CN113710135A

CN113710135A - Surface cleaning device with an energy storage member and a charger for the energy storage member

Info

Publication number: CN113710135A
Application number: CN202080029123.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: W·E·康拉德
Original assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc
Current assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc
Priority date: 2019-02-20
Filing date: 2020-02-07
Publication date: 2021-11-26
Also published as: WO2020168415A1; GB202111944D0; GB2595178A; GB2595178B

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a floor cleaning unit and a portable surface cleaning unit. The floor cleaning unit comprises: a surface cleaning head; an upper section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; a charger having an energy storage member; and an air flow path extending from the dirty air inlet to the floor cleaning unit air outlet. The portable surface cleaning unit is connectable to the floor cleaning unit and includes a portable surface cleaning unit air inlet connectable in airflow communication with the floor cleaning unit air outlet, a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle, and a capacitor. When fully charged, the stored power stored by the energy storage means is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice.

Description

Surface cleaning device with an energy storage member and a charger for the energy storage member

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of surface cleaning apparatuses operable by an energy storage member, chargers for energy storage members and surface cleaning apparatuses having an on-board charger for energy storage members.

Background

The following does not constitute an admission that any of the matter discussed below is part of the prior art or part of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art.

Various types of surface cleaning apparatus are known, including upright surface cleaning apparatuses, canister surface cleaning apparatuses, stick surface cleaning apparatuses, central vacuum systems, and hand-held surface cleaning apparatuses, such as hand-held vacuum cleaners. Further, various designs of cyclonic hand-held vacuum cleaners are known in the art, including battery-operated cyclonic hand-held vacuum cleaners.

Battery operated vacuum cleaners are well known. For example, Best (US 7,377,007) discloses an upright vacuum cleaner having a detachable vacuum module, which may have an on-board battery. A charger may be provided in the surface cleaning head or the removable vacuum module. Thus, when an onboard battery needs to be recharged, an onboard charger can be used to recharge the battery. Alternatively, a battery charger may be provided in the docking station and charge the battery when the upright vacuum cleaner is placed in the docking station.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is intended to introduce the reader to the following more detailed description, rather than to limit or define any claimed or non-claimed invention. One or more inventions may reside in any combination or subcombination of elements or process steps disclosed in any portion of this document, including the claims and drawings thereof.

In accordance with a first aspect which may be used by itself or with any one or more of the other aspects described herein, an energy storage member charger, such as a battery charger, may have its own on-board energy storage member. Thus, when another energy storage member external to the charger (e.g. an energy storage member for a surface cleaning apparatus) needs to be charged, the energy storage member in the charger may be used to charge the energy storage member of the surface cleaning apparatus by itself or while drawing power from a stationary power source such as a domestic power outlet, for example. The energy storage member of the energy storage member charger may contain sufficient charge to charge the external energy storage member at least twice and optionally 3 times, 4 times, 5 times, 6 times or more. Using a charger with an on-board energy storage member, a user may recharge the energy storage member of the surface cleaning apparatus at a rate of 2C, 3C, 4C, 5C, 6C, or higher.

In particular embodiments of this aspect, the energy storage member of the portable surface cleaning apparatus comprises or consists of one or more capacitors, such as a supercapacitor.

The advantage of this design is that the user can clean the whole home without any interruptions or with fewer and/or shorter interruptions. For example, current household upright or stick vacuum cleaners may require 6-8 hours or more to fully recharge the battery pack. Thus, once the battery pack is depleted, the user may have to wait overnight to complete home cleaning. In contrast, according to this design, the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a floor cleaning module and a portable surface cleaning unit (e.g. a lift access module or a hand-held vacuum cleaner) with an on-board energy storage means. A user may use the portable surface cleaning unit to clean a portion of a home (e.g., furniture). The portable surface cleaning unit may be mounted on the floor cleaning unit once the portion is cleaned or when the on-board energy storage member is exhausted. The floor cleaning unit may then be operated by means of power drawn from a domestic power outlet (e.g. the surface cleaning apparatus may have an electrical cord). The energy storage member of the portable surface cleaning unit may be recharged in any desired time range, for example, 1-15 minutes, 2-12 minutes, 3-10 minutes, 4-7 minutes, about 5 minutes, or less than 15 minutes, when the user cleans the floor. Thus, when the user needs to use the portable surface cleaning unit again, the energy storage member of the portable surface cleaning unit may already be fully charged. Thus, this aspect allows a user to continuously use the surface cleaning apparatus in a floor cleaning mode and an above-floor cleaning mode.

According to this aspect, there is provided a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

(i) a surface cleaning head having a front end with a dirty air inlet, a rear end and a centre located intermediate the front end and the rear end;

(ii) an upper section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position;

(iii) a charger having an energy storage member; and

(iv) an air flow path extending from the dirty air inlet to a floor cleaning unit air outlet; and

(b) a portable surface cleaning unit connectable to the floor cleaning unit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a portable surface cleaning unit air inlet connectable in airflow communication with the floor cleaning unit air outlet, a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor,

wherein the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice when fully charged.

In any embodiment, the suction motor may not be able to operate directly from the power supplied by the energy storage member.

In any embodiment, the suction motor may only be operable by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

(b) The surface cleaning apparatus may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source, and the suction motor may be operable by power supplied from the capacitor and power supplied from the stationary power source.

In any embodiment, the energy storage member may be provided in the surface cleaning head and optionally in front of the surface cleaning head (e.g. at a location in front of the portable surface cleaning unit, such as adjacent the dirty air inlet).

In any embodiment, the energy storage member may have a center of gravity, and the center of gravity may be positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head.

In any embodiment, the floor cleaning unit may further comprise a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

In any embodiment, the charger may be operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 4C or at least 6C.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may comprise a supercapacitor.

In any embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

In any embodiment, the portable cleaning unit may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source. The cord may be removably connectable with the portable cleaning unit.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may be removably mounted in the portable surface cleaning unit.

In any embodiment, the portable surface cleaning unit may comprise a hand-held vacuum cleaner, and the upper section may comprise a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end,

wherein the lower end of the rigid airflow conduit is movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between the upright storage position and the rearwardly-inclined floor cleaning position, and

wherein said hand-held vacuum cleaner is connectable to said upper end of said rigid airflow conduit,

whereby when the hand-held vacuum cleaner is connected to the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit, the handle is a steering handle for the vacuum cleaner.

In accordance with another aspect which may be used alone or with any one or more of the other aspects described herein, a surface cleaning apparatus includes a floor cleaning module and a portable surface cleaning unit having an on-board energy storage member which optionally includes or consists of one or more capacitors such as an ultracapacitor. The surface cleaning head is provided with a charger whereby the on-board energy storage member can be charged at a rate of 2C, 3C, 4C, 5C, 6C or higher. As previously discussed, an advantage of this aspect is that a user may continuously or more continuously clean a home without having to shut down when the onboard energy storage member is being recharged.

According to this aspect, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

(i) a surface cleaning head having a front end with a dirty air inlet, a rear end, a center positioned intermediate the front end and the rear end, and a charger;

(ii) an upper section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and

(iii) an air flow path extending from the dirty air inlet to a floor cleaning unit air outlet; and

(b) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the upper section, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor,

wherein the portable surface cleaning unit is rechargeable when mounted to the floor cleaning unit, and

wherein the capacitor can be recharged at a rate of at least 4C.

