TW201740857A - Suction nozzle for vacuum cleaning device improving result of detection of a detector used for detecting the type of a surface to be cleaned - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a suction nozzle (1) for a vacuum cleaning device (2). The floor nozzle is provided with a suction port (3) and a suction channel (4) connected to the suction port (3) and a fan of the vacuum cleaning device (2), wherein the suction nozzle (1) is provided with a detector (5) which is movably supported on a shell body (7) of the suction nozzle (1) for detecting the type of a surface to be cleaned (6) and wherein the suction channel (4) is movable relative to the surface (6), based on the detection result of the detector (5), particularly from a hard floor location to a carpet floor location and vice versa. In order to improve the result of detection of the detector (5), the present invention proposes: by using the location of conventional use of the suction nozzle (1) as a reference, the detector (5) constantly contacts the surface (6) without being affected by the type of the surface (6), and moves by relying on the friction between the surface (6) and the detector (5).

Description

Nozzle for suction cleaning equipment

The present invention relates to a suction nozzle for a suction type cleaning device, the suction nozzle having a suction port and a suction passage for connecting a suction port and a fan of the suction cleaning device, wherein the suction nozzle has a sensor movably supported on the housing of the nozzle to detect the kind of the surface to be cleaned, and wherein the suction passage can be displaced relative to the surface according to the detection result of the sensor, in particular , the position of the hard floor is displaced to the carpet floor position, or vice versa.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a suction cleaning device, in particular a household vacuum cleaner, having a nozzle of the type described above.

In the prior art, nozzles for suction cleaning devices have been known. Such a nozzle can be provided as an integral part of the suction cleaning device if it is not provided in the form of an attachment on the body of the suction cleaning device. If the suction cleaning device is not a cleaning device with only a suction function, it is a cleaning device that has both a suction function and a wiping function. The cleaning device can be automatically moved if it is not operated by the user, for example, constructed as a cleaning robot.

As is known to us, in order to achieve the same degree of optimal cleaning on different surfaces, conventional techniques have adapted the nozzle to reversibly adapt to the particular type of surface to be cleaned. For example, the setting of the nozzle for the hard floor is different from the setting for the carpet floor or carpet. The difference between these settings is, for example, the distance from the suction opening to the surface to be cleaned. It is different. When in the hard floor position, the suction nozzle is usually placed on the surface to be cleaned by a sealing member such as a bristle element and/or a sealing lip, thereby forming a distance or increasing the distance between the suction opening and the surface to be cleaned. . This prevents scratches on the hard floor. When in the carpet floor position, the suction opening is typically moved closer to the surface to be cleaned at a smaller distance, preferably on the surface.

The publication WO 2011/007160 A1, for example, discloses a nozzle in which the bristle unit provided on the nozzle is displaced based on the type of surface to be cleaned, whereby the housing of the nozzle is also lowered toward the surface to be cleaned. , or rise away from the surface to be cleaned. The bristle unit is connected to a bellows which, in the case of a hard floor, projects the bristle unit out of the outer circumference of the housing and, in the case of a carpet floor, retracts the bristle unit into the housing. The bellows corresponds to a valve that opens or closes according to the detection of the floor sensor, thereby causing the bellows to expand or compress. The floor sensor is a movable wheel that is movable relative to the housing of the nozzle, and contacts the surface to be cleaned when moving on the carpet floor to cause rotation. An operating element that is connected to the wheel in a rotationally fixed manner opens or closes the valve.

Among them, only when the moving wheel of the nozzle is caught in the carpet floor and the floor sensor contacts the surface to be cleaned, the nozzle will switch from the hard floor position to the carpet floor position. The disadvantage is that non-flexible carpet coverings, such as carpet tiles, that cannot trap the drifting wheel of the nozzle are not recognized as carpets.

Based on the foregoing prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle having a floor sensor whose floor sensor can always reliably detect the type of surface to be cleaned.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes that the conventional use position of the nozzle is referenced, and the sensor is always in contact with the surface regardless of the type of the surface. And it can move depending on the friction between the surface and the sensor.

