EP3051993B1

EP3051993B1 - Nozzle for a vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP3051993B1
Application number: EP13773242.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emy VOSS
Original assignee: Electrolux AB
Current assignee: Electrolux AB
Priority date: 2013-10-04
Filing date: 2013-10-04
Publication date: 2019-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 2033-10-04
Also published as: CN105592766B; WO2015049011A1; EP3051993A1; CN105592766A; KR102180432B1; KR20160067884A

Description

The present invention relates generally to the field of vacuum cleaners. More specifically, the present invention is related to a vacuum cleaner nozzle with a lighting device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A vacuum cleaner is a device that uses a suction force generated by a fan unit to create a partial vacuum to suck up objects like dust, particles, fibres, hair etc. usually from floors and carpets. Typically this is done with a vacuum cleaner nozzle, which is connected via a nozzle outlet to an extension tube and/or a suction hose to a dust compartment within the body of the vacuum cleaner. The suction hose is normally engaged with a removable dust bag arranged inside the dust compartment for collecting dust and foreign materials that are sucked in through the vacuum cleaner nozzle when the vacuum cleaner is in an operative mode. Thus, the dust laden air stream forwards the removed objects, via the hose, to the body of the vacuum cleaner in which the removed objects are separated from the air stream in the dust bag. Alternatively, dust can be separated from the dust laden air stream using a cyclone or other suitable dust separating unit.
US Patent Application US 2006/0096057 A1 discloses an illumination accessory assembly for vacuum cleaner including a transparent extension having a first end capable of releasable connection to a vacuum cleaner hose and having a distal vacuum cavity intake end. A LED is positioned so the LED illumination transverses the transparent extension medium and exits the distal end and walls of the transparent extension. The LED illumination provides the operator an illuminated clear line of sight around and through the transparent extension of the area to be cleaned and illuminates the contents in the initial vacuum cavity of the transparent extension for improved operator cleaning efficiency.
US Patent Application US 2008/301899 A1 discloses a nozzle with a lighting device for illuminating an area.
US Patent US6256833 B1 discloses an upright vacuum cleaner with a lightning device.
GB Patent application GB2456418 A discloses a vacuum cleaner nozzle with a lightning device, preferably LED:s emitting light in the ultraviolet spectrum is used.
A drawback of known vacuum cleaners comprising a lighting device is that the lighting device has to be manually activated and deactivated which clearly worsen the usability of the vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements of existing vacuum cleaners comprising lighting devices in order to increase the usability of the vacuum cleaner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of embodiments of the invention to provide for an improved nozzle for a vacuum cleaner and a vacuum cleaner with an improved usability. The objective is solved by the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims. If not explicitly indicated otherwise, embodiments of the invention can be freely combined with each other.
The invention is intended for battery powered vacuum cleaners as well as mains-operated vacuum cleaners. The invention can be used in a canister vacuum cleaner, upright vacuum cleaner, or stick vacuum cleaner. It could also be used in a robotic vacuum cleaner.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a nozzle for vacuum cleaners comprising a housing with a suction channel, a lighting device configured to illuminate an adjacent area to be cleaned and switching means for activating said lighting device, wherein the nozzle comprises sensing means adapted to determine a measurement value at the nozzle and the switching means coupled to said sensing means are adapted to automatically activate the lighting device if the measurement value is above a predefined threshold value.
Thereby, the nozzle is adapted to activate the lighting device automatically based on the sensed measurement value.
According to preferred embodiments, the nozzle and the vacuum cleaner body are electrically decoupled. In other words, the nozzle comprises no means for electric coupling of the lighting device to the vacuum cleaner body, i.e. there is no wired or wireless electrical connection between the nozzle and the vacuum cleaner body. Thereby, the technical configuration of the vacuum cleaner nozzle and the interface between the vacuum cleaner nozzle and the hose, respectively, the vacuum cleaner body is simplified. The vacuum cleaner nozzle is adapted to autarkically, respectively, automatically perform the switching and operation of the lighting device, i.e. without any operational connection to the vacuum cleaner body. Thereby, also an upgrade of a vacuum cleaner with a nozzle according to the invention is possible.
According to preferred embodiments, the switching means are adapted to activate the lighting device when the vacuum cleaner is turned on and adapted to deactivate the lighting device when the vacuum cleaner is turned off. Thereby an effective switching of the lighting device is achieved and electrical power can be saved because the lighting device is automatically switched off when the vacuum cleaner is turned off.
According to preferred embodiments, the sensing means are constituted by a pressure sensor adapted to measure the vacuum within the suction channel of the nozzle. In operative mode of the vacuum cleaner, vacuum is generated within the suction channel of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. Thereby, by sensing the vacuum level within the suction channel the operational status of the vacuum cleaner can be determined. If the vacuum level within the suction channel exceeds a predefined threshold value, the lighting device may be switched on.