In any embodiment, the suction motor may only be operable by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

In any embodiment, the energy storage member may have a center of gravity, and the center of gravity is positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head. The center of gravity may be located at the forward end of the surface cleaning head.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may comprise a supercapacitor.

In any embodiment, the portable cleaning unit may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

In any embodiment, the stored power stored by the energy storage member may be sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice.

According to this aspect, there is also provided a vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

wherein the energy storage member has a center of gravity and the center of gravity is positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head.

In any embodiment, the suction motor may only be operable by:

(c) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

(d) The surface cleaning apparatus may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source, and the suction motor may be operable by power supplied from the capacitor and power supplied from the stationary power source.

In any embodiment, the center of gravity may be located at the front end of the surface cleaning head.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may comprise a supercapacitor.

In such a surface cleaning apparatus, the portable cleaning unit may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source. The suction motor may only be operable by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

In any embodiment, the stored power stored by the energy storage member may be sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least two times or at least three times.

In accordance with another aspect which may be used alone or with any one or more of the other aspects described herein, the charger may be remote from the surface cleaning apparatus. An advantage of this design is that the surface cleaning apparatus can be lighter. This may be preferred for elderly or physically handicapped persons. In particular, such a design may be used for embodiments where the charger includes a thermally cooled member.

According to this aspect, there is provided a surface cleaning apparatus kit comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(i) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head and a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and

(ii) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the rigid airflow conduit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor; and

(b) a charger positionable remotely from the surface cleaning apparatus and electrically connectable to a stationary power source,

wherein the capacitor recharges at a rate of at least 4C when the capacitor is electrically connected with the charger.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may comprise a supercapacitor.

In any embodiment, the charger may be operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 6C.

In any embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus kit may further comprise a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may be removably mounted to the portable surface cleaning unit.

In any embodiment, the cord may be removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

In any embodiment, the portable cleaning unit may further comprise a cord connectable to the charger. The cord may be removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

According to this aspect, there is also provided a surface cleaning apparatus kit comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(ii) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the rigid airflow conduit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor;

(b) a charger positionable remotely from the surface cleaning apparatus and electrically connectable to a stationary power source; and

(c) a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may comprise a supercapacitor.

In any embodiment, the thermal cooling unit may comprise a liquid heat sink.

In any embodiment, the portable cleaning unit may further comprise an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source. The cord may be removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

As discussed with respect to the previous aspects, the user may use any of the aspects described herein for continuous or more continuous cleaning. Accordingly, there is provided a method of cleaning a surface using a stick-type vacuum cleaner, the stick-type vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

(i) a surface cleaning head having a front end and a rear end, the front end having a dirty air inlet;

(ii) a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and

(iii) an airflow path extending from the dirty air inlet to a rigid airflow duct air outlet; and

(b) a handheld vacuum cleaner removably mounted to the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit, the handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle, and a capacitor,

the method comprises the following steps:

(a) removing the handheld vacuum cleaner from the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit and cleaning a surface using the portable cleaning unit;

(b) subsequently mounting the hand-held vacuum cleaner on the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit and cleaning the floor using the stick vacuum cleaner for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor has been at least substantially recharged; and

(c) the hand-held vacuum cleaner is then removed from the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit and a surface is cleaned using the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

In any embodiment, step (b) may comprise cleaning the floor using the stick vacuum cleaner for up to 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, 120 minutes, 11 minutes, 12 minutes, 13 minutes, 14 minutes, or 15 minutes while the capacitor has been substantially or fully recharged.

In any embodiment, the floor cleaning unit can further comprise a charger having an energy storage member, wherein when fully charged, the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice, and step (b) can comprise recharging the capacitor using the energy storage member.

There is also provided a method of cleaning a surface using a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head and a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and

(b) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the rigid airflow conduit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor,

the method comprises the following steps:

(a) removing the portable cleaning unit from the floor cleaning unit and cleaning a surface using the portable cleaning unit;

(b) subsequently mounting the portable cleaning unit on the floor cleaning unit and cleaning the floor using the surface cleaning apparatus for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor has been at least substantially recharged; and

(c) the portable cleaning unit is then removed from the floor cleaning unit and used to clean a surface.

The method may be performed using a stick type vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head;

(b) a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end movably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and

(c) a handheld vacuum cleaner removably mounted to the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit, the handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle, a capacitor and an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source,

wherein the handle is a steering handle for the vacuum cleaner when the portable surface cleaning unit is mounted to the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit.

In any embodiment, the cord may be removably connected with the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may be removably mounted to the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

In any embodiment, the capacitor may be a supercapacitor.

It should be understood that one or more of these aspects may be used with external, home, self-powered appliances, such as power tools, kitchen appliances, personal appliances, and the like.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the embodiments and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portable surface cleaning unit of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the portable surface cleaning unit of FIG. 3 with the energy storage member removed;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the energy storage member and charger of FIG. 7;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

figure 10 is a perspective view of a portable surface cleaning unit connected to a stationary power source by a power cable according to an embodiment;

fig. 11 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

figure 12 is a perspective view of a portable surface cleaning unit disconnected from a power cable according to an embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus having a floor cleaning unit connected to a stationary power source by a power cable, according to an embodiment;

fig. 14 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

figure 15 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus having a floor cleaning unit connected to a charger by a power cable according to an embodiment;

fig. 16 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

fig. 17 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

18-20 are schematic diagrams of an energy storage member, a thermal cooling unit, and a charger, according to various embodiments;

fig. 21 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of cleaning with a surface cleaning apparatus, according to an embodiment;

fig. 22 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment;

fig. 23 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment; and

fig. 24 is a schematic view of a surface cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Many embodiments are described in this application and are presented for purposes of illustration only. The described embodiments are not intended to be limiting in any sense. The present invention is broadly applicable to many embodiments, as will be apparent from the disclosure herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be practiced with modifications and alterations without departing from the teachings disclosed herein. Although a particular feature of the invention may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures, it should be understood that such feature is not limited to use in the one or more particular embodiments or figures referenced when describing the feature.

The terms "an embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments" and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention", unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "comprise," "include," and variations thereof mean "including, but not limited to," unless expressly specified otherwise. The list of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an", and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

As used herein and in the claims, two or more components are said to be "coupled," "connected," "attached," "engaged," "attached," or "fastened" whenever there is a link, where the components are joined together or operate together either directly or indirectly (i.e., through one or more intermediate components). As used herein and in the claims, two or more components are referred to as being "directly coupled," "directly connected," "directly attached," "directly engaged," "directly attached," or "directly fastened" in the following instances: the components are connected in physical contact with each other. As used herein, two or more components are referred to in the following as "rigidly coupled", "rigidly connected", "rigidly attached", "rigidly engaged", "rigidly attached", or "rigidly secured": the components are coupled to move as a unit while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other. The terms "coupled," "connected," "attached," "engaged," "attached," and "fastened" do not distinguish the manner in which two or more components are joined together.

Further, although method steps may be described in a sequential order (in this disclosure and/or in the claims), such methods may be configured to work in an alternating order. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in the order described. The steps of the methods described herein may be performed in any order that is practicable. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.

Some elements herein may be identified by a part number that is preceded by a base followed by a letter or a subscript numeric suffix (e.g., 112a or 112 a)₁) And (4) forming. Multiple elements herein may be identified by part numbers that share a common base and differ in their suffix (e.g., 112)₁、112₂And 112₃). All elements having a common base may be referred to collectively or generically using a base without a suffix (e.g., 112).