The present invention differs from the prior art in that the sensor always touches the surface to be cleaned and is thus always subjected to frictional forces between the surface and the sensor. If the sensor is to be displaced from the hard floor position to the carpet floor position, for example, a well defined frictional force is required. Moving through the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned, friction acts on the sensor and moves it relative to the surface to be cleaned. Such movement of the sensor can advantageously result, for example, in the manipulation of a valve that corresponds to an actuator that causes the suction channel to be displaced relative to the surface to be cleaned based on the detection of the sensor. For example, the movement of the sensor can open the valve between the suction channel and the bellows, so that the bellows shrinks through the suction channel, in the process causing the suction channel and the suction port to face the surface to be cleaned. The direction drops, or falls down to the surface to be cleaned. The friction between the ordinary hard floor surface and the sensor is much smaller than the friction between the carpet floor surface and the sensor, because in the case of the carpet floor, the surface structure of the sensor and the fiber of the carpet floor are further Interaction occurs, for example, the bristles of the sensor are mated with the fibers of the carpet floor. According to the invention, the sensor is constructed such that it does not deflect on the hard floor but deflects on the carpet floor. Since the sensor always touches the surface to be cleaned (regardless of whether the drift wheel of the nozzle falls into the surface to be cleaned or not), it is also possible to detect, for example, different types of carpet flooring, for example, a carpeted carpet floor, but it is also detectable. Short velvet carpet and so on.

The invention further provides that the sensor is tangential to a plane or forms part of a plane which is formed by the at least two support elements of the nozzle contacting the surface to be cleaned in its position of use, in particular The transfer wheel and/or the sealing element are formed to extend. Thereby, the sensor always touches the surface to be cleaned, regardless of whether the nozzle is currently attached to the hard floor or the carpet floor. The nozzle has at least two support elements. Such support elements may for example comprise a travel wheel and/or a sealing element, for example a bristle element or a seal lip. In general, the nozzle has on its bottom surface (ie, the side facing the surface to be cleaned) two travel wheels and, for example, bristle elements and/or sealing lips. These support elements support the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned. Wherein the sensor is also attached to the surface to be cleaned with at least one partition, which is realized by the sensor being tangent to the plane formed by the support element (for example, the curved surface of the sensor is curved) In case, or constitute part of this plane. Once the support element of the nozzle is placed on the surface to be cleaned, the sensor bore also abuts the surface to be cleaned during its normal use position and can perform its function.

The invention proposes that the sensor is mounted on the housing of the nozzle in a movable or deflectable manner. For example, the sensor can be arranged in a linearly movable manner on the housing of the nozzle, preferably during the forward and reverse movements parallel to the nozzle, ie the user alternately pushes and pulls the suction The normal direction of movement of the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned during cleaning of the device. To this end, the sensor can be moved, for example, in some structure like a rail or groove, as the friction for the sensor is sufficiently large. Alternatively, the sensor can also be supported in a deflectable manner on the housing of the nozzle such that the friction induces deflection of the sensor. For example, the sensor can be constructed as a lever style that can be deflected about an axis, or as a wheel or drum that can be rotated based on friction. Preferably, the sensor can also be spherical and supported on the housing of the nozzle in a spherical joint pattern. This technical solution helps to detect the type of surface to be cleaned in all possible directions of movement of the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned. Thereby, not only the type of surface can be detected during the conventional forward and backward movement of the nozzle, but also the type of surface can be detected during the lateral movement of the nozzle, generally under the furniture or along the skirting board or the like. When the object is cleaned, the nozzle will move sideways.