According to preferred embodiments, the sensing means are constituted by an airflow sensor adapted to measure the airflow within the suction channel of the nozzle. In operative mode of the vacuum cleaner, an airflow is generated within the suction channel of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. Thereby, by sensing the airflow level within the suction channel the operational status of the vacuum cleaner can be determined. If the airflow level within the suction channel exceeds a predefined threshold value, the lighting device may be switched on.
According to preferred embodiments, the sensing means and the switching means are constituted by a single sensing and switching element. Preferably, the sensing means comprises a moveable element which is adapted to be moved in dependency to the value to be measured. Said movement may simultaneously be used for switching an electrical contact. Thereby, the movable element of the sensing means also constitutes the switching element of the switching means. Thereby, the technical configuration of the vacuum cleaner nozzle can be simplified.
According to preferred embodiments, the lighting device is electrically coupled with an electrical circuit adapted to suppress flicker of the lighting device due to fluctuations of the vacuum and/or air flow within the suction channel of the nozzle. The electrical circuit may be a filter and delay circuit with at least one capacitor for providing electrical power to the lighting device independent of short-time discontinuities of the electrical power supply due to undesirable switching characteristics.
According to preferred embodiments, the lighting device is constituted by at least one light emitting diode (LED). Advantageously, light emitting diodes comprise a long life time and are extremely energy-efficient. Thereby, even if the lighting device is battery-powered, the life period of the batteries is extremely long.
According to preferred embodiments, the lighting device is integrated in the housing of the nozzle. If the lighting device is battery-powered, the housing of the vacuum cleaner nozzle comprises a battery compartment for receiving the batteries.
According to a second aspect, the invention refers to a vacuum cleaner comprising a nozzle according to any one of the preceding embodiments.
According to a third aspect, the invention refers to a method for activating a lighting device of a vacuum cleaner nozzle, the nozzle comprising a housing with a suction channel and switching means for activating said lighting device, wherein the lighting device is configured to illuminate an adjacent area to be cleaned, wherein a measurement value is determined at the nozzle by means of sensing means and the lighting device is activated by means of the switching means, if the measurement value is above a predefined threshold value.
According to preferred embodiments, the lighting device is activated automatically when the vacuum cleaner is turned on and deactivated automatically when the vacuum cleaner is turned off.
Preferably, the vacuum within the suction channel of the nozzle is measured by the sensing means.
The term "essentially" or "approximately" as used in the invention means deviations from the exact value by +/- 10%, preferably by +/- 5% and/or deviations in the form of changes that are insignificant for the function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various aspects of the invention, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: shows a sectional view of a vacuum cleaner nozzle according to the invention;
Fig. 2: shows a vacuum cleaner of canister type;
Fig. 3: shows a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner nozzle according to the invention; and
Fig. 4: shows a sectional view of a pressure switch used for activating the lighting device of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. However, this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout the following description similar reference numerals have been used to denote similar elements, parts, items or features, when applicable.
Fig. 1 shows a vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 for a vacuum cleaner 100, specifically adapted to a vacuum cleaner 100 of canister type. The vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 is adapted to connect to a vacuum cleaner 100 to clean by vacuuming debris (e.g. by suction) from an area, surface and/or object. For example, the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 can include a vacuum inlet 1.1 adapted to receive the debris. In addition, the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 can include a vacuum outlet 1.2 in fluid communication with the vacuum inlet 1.1 via a suction channel 3. The vacuum outlet 1.2 can be adapted to removably connect to a hose 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100 (see FIG. 2) to thereby transfer the debris to a storage unit (e.g., a vacuum bag or canister, not shown) within a vacuum cleaner body 110 of the vacuum cleaner 100. The vacuum outlet 1.2 can connect to the hose 120 in any manner that provides a fluid communication between the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 and the vacuum cleaner 100. It is to be appreciated that vacuum cleaner 100 can be of any type, such as, for example, an upright, canister, central vacuum or stick. The vacuum cleaner 100 may be battery operated or mains operated. It could also be used in a robotic vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 100 can be adapted to receive any type of gas, liquids, and/or solids, such as, for example, air, debris, and/or water.
As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 3, the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 further comprises a lighting device 4 for illuminating an adjacent area to be cleaned. The lighting device may comprise at least one light source configured to emit light if activated. Preferably, the at least one light source is a light emitting diode (LED). The lighting device 4 may be an integral part of the housing 2 located at the top of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1. The lighting device 4 may be adapted to illuminate the area in front of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1. Furthermore, the lighting device 4 may be adapted to at least partly illuminate an area left and/or right to the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1.