General description of hand-held vacuum cleaners

Referring to fig. 1-6, an exemplary embodiment of a surface cleaning apparatus is shown generally at 100. The following is a general discussion of the device 100 that provides a basis for understanding several features discussed herein. As discussed subsequently, in this or other embodiments disclosed herein, each of the features can be used alone or in any particular combination or sub-combination.

The surface cleaning apparatus 100 may be any type of surface cleaning apparatus including, for example, a stick vacuum cleaner as shown in fig. 1, an upright vacuum cleaner as shown in fig. 5, a canister vacuum cleaner, an extractor, or a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. Optionally, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 may use one or more cyclones and may therefore be a cyclonic surface cleaning apparatus.

In fig. 1-6, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is shown to include a floor cleaning unit 104 and a portable surface cleaning unit 108 connectable to the floor cleaning unit 104. The floor cleaning unit 104 may include a surface cleaning head 112 adapted to clean a floor. The portable surface cleaning unit 108 may include an air treatment member 116. Surface cleaning apparatus 100 may comprise an upright configuration (also referred to as a 'floor cleaning configuration', see fig. 1 and 5) in which portable surface cleaning unit 108 is mounted to floor cleaning unit 104, and dirty air entering surface cleaning head 112 flows downstream to portable surface cleaning unit 108 where it is cleaned by air treatment member 116. Surface cleaning apparatus 100 may also include a 'portable cleaning configuration' (also referred to as a 'hand-held configuration' or 'above-the-floor cleaning configuration', see fig. 3 and 6) in which portable surface cleaning unit 108 is separated from floor cleaning unit 104 in order to clean above-the-floor surfaces and surfaces that are not normally reachable or amenable to cleaning by surface cleaning head 112, for example.

In the embodiment of fig. 1-4, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is illustrated as a stick vacuum cleaner, which may also be referred to as a "stick vacuum cleaner". As used herein and in the claims, a stick-type vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that: wherein portable surface cleaning unit 108 is a hand-held vacuum cleaner, which may also be referred to as a "hand-held vacuum cleaner" or a "hand-held vacuum cleaner". As used herein and in the claims, a hand-held vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that can be operated, typically with one hand, to clean a surface. That is, the entire weight of the hand-held vacuum cleaner can be held by the same hand used for guiding the dirty air inlet of the hand-held vacuum cleaner relative to the surface to be cleaned. For example, the handle 120 and the dirty air inlet 124 may be rigidly coupled (directly or indirectly) to one another, such as integrally formed or separately molded and then non-removably secured together, such as by adhesive or welding, so as to move as a unit while maintaining a constant orientation relative to one another. This is in contrast to canister and upright vacuum cleaners, the weight of which is typically supported by a surface (e.g., a floor) during use.

In the embodiment of fig. 5-6, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is shown as a convertible upright vacuum cleaner in which the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is a 'hoist' pod that can be hand-held by the handle 120 in a portable cleaning configuration. In contrast to hand-held vacuum cleaners, the hoisted pods typically use flexible hoses to deliver air for treatment to air inlets provided in the hoisted pod housing. As shown, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may include a dirty air inlet 124 located upstream of the flexible hose 128. For example, the dirty air inlet 124 may be located at an upstream end of a rigid conduit 132 (e.g., a rod). A user may manipulate the rigid conduit 132 to position the dirty air inlet 124 on or near a surface to be cleaned (e.g., an above-floor surface). Optionally, the rigid catheter 132 may include a handle 136 for a user to grasp when manipulating the rigid catheter 132.

Referring again to fig. 1-6, the floor cleaning unit 104 may include a surface cleaning head 112, an upper section 140, a dirty air inlet 144, an air outlet 148, and an airflow path 152 extending from the dirty air inlet 144 to the air outlet 148. As shown, surface cleaning head 112 may include a front end 156 opposite a rear end 160,

opposite sides

164 and 168, and a lower end 172 opposite an upper end 176. The dirty air inlet 144 may be located on the lower end 172. For example, the dirty air inlet 144 may be disposed at the forward end 156. Alternatively or additionally, the dirty air inlet may be provided at the aft end 160 or intermediate the forward end 156 and the aft end 160.

The upper section 140 may be movably mounted to the surface cleaning head 112 in a manner that allows the upper section 140 to move between an upright storage position (e.g., fig. 1) and a tilted floor cleaning position (e.g., fig. 5). For example, the upper section 140 may have a swivel connection with the surface cleaning head 112 that allows the upper section 140 to rotate between an upright storage position and a tilted floor cleaning position.

As shown in fig. 1-4, portable surface cleaning unit 108 is a hand-held vacuum cleaner, and in fig. 5-6, portable surface cleaning unit 108 is a suspended pod. Accordingly, the following description of the apparatus 100 and portable surface cleaning unit 108 makes frequent reference to the figures showing embodiments in which the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is illustrated as being similar to the hand-held vacuum cleaner of figures 1-4. For clarity and brevity and to avoid repetition, the description may not refer to a pattern of hoisted pods having a similar appearance to the embodiment of fig. 5-6. However, it is expressly contemplated and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the features described with reference to a handheld vacuum cleaner similar to the embodiment of fig. 1-4 are also applicable, mutatis mutandis, to embodiments having a hoisted pod similar to fig. 5-6, unless expressly specified otherwise.

Referring to fig. 3-4, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 includes a main body 180 having an air treatment member 116 (which may be permanently attached to the main body or may be removed from the main body for emptying), a dirty air inlet 124, a clean air outlet 184, and an airflow path 188 extending between the dirty air inlet 124 and the clean air outlet 184.

The portable surface cleaning unit 108 has a front end 192, a rear end 196, an upper end (also referred to as a top) 204, and a lower end (also referred to as a bottom) 208. In the illustrated embodiment, the dirty air inlet 124 is located at an upper portion of the forward end 192, while the clean air outlet 184 is located at the rearward end 196. It should be understood that dirty air inlet 124 and clean air outlet 184 may be located at different locations of portable surface cleaning unit 108. For example, fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which the clean air outlet 184 is located at the forward end 192.

Turning to fig. 4, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may include a suction motor 212 to generate vacuum suction through the airflow path 188. The suction motor 212 may be positioned within a motor housing 216. The suction motor 212 may be a fan-motor assembly that includes a motor and impeller blades. In the illustrated embodiment, the suction motor 212 is positioned in the airflow path 188 downstream of the air treatment component 116. In this configuration, the suction motor 212 may be referred to as a "clean air motor". Alternatively, the suction motor 212 may be positioned upstream of the air treatment member 116, and referred to as a "dirty air motor".

The air treatment member 116 is configured to remove dirt particles and other debris from the airflow. In the illustrated example, the air treatment member 116 comprises a cyclone assembly (also referred to as a "cyclone bin assembly") having a single cyclonic cleaning stage with a single cyclone 220 and a dirt collection chamber 224 (also referred to as a "dirt collection region", "dirt collection bin", "dirt bin" or "dirt chamber"). The cyclone 220 has a cyclone chamber 228, a cyclone air inlet 232 and a cyclone air outlet 236. The dirt collection chamber 224 may be external to the cyclone chamber 228 (i.e., the space of the dirt collection chamber 224 may be separate from the space of the cyclone chamber 228). The cyclone 220 and dirt collection chamber 224 may be of any configuration suitable for separating dirt from the airflow and collecting the separated dirt, respectively, and may communicate through the dirt outlet of the cyclone chamber.