Beneficially, the contact area of the sensor that contacts the surface has bristles. when When the nozzle moves on the carpet floor, the technical solution forms a fitting between the bristles of the sensor and the carpet fiber, so that the friction acting on the sensor can be increased relative to the hard floor, thereby being particularly reliable. Detecting the type of surface to be cleaned, especially distinguishing between hard and carpet floors, but also distinguishing between different types of carpet flooring, such as long or short velvet. Practice has shown that bristles are particularly beneficial because bristles have a distinctly different coefficient of friction on hard and carpet floors. As an alternative to the bristles, the contact area of the sensor that contacts the surface may also have a sealing lip, a bump or the like. In principle, any type of surface structure that has a distinct coefficient of friction on hard and carpet floors is suitable for the sensor.

The invention further provides that the sensor corresponds to at least one reset element, in particular an elastic element, the restoring force of which facilitates the transfer of the sensor to a neutral position, which is preferably equivalent to a hard floor position. Through this technical solution, a frictional force greater than the restoring force of the sensor must be generated between the surface and the sensor, and the sensor can leave the neutral position to detect the type change of the surface to be cleaned. The restoring element is preferably an elastic element, for example a coil spring, a coil spring, a leaf spring or the like, which is mounted on the housing of the nozzle on the one hand and on the sensor on the other hand. Preferably, the sensor corresponds to two reset elements whose restoring forces act on the sensor in opposite directions of action, that is, to help move the sensor in the opposite direction. For example, if the sensor is constructed in a wheel pattern, the restoring force of the first reset element can act in a clockwise direction, that is, the wheel is rotated clockwise, and the second reset element applies a counterclockwise action to the sensor. The restoring force helps the sensor to rotate counterclockwise. In addition to the reverse force described above, if there is no other force in the circumferential direction of the sensor, the sensor is in a neutral position (premise the same magnitude of the above-mentioned resetting force). Only when the friction of the sensor on the surface to be cleaned exceeds the restoring force, the sensor will indicate the self-hardening floor to the carpet floor through its movement. Transform.

The invention further provides that the restoring force of the resetting element is greater than the frictional force of the sensor on the hard floor due to the movement of the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned, and less than the frictional force of the sensor on the carpet floor. With this technical solution, the threshold value of the friction force acting on the sensor is defined to distinguish the hard floor from the carpet floor such that the absolute value of the threshold force is equivalent to the absolute value of the restoring force. In this way, only when the friction between the sensor and the surface to be cleaned exceeds the restoring force of the reset element, the sensor will move to a sufficient extent, that is, move or deflect. If the restoring force of the resetting element is greater than the frictional force acting on the sensor, the motion of the sensor based on the frictional force is insufficient to determine whether the nozzle is moving on the carpet floor. Specifically, the sensor still recognizes the surface to be cleaned as a hard floor. When the restoring force of the resetting element is less than the frictional force acting on the sensor, the frictional force exceeds the restoring force of the resetting element, so that the movement of the sensor is sufficient to determine the movement of the nozzle on the carpet floor.

The invention proposes that the restoring force of the reset element is less than 16 Newtons, preferably between 5 Newtons and 10 Newtons. The user of the suction cleaning device must apply a maximum thrust of 16 Newtons to allow the suction cleaning device to move over the surface to be cleaned, which is generally within the tolerance of the user. When the friction between the surface and the nozzle becomes large, it means that the thrust is generally increased when the self-hardening floor is changed to the carpet floor. Therefore, the restoring force of the reset element should preferably be less than the thrust that the user can tolerate to the maximum extent, so that the sensor has a sufficiently large detection range to distinguish between the hard floor and the carpet floor. The restoring force of the reset element is particularly between 5 Newtons and 10 Newtons so that the carpet floor can be detected from beyond this force.

The invention further provides that the sensor is mechanically or electromechanically coupled to an actuator for displacing the suction channel. Therefore, the sensor is used to detect the pending The type of clean surface also acts on the actuator that causes the displacement of the suction channel. For example, the sensor can mechanically or electromechanically act on a valve that opens or closes the air path to a bellows that causes the suction channel to displace and act as an actuator. Among them, the movement of the sensor can directly trigger the movement of the valve, that is, to open or close the movement. Alternatively, it may be provided that a separate motion sensor detects the motion of its sensor and then controls the displacement of the suction channel by means of a control and analysis device.

