed for emptying). The debris container lift 3802 may be biased to pivot toward the removal position. Thus, a lifter latch 3806 may be provided to retain the debris container lifter 3802 in the in-use position. Additionally or alternatively, the lifter latch 3806 may be configured to facilitate consistent engagement between a portion of the debris container (e.g., a fluid stripper) and the agitator 3808.
Fig. 39 shows a perspective view of a handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 coupled to a surface cleaning head 3902 (e.g., any of the surface cleaning heads disclosed herein, e.g., surface cleaning head 104 of fig. 1) via a wand 3904. Hand-held vacuum cleaner 3900 includes suction motor 3906, power source 3908, dirt cup 3910, and inlet 3912. The first end 3914 of the wand 3904 is configured to be selectively coupled to the inlet 3912 and the second end 3916 of the wand 3904 is selectively coupled to the surface cleaning head 3902, the first end 3914 being opposite the second end 3916 along the longitudinal axis 3918 of the wand 3904. Wand 3904 is also configured to electrically couple power source 3908 to surface cleaning head 3902 such that one or more electrical components of surface cleaning head 3902 can be powered by power source 3908. Suction motor 3906 is fluidly coupled to dirt cup 3910, inlet 3912, and wand 3904. However, the suction motor 3906 may not be fluidly coupled to the surface cleaning head 3902 (e.g., no suction is generated within the surface cleaning head 3902). Additionally or alternatively, when the surface cleaning head 3902 is electrically coupled with the power source 3908, the suction motor 3906 may be disabled.
Fig. 40 and 41 show perspective views of a surface cleaning head 3902. As shown, the surface cleaning head 3902 includes a head body 4000 for movement along a surface 4002 (e.g., a floor) to be cleaned, a neck 4004 pivotally coupled to the head body 4000, and a fluid reservoir 4006. The head body 4000 includes an agitator 4008 (e.g., a brushroll) configured to engage the surface 4002 to be cleaned, and one or more of a spray nozzle 4010 for spraying liquid or vapor onto the surface 4002 to be cleaned and/or a manifold 4012 (shown schematically in phantom) for distributing liquid or vapor to the agitator 4008 and/or the surface 4002 to be cleaned. The head body 4000 may also include a debris container 4014 configured to receive wet debris and/or dry debris. In some cases, the debris container 4014 can be divided into a first compartment (e.g., a solid debris chamber) and a second compartment (e.g., a fluid debris chamber). In operation, the agitator 4008 is configured to push debris into the debris receptacle 4014 without the use of suction.
Fluid reservoir 4006 is fluidly coupled to spray nozzle 4010 and/or manifold 4012. For example, the supply pump 4016 can be configured to push liquid from the fluid reservoir 4006 to the spray nozzles 4010 and/or the manifold 4012. When generating steam, the supply pump 4016 may be configured to push fluid through the digester 4018, wherein steam exiting the digester 4018 passes through spray nozzles 4010 and/or manifold 4012. As shown, the fluid reservoir 4006 is coupled (e.g., removably coupled) to the neck 4004. However, in some cases, fluid reservoir 4006 may be coupled to head body 4000.
Neck 4004 may include one or more neck electrical connectors 4100 for electrically coupling to power source 3908, such that power source 3908 can provide electrical power to one or more components of surface cleaning head 3902 (e.g., sensors, drive motor of supply pump 4016 and/or agitator 4008). In some cases, one or more neck electrical connectors 4100 can be configured to communicatively couple a handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 (e.g., controller 3920 of handheld vacuum cleaner 3900) to one or more components of surface cleaning head 3902 (e.g., a sensor, a supply pump 4016, and/or a drive motor of agitator 4008).
Neck 4004 may also include a suction plug 4020 configured to be received within second end 3916 of wand 3904. In other words, the suction plug 4020 may be configured to block (or block) a suction path extending within the rod 3904.
Fig. 42 is a perspective view of a handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 coupled with a wand 3904. As shown, the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 further includes a handle 4200 having an actuator 4202 (e.g., a tactile switch) configured to receive input from a user. The function of actuator 4202 may be based at least in part on whether surface cleaning head 3902 is electrically coupled to handheld vacuum cleaner 3900. For example, when the surface cleaning head 3902 is electrically coupled to the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900, the actuator 4202 may control the supply pump 4016 (e.g., to control the rate and/or amount of liquid passing through the spray nozzle 4010 and/or the manifold 4012). As another example, when the surface cleaning head 3902 is not electrically coupled to the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900, the actuator 4202 may control the suction motor 3906 (e.g., to control the amount of suction generated). As yet another example, when a secondary nozzle (e.g., a suction nozzle with an agitator) is electrically coupled with the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900, the actuator 4202 can control one or more cleaning features (e.g., agitator speed and/or illumination source) of the secondary nozzle. In these examples, the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 is configured to determine whether a cleaning accessory (e.g., the surface cleaning head 3902 or the secondary nozzle) is electrically coupled to the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900, and if a cleaning accessory is detected, the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900 further determines which type of cleaning accessory is electrically coupled to the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900, and adjusts a function of the actuator 4202 based at least in part on one or more of the determinations.