In an alternative embodiment, the air treatment member 116 may comprise a cyclone assembly having two or more cyclonic cleaning stages arranged in series with one another. Each cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise one or more cyclones arranged in parallel with one another and one or more dirt collection chambers of any suitable configuration. The dirt collection chamber may be external to the cyclone chamber of the cyclone. Alternatively, one or more (or all) of the dirt collection chambers may be internal to one or more (or all) of the cyclone chambers. For example, the internal dirt collection chamber may be configured as a dirt collection region within the cyclone chamber.

In other embodiments, the air treatment component 116 may not include a cyclonic cleaning stage. For example, the air treatment member 116 may comprise a bag, a porous physical filter media (e.g., foam or felt), one or more screens, or other air treatment device.

Referring to fig. 4, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may include a pre-motor filter 240 disposed in the airflow path 188 downstream of the air treatment member 116 and upstream of the suction motor 212. Pre-motor filter 240 may be formed from any suitable physical porous filter media (also referred to as "porous filter material"). For example, the pre-motor filter 240 may be one or more of a foam filter, felt filter, HEPA filter, or other physical filtration media. In some embodiments, the pre-motor filter 240 may comprise an electrostatic filter or the like. As shown, the pre-motor filter 240 may be located in a pre-motor filter housing 244 external to the air treatment member 116.

In the illustrated embodiment, the dirty air inlet 124 is an inlet end 252 of the air inlet conduit 248. Optionally, the inlet end 252 of the air inlet conduit 248 may be used as a nozzle for directly cleaning a surface. Alternatively or in addition to serving as a nozzle, the air inlet conduit 248 may be connected (e.g., directly connected) to the downstream end of any suitable auxiliary tool, such as a rigid airflow conduit (e.g., above-the-floor cleaning pole), crevice tool, mini-brush, or the like. As shown, the dirty air inlet 124 may be, but need not be, positioned in front of the air treatment member 116.

In the embodiment of fig. 4, the air treatment member comprises a cyclone 220, the air treatment air inlet is a cyclone air inlet 232, and the air treatment member air outlet is a cyclone air outlet 236. Thus, when operating in the portable cleaning configuration, the suction motor 212 may be activated to draw dirty air into the portable surface cleaning unit 108 through the dirty air inlet 124. Dirty air is directed along the air inlet conduit 248 to the cyclone air inlet 232. As shown, the cyclone air inlet 232 may direct the dirty airflow into the cyclone chamber 228 in a tangential direction to promote cyclonic action. As the dirty airflow travels from the cyclone air inlet 232 to the cyclone air outlet 236, dirt particles and other debris may be de-entrained (i.e., separated) from the dirty airflow. The de-entrained dirt particles and debris can be discharged from the cyclone chamber 228 through the dirt outlet into a dirt collection chamber 224 outside the cyclone chamber 228 where they can be collected and stored until the dirt collection chamber 224 is emptied.

Air exiting the cyclone chamber 228 may pass through an outlet passage 256 located upstream of the cyclone air outlet 236. The cyclone chamber outlet passage 256 may also act as a vortex finder to promote cyclonic flow within the cyclone chamber 228. In some embodiments, the cyclone outlet passage 256 may include a screen 260 (also referred to as a shroud) (e.g., a fine mesh screen) located in the airflow path 188 for removing large dirt particles and debris, such as hair, remaining in the exiting airflow.

The airflow may be directed from the cyclone air outlet 236 into the pre-motor filter housing 244. The airflow may pass through the pre-motor filter 240 and then exit the pre-motor filter housing 244 into the motor housing 216. At the motor housing 216, a flow of clean air may be drawn into the suction motor 212 and then discharged from the portable surface cleaning unit 108 through the clean air outlet 184. Before exiting the clean air outlet 184, the treated air may pass through a post-motor filter, which may be one or more layers of filter media.

Referring to fig. 1-4, in the upright configuration (fig. 1), the dirty air inlet 124 of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is fluidly connected to the air outlet 148 of the floor cleaning unit 104, whereby the airflow path 188 of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is downstream of the airflow path 152 of the floor cleaning unit 104. In operation, dirty air enters the dirty air inlet 144 of the floor cleaning unit 104, travels along the airflow path 152 to the air outlet 148, and then enters the portable surface cleaning unit 108 at the dirty air inlet 124. As described above in connection with the portable cleaning arrangement, the dirty airflow moves from the dirty air inlet 124 through the portable surface cleaning unit 108.

Referring to fig. 1-2, the upper section 140 of the floor cleaning unit 104 may include a rigid airflow conduit 132. The rigid gas flow conduit 132 includes a conduit upper end 264 downstream of a conduit lower end 268. The conduit lower end 268 is movably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position. The portable surface cleaning unit 108 may be connected to the conduit upper end 264. As shown, this allows the handle 120 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 108 to be used as a steering handle for the stick vacuum cleaner 100.

Fast charging capacitor

One trend in wireless vacuum cleaners is to provide longer run times in one charge. For example, some wireless vacuum cleaners may run continuously for 30 minutes or more before recharging. However, such vacuum cleaners require large, expensive, and bulky batteries. In use, this makes these vacuum cleaners difficult to carry, both in size and weight. Furthermore, it can take a long time to fully recharge a high capacity battery, and the battery often degrades and needs to be replaced during the operating life of the vacuum cleaner. The cost of replacing the battery is a significant expense to the user.

In some embodiments disclosed herein, a surface cleaning apparatus includes a portable surface cleaning unit equipped with an energy storage member having one or more capacitors. The capacitor can be recharged much faster and with a longer service life (measured as charge cycles) than rechargeable batteries (e.g., lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries, nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, or lithium batteries). For battery powered vacuum cleaners, it is important that the conventional design concept is to have a longer run time to reduce the instances in which recharging during the cleaning session is necessary, as recharging may take several hours (e.g., 4-8 hours), which can be disruptive to a user who wishes to end the cleaning session in a timely manner. In contrast, with a capacitor powered portable cleaning unit, interruption of the need to recharge in a link can be minimal, as it may only take a few seconds to a few minutes to recharge. Thus, a capacitor powered portable surface cleaning unit may contain a relatively small energy storage capacity, as avoiding recharging in a link is not a priority. As a result, capacitor-powered portable surface cleaning units may have relatively small and light on-board energy storage members (one or more capacitors) compared to high capacity battery packs. This may allow the capacitor powered portable surface cleaning unit to be smaller and lighter overall without affecting performance or user experience. Furthermore, the longer lifetime of the capacitor (typically 100 million charging cycles or more) means that the capacitor will not typically need to be replaced during the operational lifetime of the portable surface cleaning unit.

The features in this section may be used alone in any surface cleaning apparatus or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features described herein.

For convenience, reference herein to "a capacitor" means "one or more capacitors" unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., "a single capacitor"). Similarly, reference herein to "a battery" means "one or more batteries" unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., "a single battery").

Referring to fig. 4, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is shown as containing an energy storage member 272. The energy storage member 272 may include a capacitor 276. For example, the capacitor 276 may be the only significant energy storage in the energy storage member 272, or the energy storage member 272 may further comprise a battery. Some or all of the power consuming components of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may be powered by the capacitor 276. For example, at least the suction motor 212 may be powered by a capacitor 276. In some embodiments, some or all of the power consuming elements of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may be exclusively powered by the capacitor 276. For example, in some embodiments, at least the suction motor 212 may be exclusively powered by the capacitor 276.