Finally, the invention proposes a suction cleaning device, in particular a household vacuum cleaner, having a nozzle of the aforementioned type. The features and working principles described in the previous section of the nozzle are also applicable to this suction cleaning device.

The invention is explained in detail below in conjunction with the examples.

1‧‧‧ nozzle

2‧‧‧Sucking cleaning equipment

3‧‧ ‧ suction port

4‧‧‧sucking channel

5‧‧‧Sensor

6‧‧‧ (to be cleaned) surface

7‧‧‧Shell

8‧‧‧Reset components

9‧‧‧ plane

10‧‧‧Support components

11‧‧‧(Sensor) contact area

12‧‧‧ bristles

13‧‧‧Ontology

14‧‧‧Inhalation pipe joint

15‧‧‧ handle

16‧‧‧Handles

17‧‧‧ switch

18‧‧‧ cable

19‧‧‧Migration wheel

20‧‧‧Sealing components

21‧‧‧ axis

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic view of a suction cleaning apparatus having a nozzle; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle in a hard floor position; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle in a carpet floor position.

FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a suction type cleaning device 2 having a suction nozzle 1. The suction cleaning device 2 is constructed as a hand-held vacuum cleaner. The nozzle 1 has a housing 7 and is constructed as a separate attachment that can be removed from the body 13 of the suction cleaning device 2. The suction cleaning device 2 as usual has a telescopic handle 15 connected to the body 13. A handle 16 is provided on the handle 15 with a switch 17 for switching the fan of the suction cleaning device 2 on and off. Further, a cable 18 for connecting the fan motor to the power source is bored in the handle 15. A body to be sucked (not shown) is constructed in the body 13, and the object to be sucked by the mouthpiece 1 can be collected in the cavity to be sucked. The nozzle 1 is connected to the body 13 The pipe joint 14 is sucked so that the object to be sucked can be sucked into the chamber to be sucked from the body 13 by the suction nozzle 1 from the surface to be cleaned.

The suction nozzle 1 here has two shifting wheels 19 for moving the suction nozzle 1 on the surface 6 to be cleaned. Due to the viewing angle, only one shifting wheel 19 can be seen from the drawing. A suction passage 4 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided in the suction nozzle 1, and the suction chamber 14 of the suction cleaning device 2 is connected to the suction chamber and the fan through the suction pipe joint 14 of the body 13. The suction channel 4 of the suction nozzle 1 communicates with a suction opening 3 which moves over the surface 6 to be cleaned during the suction operation of the suction cleaning device 2.

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of the nozzle 1 when it is placed on a hard floor. The suction nozzle 1 has a suction channel 4 which is displaceable relative to the suction nozzle 1 here. The suction channel 4 is displaceable such that the suction opening 3 can be close to or away from the surface 6 to be cleaned. For this purpose, the suction channel 4 is deflectably supported in the suction nozzle 1 . The suction nozzle 1 has on its underside a sealing element 20, here embodied as a bristle element, which contacts the surface to be cleaned 6, ie in contact with the hard floor, during the suction operation of the suction nozzle 1. The travel wheel 19, together with the sealing element 20, is a support element 10 for opposing the surface 6 to support the housing 7 of the nozzle 1. The suction channel 4 or the suction opening 3 is in a through-flow connection with the fan of the suction cleaning device 2, so that the object to be smudged on the surface 6 to be cleaned can be fed into the suction cleaning device 2 through the suction channel 4. The chamber to be sucked.

The suction nozzle 1 further has a sensor 5 which is rotatably supported about the axis 21 on the housing 7 of the suction nozzle 1. The sensor 5 has bristles 12 at least on one of its peripheral faces, i.e. in the contact zone 11 with the surface to be cleaned. The body of the sensor 5 is constructed as a drum. The sensor 5 corresponds to two reset elements 8. The restoring element 8 is a coil spring which is fixedly arranged on the housing 7 of the nozzle 1 in an end region and is attached to the sensor 5 with opposite end regions. The restoring force of the reset element 8 is opposite to the sensor 5 The direction of rotation.