As also shown, the second end 3916 of the rod 3904 includes one or more rod electrical connectors 4204 configured to cooperate with the neck electrical connector 4100 (fig. 41). The wand electrical connector 4204 is configured to be electrically and/or communicatively coupled with the handheld vacuum cleaner 3900.
Examples of surface cleaning apparatuses according to the present disclosure may include an upright section and a surface cleaning head pivotally coupled to the upright section. The surface cleaning head may include a fluid dispenser configured to dispense cleaning fluid, an agitator configured to absorb at least a portion of the dispensed cleaning fluid and agitate debris on a surface to be cleaned, a fluid stripper configured to remove at least a portion of the dispensed cleaning fluid absorbed by the agitator from the agitator, a debris container, and a removable cover extending over at least a portion of the debris container and at least a portion of the agitator. The debris container may include a solid debris chamber configured to collect at least a portion of debris agitated from a surface to be cleaned, and a fluid debris chamber configured to collect at least a portion of fluid removed from the agitator by the fluid stripper. The removable cover may include a fluid capture plate configured to transfer at least a portion of the cleaning fluid removed from the agitator by the fluid stripper to the fluid debris chamber, the fluid capture plate configured to selectively transition between the in-use position and the cleaning position when the removable cover is removed from the surface cleaning head.
In some cases, the fluid capture plate is pivotably coupled to the removable cover and is configurable to pivot between an in-use position and a cleaning position when the removable cover is removed from the surface cleaning head. In some cases, the fluid capture plate may include a collection area, a first channel, and a second channel, the collection area being disposed in front of the first channel and the second channel. In some cases, the fluid capture plate may include a fluid diverter extending between the first channel and the second channel. In some cases, the fluid capture plate may include a first fluid grille extending between the first channel and the collection area, and a second fluid grille extending between the second channel and the collection area. In some cases, the debris container may include a fluid collection tray fluidly coupled to the fluid capture plate, and a container valve disposed within the fluid collection tray, the container valve configured to selectively fluidly couple the fluid collection tray with the fluid debris chamber. In some cases, the container valve may be configured to transition between an open position and a closed position based on an engagement state of the surface cleaning head with the surface to be cleaned. In some cases, the container valve may be biased toward the closed position. In some cases, the surface cleaning apparatus may further comprise a multi-axis pivot joint pivotally coupling the upright section to the surface cleaning head, wherein the multi-axis pivot joint is configured to enable the upright section to pivot about at least the tilt axis and the left and right pivot axes. In some cases, the polyaxial pivot joint may include a pivot body and a paddle pivotally coupled to the pivot body, the paddle configured to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position based on a rotational position of the upright section about the tilt axis. In some cases, in the locked position, the paddle may be configured to substantially prevent the upright section from pivoting about the left-right pivot axis, and in the unlocked position, the paddle does not substantially interfere with movement of the upright section about the left-right pivot axis. In some cases, the paddle may include a retaining portion configured to selectively engage a portion of the upright section to substantially prevent the upright section from pivoting about the left-right pivot axis and a trigger portion configured to engage a portion of the surface cleaning head. In some cases, the fluid dispenser may include at least one of a spray nozzle or a steam manifold.
Examples of a surface cleaning head according to the present disclosure may include a fluid dispenser configured to dispense cleaning fluid, an agitator configured to absorb at least a portion of the dispensed cleaning fluid and agitate debris on a surface to be cleaned, a fluid stripper configured to remove from the agitator at least a portion of the dispensed cleaning fluid absorbed by the agitator, a debris container, and a removable cover extending over at least a portion of the debris container and at least a portion of the agitator. The debris container may include a solid debris chamber configured to collect at least a portion of debris agitated from a surface to be cleaned, and a fluid debris chamber configured to collect at least a portion of fluid removed from the agitator by the fluid stripper. The removable cover may include a fluid capture plate configured to transfer at least a portion of the cleaning fluid removed from the agitator by the fluid stripper to the fluid debris chamber, the fluid capture plate configured to selectively transition between the in-use position and the cleaning position when the removable cover is removed from the surface cleaning head.
In some cases, the fluid capture plate is pivotably coupled to the removable cover and is configurable to pivot between an in-use position and a cleaning position when the removable cover is removed from the surface cleaning head. In some cases, the fluid capture plate may include a collection area, a first channel, a second channel, and a fluid diverter extending between the first channel and the second channel, the collection area being disposed forward of the first channel and the second channel. In some cases, the fluid capture plate may include a first fluid grille extending between the first channel and the collection area, and a second fluid grille extending between the second channel and the collection area. In some cases, the debris container may include a fluid collection tray fluidly coupled to the fluid capture plate, and a container valve disposed within the fluid collection tray, the container valve configured to selectively fluidly couple the fluid collection tray with the fluid debris chamber. In some cases, the container valve may be configured to transition between an open position and a closed position based on an engagement state of the surface cleaning head with the surface to be cleaned, the container valve being biased toward the closed position. In some cases, the fluid dispenser may include at least one of a spray nozzle or a steam manifold.
While the principles of the utility model have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the utility model. In addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein, other embodiments are also contemplated as falling within the scope of the present utility model. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present utility model, which is limited only by the following claims.