The capacitor 276 can be any capacitor suitable for supplying the power required to operate at least the suction motor 212. For example, the capacitor 276 may be a super capacitor (also referred to as a super capacitor or gold capacitor (Goldcap)). Supercapacitors have a significantly higher energy density (per unit mass and per unit volume) compared to electrolytic capacitors. Types of supercapacitors include Electrostatic Double Layer Capacitors (EDLCs), electrochemical pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors that store charge electrostatically and electrochemically. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may use only a single capacitor 276 or optionally, for example, 2, 3, or 4 capacitors 276.

The capacitor 276 may be recharged by power from a power source external to the portable surface cleaning unit 108. 7-8 show examples of this: wherein the energy storage member 272 is removable from the portable surface cleaning unit 108 for electrical connection to an external charger 280. The external charger 280 may be powered by an electrical connection to a fixed power source 284 (e.g., mains). An advantage of this design is that the external charger 280 also reduces the size and weight of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 compared to including the charger 280 within the portable surface cleaning unit 108. Further, such a design may not require the portable surface cleaning unit 108 to have a power cord or power cord connector, which may also reduce the size and weight of the portable surface cleaning unit 108 all else being equal. It should be appreciated that if the capacitor is charged quickly (e.g., 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, or 5 minutes), the user may be able to brew a cup of coffee or make a brief phone call and then return to continue with the cleaning operation using the more fully recharged capacitor 276.

An additional advantage of this design is that the design may allow a user to replace a discharged energy storage member 272 with a charged energy storage member 272 that is already stored on the charger 280.

Alternatively or in addition to the energy storage member 272 being removable for recharging, the energy storage member 272 may be recharged in situ without being removed from the portable surface cleaning unit 108. For example, fig. 9-10 show embodiments in which the portable surface cleaning unit 108 includes a power cable 288 for transmitting power from the stationary power source 284 toward the energy storage member 272. An advantage of the non-removable energy storage member 272 is that it may not require a separate housing for user handling and transportation because it is permanently housed within the body 180. Further, the non-removable energy storage member 272 may not require hardware to support the easy removal and insertion of the energy storage member 272 by a user. This can make the energy storage member 272 smaller and lighter, all else being equal.

According to an alternative exemplary embodiment of fig. 9-10, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 includes a charger 280 located within the main body 180. An advantage of this design is that it may make it more convenient to connect the portable surface cleaning unit 108 to the stationary power supply 284, since there is no need to relocate an external charger to the selected stationary power supply 284.

Fig. 11 shows an alternative embodiment in which the energy storage member 272 can be recharged in situ by a wired connection with an external charger 280 without being removed from the portable surface cleaning unit 108. An advantage of this design is that all things being equal, the design can reduce the size and weight of portable surface cleaning unit 108 compared to including charger 280 within portable surface cleaning unit 108.

In an alternative embodiment where the energy storage member 272 can be recharged in situ without being removed from the portable surface cleaning unit 108, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 itself can be inserted into the charger 280.

The energy storage member 272 may have sufficient energy capacity to power at least the suction motor 212 (or all of the power consuming components of the portable surface cleaning unit 108) for at least 3 minutes (e.g., 3 to 15 minutes). For example, the energy storage member 272 having a capacity of at least 5Wh may provide 100W of power to the suction motor 212 for at least 3 minutes. As noted above, in some embodiments, all of the energy storage may be provided by capacitor 276. A running time of 3 to 5 minutes may be sufficient for short-term cleaning sessions, such as cleaning bread crumbs on sofas, cleaning dirt around flowerpots, or cleaning grain spilled by children.

The energy storage member 272 can be recharged quickly if the task is large and requires more operating time than the energy storage member 272 can provide. For example, the charger 280 (whether external or internal to the portable surface cleaning unit 108) may be configured to recharge the capacitor 276 at a rate of at least 2C, 3C, or 4C (e.g., at least 6C, such as 4C to 10C or 6C to 10C). This may allow the capacitor 276 to be fully recharged in seconds or minutes, as compared to hours in the case of many batteries.

Returning to fig. 10, in some embodiments, the power cable 288 may be permanently connected to the portable surface cleaning unit 108. An advantage of this design is that it may not require the portable surface cleaning unit 108 to have hardware to support the removable connection, and the design may make it more convenient to connect the portable surface cleaning unit 108 to the stationary power supply 284 such that a separate power cable 288 need not be relocated to the selected power supply 284. Figure 12 shows an alternative embodiment in which a power cable 288 is removably connected to the portable surface cleaning unit 108. For example, the power cable 288 may be connected to the portable surface cleaning unit 108 only when used to recharge the energy storage member 272. An advantage of this design is that the user is not required to carry the weight of the power cable 288 when the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is not required to be connected to the stationary power source 284 (e.g., when no longer charging).

In the upright configurationRechargeable capacitor

In some embodiments, the portable surface cleaning unit is configured to be connected to a floor cleaning unit. For example, the capacitor of the portable surface cleaning unit may be recharged when the surface cleaning apparatus is operated in an upright configuration. This design has several advantages. First, this design can mitigate the dead halt of the capacitor of the portable surface cleaning unit when disconnected from the floor cleaning unit when used in the portable cleaning configuration. Second, such a design may allow cleaning to continue in an upright configuration if the portable surface cleaning unit is depleted in power in the portable surface cleaning mode. For example, if the capacitor of the portable surface cleaning unit is depleted while cleaning the above-floor surface, the user may connect the portable surface cleaning unit to the floor cleaning unit and resume cleaning the floor surface while the capacitor is recharged. Third, such a design may allow the capacitor to be recharged when the portable surface cleaning unit is connected to the floor cleaning unit in the storage mode. This reduces misplacement of the floor cleaning unit compared to designs that require the portable surface cleaning unit to be disconnected from the floor cleaning unit for recharging.

Reference is now made to fig. 13-14. As shown, the floor cleaning unit 104 may contain a charger 280. For example, charger 280 may be located in surface cleaning head 112, as shown, or in upper section 140. When the charger 280 is connected to a power source and the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is connected to the floor cleaning unit 104, the charger 280 may recharge the energy storage member 272 (containing at least the capacitor 276). In the illustrated example, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is connected to the floor cleaning unit 104 in an upright configuration. Thus, the energy storage member 272 can be recharged when the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is in the storage position and/or the inclined floor cleaning position.

Embodiments in which the energy storage member 272 can be recharged when the device 100 is in an inclined floor cleaning position can allow a user to continue cleaning without interruption when the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is depleted of power in the portable cleaning configuration. The fast charge rate of the capacitor 276 means that the capacitor 276 can be fully recharged in a short period of time and thus allows the user to return to the portable cleaning configuration after only being in the upright configuration for a short period of time.

In some embodiments, the suction motor 212 may be powered solely (i.e., exclusively) by (i) the energy storage member 272 (e.g., when in the portable cleaning configuration) or (ii) by a fixed power source (e.g., mains power, when in the upright cleaning configuration). As shown, when in the upright cleaning configuration, the charger 280 may be electrically connected to the stationary power supply 284 by a power cable 288. The power cable 288 may have a length suitable to allow the surface cleaning apparatus 100 to be used to clean a floor in an upright configuration while connected to the stationary power source 284. For example, the power cable 288 may be at least 10-15 feet long.

The power cable 288 may be permanently connected to the floor cleaning unit 104. For example, surface cleaning apparatus 100 may need to be electrically connected to stationary power supply 284 when in an upright configuration. This may encourage the user to schedule their cleaning routine to allow the energy storage member 272 to be recharged between short periods of use in the portable cleaning configuration.