The suction channel 4 can be displaced from the hard floor position shown in Figure 2 to the carpet floor position shown in Figure 3. The displacement of the suction passage 4 and the suction port 3 is preferably achieved by an actuator and a transmission, both of which are not shown in the drawings. The actuator can be, for example, a bellows, which can be, for example, a guide slide. The suction channel 4 and the sensor 5 are connected to each other through an actuator such that the detection result of the sensor 5 causes displacement of the suction channel 4.

Figure 3 shows the nozzle 1 in the carpet floor position. The suction channel 4 is pivoted out of the housing 7 of the nozzle 1 in a section and serves as a support element 10 for abutment against the surface 6 to be cleaned. Thus, at the carpet floor position, the travel wheel 19, the sensor 5 and the suction opening 3 of the suction channel 4 form a common plane 9. The sealing element 20 rises away from the surface 6 to be cleaned and no longer contacts the surface 6.

When the hard floor is cleaned, the restoring force corresponding to the reset element 8 of the sensor 5 causes the sensor 5 to be in a neutral position that is not deflected. During this neutral position, the suction channel 4 of the nozzle 1 is usually separated from the surface 6 to be cleaned, which corresponds to the hard floor position of the nozzle 1. The hard floor position remains unchanged during the user's manipulation of the suction cleaning device 2 on the hard floor. However, once the suction cleaning device 2 is moved to the carpet or carpet floor, the sensor 5 detects that the type of the surface 6 to be cleaned changes, and the sensor 5 is thus displaced, thereby causing the suction channel 4 to be displaced to On the surface 6 to be cleaned. If the user subsequently manipulates the suction cleaning device 2 to move again from the carpet floor to the hard floor, the suction channel 4 is moved back so that the hard floor is not damaged by the suction port 3.

The friction of the sensor 5 on, for example, a carpet floor or carpet causes the sensor 5 to be displaced from the neutral position (hard floor position) to the carpet floor position. The position of the hard floor in which the suction channel 4 is separated from the surface 6 to be cleaned is particularly suitable for use in, for example, wood Hard floors such as floors, floors, laminates, and tiles. The carpet floor position is especially suitable for carpet floors, carpets, carpet tiles, etc.

The operation of the sensor 5 will now be described in detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in Figure 2, the nozzle 1 travels over the surface 6 to be cleaned, which is here a hard floor. The plurality of support elements 10 of the nozzle 1, i.e., the travel wheel 19 and the sealing element 20, abut against the surface 6, which are the bristle elements. The support element 10 is extended to form a plane 9, which is also tangent to the contact area 11 of the sensor 5. The reset element 8 corresponding to the sensor 5 applies an opposite force to the sensor 5. The first reset element 8 (left side in the figure) helps to rotate the sensor 5 counterclockwise, and the second reset element 8 (right side in the figure) helps to rotate the sensor 5 clockwise. The restoring forces of the resetting elements 8 are of equal size and thus cancel each other such that the sensor 5 is in the neutral position of the figure in the absence of other forces in the direction of rotation or in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation. . The neutral position of the sensor 5 corresponds to the hard floor position of the nozzle 1, in which the suction channel 4 is separated from the surface 6 to be cleaned to prevent the surface 6 from being damaged, in particular, to prevent scratches on the surface. In this neutral position, the nozzle 1 contacts the surface 6 only through the travel wheel 19, the sealing element 20 and the contact area 11 of the sensor 5.