For activating the lighting device 4, switching means 6 are provided. Said switching means 6 are adapted to provide a switchable electrical coupling of the lighting device 4 to an electrical power supply. Said electrical power supply may be constituted by at least one battery which is preferably located in a battery compartment 8 of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1.
Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 comprises sensing means 5 for determining at least one measurement value at the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1. Said sensing means 5 are coupled with said switching means 6 in order to activate or deactivate the lighting device 4 dependent on the magnitude of the sensed measurement value. Specifically, the switching means 6 are adapted to automatically activate the lighting device 4, if the magnitude of the measurement value is above a predefined threshold value.
Preferably, the magnitude of the sensed measurement value is dependent on the switching status of the vacuum cleaner 100. For example, the measurement value may be the pressure or the airflow within the suction channel 3, the noise level surrounding the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 or a combination of said measurement values. Therefore, by determining at least one measurement value it is possible to determine the switching status of the vacuum cleaner 100 and depending on said switching status activate or deactivate the lighting device 4. Preferably, the interconnection of the switching means 6 and the sensing means 5 are configured such, that the lighting device 4 is activated whenever the vacuum cleaner 100 is activated. By measuring the at least one measurement value and determining based on said measurement value, if the vacuum cleaner 100 is powered, any kind of coupling means between the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1 and the vacuum cleaner body 110 can be avoided. In addition, the lighting device 4 does not need to be activated by the user of the vacuum cleaner 100, which enhances the usability of the vacuum cleaner 100.
Fig. 4 shows a pressure switch 10 to be used for automatically activating the lighting device 4. Said pressure switch 10 combines the sensing means 5 and the switching means 6 in one integrated element. The pressure switch 10 comprises a housing 11, which comprises at least a first chamber 12. The first chamber is at least partly confined by a reversible deformable membrane 13. The first chamber 12 further comprises at least one opening 12.1 to be coupled with the suction channel 3 in order to apply vacuum to the first chamber 12. Said vacuum inside the first chamber 12 is generated by the suction force within the suction channel 3.
In addition, the membrane 13 is mechanically coupled with an electrically conductive element 14. According to the present embodiment, the electrically conductive element 14 is placed at the upper side of the membrane 13. When applying a vacuum to the first chamber 12, the membrane 13 is deformed. The pressure switch 10 further comprises two electrical contacts 15a, 15b arranged at the distance to each other and therefore having no electrical contact to each other. The electrically conductive element 14 may be located at a distance to the electrical contacts 15a, 15b if no vacuum is applied to the first chamber 12. There may be spring 16 keeping the electrically conductive element 14 at the distance to the electrical contacts 15a, 15b. For example, the first free end of the spring 16 may rest against the housing 11 and the opposite, second free end may rest against the electrically conductive element 14. If vacuum is applied to the first chamber 12 and the vacuum value exceeds a threshold value (essentially determined by the spring force and the flexibility of the membrane 13), the electrically conductive element 14 gets in touch with the electrical contacts 15a, 15b. Thereby, the electrical contacts 15a, 15b are electrically conductive coupled.
If the vacuum within the first chamber 12 decreases and falls below the threshold value, the spring force and/or the elastic restoring force of the membrane 13 is higher than the force applied to the membrane 13 due to the vacuum inside the first chamber 12. Therefore, the electrically conductive element 14 is getting spaced to the electrical contacts 15a, 15b and there is no electrically conductive connection between said electrical contacts 15a, 15b anymore. Thereby, the lighting device 4 is automatically activated or deactivated based on the suction force within the suction channel 3 of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1.
The pressure switch 10 shown in fig. 4 comprises the sensing means 5 as well as the switching means 6. The sensing means 5 are constituted by the first chamber 12 and the elastic membrane 13. The switching means 6 are constituted by the electrically conductive element 14 and the electrical contacts 15a, 15b.
Notwithstanding the embodiment of the sensing and switching means 5, 6 described above in connection with the fig. 4, the sensing means may be also constituted by an airflow sensor detecting the airflow through the suction channel 3 or a noise sensor detecting the noise level in the area of the vacuum cleaner nozzle 1. Also combinations of upper mentioned sensing means 5 are possible in order to enhance the switching behavior of the lighting device 4.
In order to avoid any flicker of the lighting device 4 due to temporary variations of the measurement value, for example variations of the vacuum or airflow within the suction channel, the lighting device 4 may be electrically coupled with an electrical circuit 4.1 adapted to provide a constant switching status independent of short-time fluctuations of the measurement value. Specifically, the electrical circuit 4.1 may be a filter and delay circuit providing at least one capacitor in order to compensate short-time discontinuities of the electrical power supply due undesirable switching characteristics. Thereby, momentary breakdowns of the lighting device 4 can be avoided.