Alternatively, the power cable 288 may be removably connected to the floor cleaning unit 104. This allows the surface cleaning apparatus 100 to operate wirelessly when in the upright configuration, even if only for a short duration depending on the power capacity of the energy storage member 272. For example, this may allow the surface cleaning apparatus 100 to be used in an upright configuration to clean a floor (e.g., in an unfinished basement) that has no power outlets within a certain range thereof.

Figure 15 shows an embodiment in which the charger 280 is located outside of the floor cleaning unit 104. This may reduce the size and weight of the floor cleaning unit 104 compared to designs having the charger 280 inside the floor cleaning unit 104.

Floor cleaning unit comprising an energy storage member

In some embodiments, the floor cleaning unit may comprise an energy storage member. The energy storage member may have sufficient power capacity to fully recharge the capacitor of the portable surface cleaning unit several times. This enables a continuous wireless cleaning session by the surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the cleaning session comprises two or more iterations of: (i) cleaning with the portable cleaning unit in the portable cleaning configuration, and (ii) recharging the portable cleaning unit while cleaning in the upright cleaning configuration. The floor cleaning unit can include a relatively inexpensive, rechargeable energy storage member (e.g., lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, or lithium) having an energy storage capacity several times greater than the capacitor of the portable surface cleaning unit. Although providing a rechargeable energy storage member in the floor cleaning unit (optionally, the surface cleaning head) increases the weight of the floor cleaning unit, this increased weight is supported by the floor being cleaned and can also help stabilize the surface cleaning apparatus 100 by lowering the centre of gravity when in the storage configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the increased weight may provide the weight required to help maintain the dirty air inlet of the surface cleaning head at a desired distance from the floor being cleaned.

Referring to fig. 16, the floor cleaning unit 104 may include an energy storage member 292. The floor cleaning unit 104 may also include a charger 280, as shown. The charger 280 may include one or more charging circuits for one or more of:

(i) supplying power from a fixed power source (i.e., through power cable 288) to energy storage member 292;

(ii) supplying power from the floor cleaning unit energy storage member 292 to the portable surface cleaning unit energy storage member 272; and

(iii) power is supplied to the energy storage member 272 from a fixed power source (i.e., through the power cable 288).

The energy storage member 292 may be any device suitable for supplying electrical power for fully recharging the energy storage member 272 once or several times. For example, the energy storage member 292 may comprise a battery and/or a capacitor that collectively have an energy storage capacity sufficient to recharge the energy storage member 272 (or at least the capacitor 276) two or more times (e.g., three or more times, or six or more times).

In some embodiments, when the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is connected to the floor cleaning unit 104 and the floor cleaning unit 104 is disconnected from an external power source (e.g., the power cable 288 is disconnected from mains power and/or from the floor cleaning unit 104), the energy storage member 272 is charged by the charger 280 with power from the energy storage member 292. In this case, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 may be operated in an inclined floor cleaning position to clean the floor while the energy storage member 272 is charged. After a short period of time (e.g., 15 minutes or less), the energy storage member 272 will have been substantially or fully recharged, and the portable surface cleaning unit 108 can be removed for use again in the portable cleaning configuration.

The suction motor 212 may be exclusively powered by the energy storage member 272 when the energy storage member 272 is being charged by the charger 280 with power supplied by the energy storage member 292. An advantage of this design is that the design does not require the portable surface cleaning unit 108 to include circuitry that is capable of electrically reconfiguring the suction motor 212 to receive power directly from the energy storage member 292 and/or enabling the suction motor 212 to receive power directly from the energy storage member 292. Further, such a design does not require that the energy storage member 292 be capable of discharging at a rate sufficient to supply (i) recharging of the energy storage member 272 and (ii) powering the suction motor 212.

Alternatively, the suction motor 212 may be powered exclusively by the energy storage member 292 when the energy storage member 272 is being charged by the charger 280 with power supplied by the energy storage member 292. An advantage of this design is that the design may reduce or stop the discharge of the energy storage member 272 so that the energy storage member 272 may more quickly achieve a substantially or complete charge for use in the portable cleaning configuration.

Alternatively, the suction motor 212 may be powered by the

energy storage members

272, 292 together when the energy storage member 272 is being charged by the charger 280 with power supplied by the energy storage member 292.

In some embodiments, when the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is connected to the floor cleaning unit 104 and the floor cleaning unit 104 is connected to an external power source (e.g., power cable 288 is connected to the mains and the floor cleaning unit 104), one or more of the following may occur simultaneously:

(i) the energy storage member 272 may be charged by the charger 280 with power from the energy storage member 292 and/or power from an external power source;

(ii) the energy storage member 292 may be charged by the charger 280 using power from an external power source; and

(iii) the suction motor 212 may be powered by energy from the energy storage member 272 and/or the energy storage member 292 and/or an external power source.

An advantage of partially or completely powering the suction motor 212 from an external power source in this case is that it can reduce or stop the discharge of energy resulting from the

energy storage member

272, 292 powering the suction motor 212 so that the

energy storage member

272, 292 can be substantially or completely recharged more quickly. Once the

energy storage members

272, 292 have achieved a substantially or full charge, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 may again be used in a cordless configuration (e.g., the power cable 288 may be disconnected from the mains and/or disconnected from the floor cleaning unit 104).

Reference is now made to fig. 17. Alternatively or in addition to providing the charger 280 in the floor cleaning unit 104₁In addition, the floor cleaning unit 104 can be connected to an external charger 280₂. For example, internal charger 280₁May be configured with a charging circuit for transferring power from the energy storage member 292 to the energy storage member 272, and the external charger 280₂May be configured with a power storage member for transferring power from an external power source (e.g., utility power)292. And the inclusion of a charger 280 within the floor cleaning unit 104₁And 280₂Such a design may reduce the size and/or weight of the floor cleaning unit 104 as compared to a two (or single charger with two charger functions) design.

Referring to fig. 16-17, the energy storage member 292 can be located anywhere within the floor cleaning unit 104. For example, the energy storage member 292 may be located at (e.g., internal to, at a portion of, or attached to) the surface cleaning head 112 (as shown) or the upper section 140. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface cleaning head 112 has a center 304 intermediate the front end 156 and the rear end 160, and the energy storage member 292 has a center of gravity 296 located forward of the cleaning head center 304. An advantage of this design is that the energy storage member 292 can help move the center of gravity of the surface cleaning apparatus 100 forward, thereby helping to stabilize the surface cleaning apparatus 100 when in the storage position. For example, a more forward center of gravity of the apparatus 100 may mitigate tipping of the surface cleaning apparatus backwards when in the storage position.

Thermal cooling during charging and/or discharging

The rate at which the energy storage member can be charged without suffering damage or substantial degradation may be limited by the amount of heat generated during charging. When the energy storage member for the appliance is charged, the heat generated may raise the temperature of the energy storage member to dangerous or damaging levels. In some embodiments, a thermal cooling unit is provided that directly or indirectly cools an appliance energy storage member during charging. This may help to keep the temperature of the energy storage member within safe limits when the energy storage member is charged quickly (e.g., at a rate of 4C or faster). If the charger is in a surface cleaning unit, the surface cleaning apparatus may include the charger and a thermal cooling unit. Alternatively, if the charger is remote, the charger may contain a thermal cooling unit. This thermal cooling unit may be referred to as an appliance energy storage member thermal cooling unit.