When the user pushes the suction cleaning device 2 from the hard floor to the carpet floor, the suction nozzle 1 changes position as shown in FIG. On the carpet floor, the bristles 12 of the sensor 5 are embedded between the fibers of the carpet floor such that when the nozzle 1 moves over the surface 6, the sensor 5 is subjected to a greater friction than the hard floor. As shown in Fig. 3, this frictional force exceeds the restoring force of the resetting element 8 provided on the right side of the figure, so that the sensor 5 is deflected counterclockwise about the axis 21. The restoring force of the reset element is less than the friction of the sensor 5 on the surface 6, such that the sensor 5 maintains the deflected position during travel of the nozzle 1 on the carpet floor. The restoring force of the reset element 8 can here for example be 10 Newtons. Surface 6 The frictional force with the sensor 5 is, for example, 12 Newtons, thereby forming the deflection position of the sensor 5 as shown.

The sensor 5 is coupled to an actuator (not shown) that is triggered by the motion of the sensor 5 to initiate displacement of the suction channel 4. Through this displacement, the suction port 3 projects from the housing 7 of the nozzle 1 to reach the surface 6. The sealing element 20 is separated from the surface 6 during which the sensor 5 and the travel wheel 19 remain in contact with the surface 6. The nozzle 1 maintains the illustrated carpet floor position when the friction between the sensor 5 and the surface 6 remains constant or is greater than the restoring force of the reset element 8. However, when the nozzle 1 moves again on the hard floor, causing the friction between the sensor 5 and the surface 6 to decrease, the resetting element 8 can cause the sensor 5 to move back toward the neutral position, wherein The suction channel 4 is also retracted into the housing 7.

1‧‧‧ nozzle

3‧‧ ‧ suction port

4‧‧‧sucking channel

5‧‧‧Sensor

6‧‧‧ (to be cleaned) surface

7‧‧‧Shell

8‧‧‧Reset components

9‧‧‧ plane

10‧‧‧Support components

11‧‧‧(Sensor) contact area

12‧‧‧ bristles

14‧‧‧Inhalation pipe joint

19‧‧‧Migration wheel

20‧‧‧Sealing components

21‧‧‧ axis

Claims (9)

A nozzle for a suction cleaning device, the nozzle (1) having a suction port (3) and a suction for connecting the suction port (3) with a fan of the suction cleaning device (2) a channel (4), wherein the nozzle (1) has a sensor (5) movably supported on the casing (7) of the nozzle (1) to detect a surface to be cleaned (6) a type, and wherein the suction channel (4) can be displaced relative to the surface (6) according to the detection result of the sensor (5), in particular, the position of the self-hardening floor is displaced to the carpet floor position. Or vice versa, characterized in that the conventional use position of the nozzle (1) is referenced, the sensor (5) is always in contact with the surface (6) without being affected by the type of the surface (6), And it can move depending on the friction between the surface (6) and the sensor (5). The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the sensor (5) is tangent to a plane (9) or forms part of a plane (9) which is thereby at least two of the nozzles (1) The support element (10) which is in contact with the surface to be cleaned (6) is used to extend, in particular, by the travel wheel (19) and/or the sealing element (20). The nozzle of claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor (5) is movably or deflectably supported on the housing (7) of the nozzle (1). A nozzle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact zone (11) of the sensor (5) contacting the surface (6) has bristles (12). A nozzle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor (5) corresponds to at least one reset element (8), in particular a resilient element, the restoring force of which contributes to the sensor (5) Transfer to a neutral position, which is preferably equivalent to a hard floor position. The nozzle of claim 5, wherein the restoring force of the resetting element (8) is greater than the friction generated by the sensor (5) on the hard floor due to the movement of the nozzle on the surface to be cleaned The rubbing force is less than the friction of the sensor (5) on the carpet floor. The nozzle of claim 5 or 6, wherein the resetting element (8) has a restoring force of less than 16 Newtons, preferably between 5 Newtons and 10 Newtons. A nozzle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor (5) is mechanically or electromechanically connected to an actuator for displacing the suction channel (4). A suction cleaning device, in particular a household vacuum cleaner, having the nozzle (1) of any of the preceding claims.