List of reference numerals

1: nozzle
1.1: vacuum inlet
1.2: vacuum outlet
2: housing
3: suction channel
4: lighting device
4.1: electrical circuit
5: sensing means
6: switching means
8: battery compartment

10: pressure switch
11: housing
12: first chamber
12.1: opening
13: membrane
14: conductive element
15a: electrical contact
15b: electrical contact
16: spring

100: vacuum cleaner
110: vacuum cleaner body
120: hose

Claims

Nozzle (1) for vacuum cleaners (100) comprising a housing (2) with a suction channel (3), a lighting device (4) configured to illuminate an adjacent area to be cleaned and switching means (6) for activating said lighting device (4),
characterised in that,
the nozzle (1) comprises sensing means (5) adapted to determine a measurement value at the nozzle (1) and the switching means (6) coupled to said sensing means (5) are adapted to automatically activate the lighting device (4), if the measurement value is above a predefined threshold value.
Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle (1) and the vacuum cleaner body (110) are electrically decoupled.
Nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switching means (6) are adapted to activate the lighting device (4) when the vacuum cleaner (100) is turned on and adapted to deactivate the lighting device (4) when the vacuum cleaner (100) is turned off.
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the sensing means (5) are constituted by a pressure sensor adapted to measure the vacuum within the suction channel (3) of the nozzle (1).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the sensing means (5) are constituted by an airflow sensor adapted to measure the airflow within the suction channel (3) of the nozzle (1).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the sensing means (5) and the switching means (6) are constituted by a single sensing and switching element (7).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the lighting device (4) is electrically coupled with an electrical circuit (4.1) adapted to suppress flicker of the lighting device (4) due to fluctuations of the vacuum and/or air flow within the suction channel (3) of the nozzle (1).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the lighting device (4) is constituted by at least one light emitting diode (LED).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the lighting device (4) is integrated in the housing (2) of the nozzle (1).
Nozzle according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the lighting device (4) is battery-powered.
Nozzle according to claim 10, comprising at least one battery compartment (8) for receiving the batteries.
Vacuum cleaner comprising a nozzle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1-11.
Method for activating a lighting device (4) of a vacuum cleaner nozzle (1), the nozzle (1) comprising a housing (2) with a suction channel (3) and switching means (6) for activating said lighting device (4), wherein the lighting device (4) is configured to illuminate an adjacent area to be cleaned,
characterised in that,
a measurement value is determined at the nozzle (1) by means of sensing means (5) and the lighting device (4) is activated by means of the switching means (6), if the measurement value is above a predefined threshold value.
Method according to claim 13, wherein the lighting device (4) is activated automatically when the vacuum cleaner is turned on and deactivated automatically when the vacuum cleaner is turned off.
Method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the vacuum within the suction channel (3) of the nozzle (1) is measured by the sensing means (5).