As discussed herein, the charger for charging the energy storage member may itself have an on-board energy storage member. The rate at which this onboard energy storage component can be discharged without suffering damage or substantial degradation may also be limited by the amount of heat generated during discharge. When the energy storage member is rapidly discharged, the heat generated may raise the temperature of the energy storage member to dangerous or damaging levels. In some embodiments, a thermal cooling unit is provided that directly or indirectly cools the charger energy storage member during discharge. This may help to keep the temperature of the energy storage member of the charger within safe limits when the charger is charging the energy storage member quickly (e.g., at a rate of 4C or faster). If the charger is in a surface cleaning unit, the surface cleaning apparatus may include the charger and a thermal cooling unit. Alternatively, if the charger is remote, the charger may contain a thermal cooling unit. This thermal cooling unit may be referred to as a charger energy storage member thermal cooling unit.

It should be understood that in some embodiments, the appliance energy storage member thermal cooling unit and the charger energy storage member thermal cooling unit may be the same thermal cooling unit.

Fig. 18-20 show various embodiments of a charger 280 electrically connected to the

energy storage member

272 or 292 and a thermal cooling unit 308 thermally connected to the

energy storage member

272, 292 to remove heat generated during the recharging of the

energy storage member

272 or 292 or the discharging of the energy storage member 292 to maintain the temperature of the

energy storage member

272, 292 within safe limits when the energy storage member 272 is rapidly charged or the energy storage member 292 is rapidly discharged.

It should be understood that the arrangement described herein including the thermal cooling unit 308 may be used in combination with the energy storage members 272 and/or 292 in any of the embodiments of the surface cleaning apparatus 100, floor cleaning unit 104, or portable surface cleaning unit 108 described elsewhere or shown in any of the figures. Further, the thermal cooling unit 308 may be included at a location where the energy storage member is used (e.g., in the portable surface cleaning unit 108) or where the energy storage member is recharged (e.g., in the portable surface cleaning unit 108 if charged in situ, or in the charger 280 if recharged externally of the appliance 100). For example, referring to fig. 22 and 23, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 may include a thermal cooling unit 308, as the energy storage member 272 may be recharged in situ. Alternatively or additionally, as illustrated in fig. 23, the surface cleaning head 112 may include a thermal cooling unit 308 to cool the energy storage member 292 as the energy storage member 292 is charged and/or discharged. In an alternative embodiment illustrated in fig. 24, the energy storage member 272 is recharged externally of the device 100. Thus, the remote charger 280 is provided with a thermal cooling unit 308 that may be used to cool the energy storage members 272 and/or 292 during charging and/or to cool the energy storage member 292 during discharging. It should be understood that the charger 280 may have a single thermal cooling unit 308 that is thermally connected to each of the

energy storage members

272, 292 when the

energy storage members

272, 292 are installed in the charger 280. Alternatively, a first thermal cooling unit 308 may be provided that is thermally connected to the energy storage member 272 when the energy storage member 272 is installed in the charger 280, and a second thermal cooling unit 308 may be provided that is thermally connected to the energy storage member 292 when the energy storage member 292 is installed in the charger 280.

Referring to fig. 18, in some embodiments, the thermal cooling unit 308 may include active cooling. Any active cooling means known in the art may be used. That is, the thermal cooling unit 308 may include a powered cooling element 312. An advantage of this design is that the cooling rate can be controlled by adjusting the power supplied to the cooling element 312. This may provide better control of the temperature of the

energy storage members

272, 292. The powered cooling element 312 may be any powered device that may be operated to remove heat from the

energy storage members

272, 292. For example, powered cooling element 312 may be a fan, a coolant circulation pump (e.g., the energy storage member or a housing that houses the energy storage member may contain a flow channel through which coolant may flow due to operation of the coolant circulation pump), or a Peltier cooler (Peltier cooler), as shown. As shown, the charger 280 may be configured to control the operation of the powered cooling element 312. For example, the charger 280 may contain a temperature sensor that provides a signal to a controller that in turn controls the speed of the fan 312 based on a signal from the sensor indicative of the temperature of the

energy storage members

272, 292.

Alternatively or in addition to the powered cooling element 312, the thermal cooling unit 308 may include a passive cooling element 316. The passive cooling element 316 may be an unpowered device that may effectively remove heat from the

energy storage members

272, 292 during charging. Fig. 19 shows an example of this: wherein the passive cooling element 316 is a heat sink (e.g., a metal heat sink, such as an aluminum heat sink). Fig. 20 shows an example of this: wherein passive cooling element 316 is a liquid heat sink.

In some embodiments, passive cooling element 316 may be configured to provide an enlarged surface area to promote natural convective cooling with ambient air. For example, the heat sink 316 in fig. 19 includes a plurality of fins 320 that collectively provide a large surface area for convective cooling. In use, the

energy storage members

272, 292 are positioned in thermal contact (e.g., abutting) with the heat sink 316, whereby heat from the

energy storage members

272, 292 is transferred into the heat sink 316 by conduction, and heat from the heat sink 316 is lost to the ambient air by convection.

Alternatively or in addition to promoting convective heat loss, the passive cooling element 316 may have a heat capacity sufficient to absorb heat generated as a result of one or several charges of the energy storage members 272, 292 (e.g., at least 2 charge cycles, at least 3 charge cycles, or at least 4 charge cycles) and/or rapid discharge of the energy storage member 292. For example, the passive cooling element 316 may contain a volume of material that maintains the

energy storage members

272, 292 below a target temperature after one or several charges of the absorbing

energy storage members

272, 292. In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 19, the heat sink 316 may be constructed of a sufficient volume of metal (e.g., aluminum) to achieve this effect. In fig. 20, the thermal cooling unit 308 is shown as containing a housing 324 that holds the

energy storage members

272, 292 in a volume of liquid 328 (e.g., mineral oil or other coolant). The liquid 328 may have a sufficient volume to maintain the temperature of the

energy storage members

272, 292 within safe limits after several charging cycles.

After the passive cooling element 316 absorbs heat generated by multiple charging cycles and the user completes his cleaning session, the passive cooling element 316 will passively cool back to room temperature while the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is stored (e.g., overnight). Once at room temperature, the passive cooling element 316 will again be able to absorb the heat generated by the multiple charging cycles.

In alternative embodiments, it should be understood that active cooling may also be provided to the passive cooling element 319 using any of the techniques disclosed herein.

Method of cleaning with a capacitor powered portable surface cleaning unit

Surface cleaning apparatuses operable in both an upright configuration and a portable cleaning configuration and having a portable surface cleaning unit that can be powered by a rapidly rechargeable energy storage member (e.g., a capacitor powered portable surface cleaning unit) can operate according to a new paradigm. While the conventional idea is that a handheld vacuum cleaner should have a maximum run time such that all surfaces requiring the use of the handheld vacuum cleaner can be cleaned in one continuous operation without recharging the handheld vacuum cleaner, embodiments disclosed herein facilitate several iterations of the cleaning cycle including: (i) cleaning in an upright configuration while the portable surface cleaning unit is charging, and (ii) cleaning in a portable cleaning configuration with the portable surface cleaning unit powered by, for example, its capacitor. This method of alternating between the upright configuration and the portable cleaning configuration reduces the energy storage capacity required for the portable surface cleaning unit. This means that the portable surface cleaning unit can have a smaller, lighter and possibly cheaper energy storage member. In order to achieve several complete charges of the portable surface cleaning unit in a single uninterrupted cleaning session, the energy storage means preferably uses a capacitor which enables a very fast charge.

It should be understood that in other embodiments, a rapidly rechargeable battery or battery pack may also be used. For example, if the run time of the handheld vacuum cleaner is short (e.g., 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, or 10 minutes), the handheld vacuum cleaner may have only one or a few (e.g., 2 or 3) batteries. In this case, the energy required to fully charge the battery is reduced compared to a conventional battery pack, which may have 6-7 batteries. Accordingly, less heat will be generated during fast recharging, and the handheld vacuum cleaner may accordingly contain a thermal cooling unit 308 that does not add too much weight to the handheld vacuum cleaner.

Referring to fig. 2 and 21, a method 400 of cleaning a surface using the surface cleaning apparatus 100 (e.g., a stick vacuum cleaner) is shown.

At 404, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 (e.g., the handheld vacuum cleaner 108) is removed from the floor cleaning unit 104. For example, the portable cleaning unit 108 may be disconnected from the rigid conduit upper end 264 to reconfigure the surface cleaning apparatus 100 to the portable cleaning configuration.

At 408, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is used to clean a surface in a portable cleaning configuration. For example, portable surface cleaning unit 108 may be used to clean surfaces that do not fit surface cleaning head 112, such as seats, counters, curtains, and ceilings. The portable surface cleaning unit 108 may be powered by a capacitor 276 (fig. 4).

At 412, the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is reinstalled on the floor cleaning unit 104. For example, the portable cleaning unit 108 can be reconnected to the rigid conduit upper end 264 to reconfigure the surface cleaning apparatus 100 to the upright configuration.

At 416, the surface cleaning apparatus 100 is used to clean a floor in an upright configuration while the portable surface cleaning unit 108 is being recharged. The capacitor 276 (fig. 4) may be recharged by an internal or external charger 280 using power from an external power source and/or another energy storage member 292, as described above in connection with fig. 9-17. The cleaning and recharging in step 416 may be for a period of time sufficient to substantially or completely recharge the capacitor 276 (fig. 4). For example, step 416 may last for up to 15 minutes, or up to 10 minutes, or up to 5 minutes, or up to 3 minutes, during which the capacitor 276 (fig. 4) may have been substantially recharged or fully recharged.

As shown, after step 416, the method 400 may return to step 404 and continue until the cleaning session is complete. Thus, the user may remove the portable cleaning unit 108 and use the portable cleaning unit in the portable cleaning unit configuration until the portable cleaning unit 108 needs to be recharged or until the cleaning job is complete.

While the above description provides examples of embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments may be susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the foregoing is intended to be illustrative of the present invention and is not limiting, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

The present specification also includes the subject matter of the following clause sets:

clause set a:

1. a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

wherein the capacitor can be recharged at a rate of at least 4C.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the suction motor is operable only by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

(b) The surface cleaning apparatus further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source, and the suction motor is operable by power supplied from the capacitor and power supplied from the stationary power source.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the energy storage member has a center of gravity, and the center of gravity is positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 3, wherein the center of gravity is located at the front end of the surface cleaning head.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the capacitor comprises an ultracapacitor.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the portable surface cleaning unit comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner, and the upper section comprises a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end,

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 6, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 7, wherein the suction motor is operable only by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 1, wherein the floor cleaning unit further comprises a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

11. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the suction motor is operable only by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the center of gravity is located at the front end of the surface cleaning head.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the capacitor comprises an ultracapacitor.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the portable surface cleaning unit comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner, and the upper section comprises a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end,

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 15, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 16, wherein the suction motor is operable only by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least three times.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of clause 11, wherein the floor cleaning unit further comprises a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

Clause set B:

1. a surface cleaning apparatus kit, comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

2. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, wherein the capacitor comprises an ultracapacitor.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, wherein the charger is operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 6C.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, further comprising a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, wherein the capacitor is removably mounted to the portable surface cleaning unit.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 6, wherein the cord is removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 1, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises a cord connectable to the charger.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 8, wherein the cord is removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

10. A surface cleaning apparatus kit, comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(ii) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the rigid airflow conduit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and an energy storage member;

(c) a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the energy storage member comprises a capacitor.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 11, wherein the capacitor comprises an ultracapacitor.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the charger is operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 6C.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the thermal cooling unit comprises a liquid heat sink.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the capacitor is removably mounted to the portable surface cleaning unit.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 16, wherein the cord is removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 10, wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises a cord connectable to the charger.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus kit of clause 18, wherein the cord is removably connectable with the portable surface cleaning unit.

Clause set C:

1. a method of cleaning a surface using a stick-type vacuum cleaner, the stick-type vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

the method comprises the following steps:

2. The method of clause 1, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the stick vacuum cleaner for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor has been fully recharged.

3. The method of clause 1, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the stick vacuum cleaner for up to 10 minutes while the capacitor has been at least substantially recharged.

4. The method of clause 1, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the stick vacuum cleaner for up to 10 minutes while the capacitor has been fully recharged.

5. The method of clause 1, wherein the floor cleaning unit further comprises a charger having an energy storage member, wherein when fully charged, the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice, and step (b) comprises recharging the capacitor using the energy storage member.

6. A method of cleaning a surface using a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

the method comprises the following steps:

7. The method of clause 6, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the surface cleaning apparatus for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor has been fully recharged.

8. The method of clause 6, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the surface cleaning apparatus for up to 10 minutes while the capacitor has been at least substantially recharged.

9. The method of clause 6, wherein step (b) comprises cleaning the floor using the surface cleaning apparatus for up to 10 minutes while the capacitor has been fully recharged.

10. The method of clause 6, wherein the floor cleaning unit further comprises a charger having an energy storage member, wherein when fully charged, the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least twice, and step (b) comprises recharging the capacitor using the energy storage member.

11. A stick-type vacuum cleaner, comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head;

12. The stick vacuum cleaner of clause 11, wherein the cord is removably connectable with the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

13. The stick-type vacuum cleaner of clause 11, wherein the capacitor is removably mounted to the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

14. The stick vacuum cleaner according to clause 11, wherein the capacitor is an ultracapacitor.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:

(iii) a charger having an energy storage member; and

2. Surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 in which the suction motor is not operable directly from the power supplied by the energy storage member.

3. Surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 in which the suction motor is only operable by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the energy storage member is disposed in the surface cleaning head.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the energy storage member has a center of gravity and the center of gravity is positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the floor cleaning unit further comprises a thermal cooling unit thermally connected to the charger.

7. Surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 in which the charger is operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 4C.

8. Surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 in which the charger is operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 6C.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitor comprises a supercapacitor.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the cord is removably connectable with the portable cleaning unit.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitor is removably mounted in the portable surface cleaning unit.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the portable surface cleaning unit comprises a hand-held vacuum cleaner and the upper section comprises a rigid airflow conduit having an upper end and a lower end,

wherein the hand-held vacuum cleaner is connectable to the upper end of the rigid airflow conduit,

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the portable cleaning unit further comprises an electrical cord connectable to a stationary power source.

16. Surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 15 in which the suction motor is only operable by:

(a) electric power supplied from the capacitor, or

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the energy storage member is disposed in the surface cleaning head.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein the energy storage member has a center of gravity and the center of gravity is positioned forward of the center of the surface cleaning head.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the charger is operable to recharge the capacitor at a rate of at least 4C.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the stored power stored by the energy storage member is sufficient to recharge the capacitor at least three times.