CLEANER HEAD FOR A VACUUM CLEANER

• US 20160183749A1
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: ISLEY, David Andrew, MCVEY, Thomas Michael, COURTNEY, Stephen Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 10,004,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/00 Brushes with driven brush bodies or carrierspower-driven toothbrushes A61C17/16
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/02 Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/04 with driven brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0422 driven by the rotation of the supporting wheels on which the nozzle travels over the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/068 Nozzles combined with a different cleaning side, e.g. duplex nozzles or dual purpose nozzles

Abstract

A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner including an agitator in the form of a brush bar, the brush bar including a plurality of radially extending bristles and a sealing material disposed between the bristles. The sealing material extends over substantially the entire circumferential and axial extent of the regions of the brush bar between the bristles. The cleaner head further includes a housing defining a chamber which at least partially surrounds the brush bar, a dirty air inlet in a lower part of the chamber and a front opening that exposes the brush bar at the front of the housing. The brush bar is supported for rotation with respect to the housing and arranged in the chamber such that the brush bar seals against the housing thereby restricting flow of air through the front opening.

Claims

1. A cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

an agitator in the form of a brush bar, the brush bar comprising a plurality of radially extending bristles and a sealing material disposed between the bristles, the sealing material extending over substantially the entire circumferential and axial extent of the regions of the brush bar between the bristles;

a housing defining a chamber which at least partially surrounds the brush bar, a dirty air inlet in a lower part of the chamber and a front opening that exposes the brush bar at the front of the housing, the brush bar being supported for rotation with respect to the housing and arranged in the chamber such that the brush bar seals against the housing thereby restricting flow of air through the front opening.

2. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the sealing material is a deformable material.

3. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the brush bar substantially occludes the front opening.

4. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the radial extent of the bristles is equal to the radial extent of the sealing material.

5. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the radial extent of the bristles is greater than the radial extent of the sealing material.

6. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the cleaner head is provided with a support for supporting the cleaner head on a surface being cleaned, the brush bar being arranged such that, in use, the bristles contact the surface being cleaned.

7. The cleaner head of claim 6, wherein the bristles extend below the support.

8. The cleaner head of claim 6, wherein the sealing material is arranged such that, in use, the sealing material is spaced away from the surface being cleaned by the support.

9. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the front opening is defined by an upper front edge and opposing side edges of the housing.

10. The cleaner head of claim 9, wherein the upper front edge is above the rotational axis of the brush bar.

11. The cleaner head of claim 9, wherein the upper front edge is below the top of the brush bar.

12. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the front opening extends in a plane which is forward of the longitudinal axis of the brush bar.

13. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the brush bar protrudes through the front opening.

14. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein a top portion of the housing extends forwardly over the top of the brush bar to form a guard that prevents debris from being flung upwardly by the brush bar away from the housing.

15. The cleaner head of claim 14, wherein the sealing material seals against an inner surface of the front portion of the housing.

16. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the bristles are arranged in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally with respect to the brush bar.

17. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the sealing material comprises a tufted material.

18. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the bristles comprise carbon fibre bristles having a stiffness which is greater than the stiffness of the sealing material in a radial direction.

19. The cleaner head of claim 1, wherein the cleaner head further comprises a rear roller.

20. A vacuum cleaner comprising the cleaner head of claim 1.

21. (canceled)

22. A brush bar comprising a plurality of radially extending bristles and a sealing material disposed between the bristles, the sealing material extending over substantially the entire circumferential and axial extent of the regions of the brush bar between the bristles.

23. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the sealing material is a deformable material.

24. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the radial extent of the bristles is equal to the radial extent of the sealing material.

25. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the radial extent of the bristles is greater than the radial extent of the sealing material.

26. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the sealing material comprises a tufted material.

27. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the sealing material has a surface resistivity in the range from 1×

10⁵ Ω

/sq to 1×

10¹² Ω

/sq.

28. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the bristles comprise carbon fibre bristles having a stiffness which is greater than the stiffness of the sealing material in a radial direction.

29. The brush bar of claim 28, wherein the carbon fibre bristles have a surface resistivity between 1×

10³ Ω

/sq and 1×

10⁶ Ω

/sq.

30. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the diameter of each bristle is not greater than 10 μ

m.

31. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the bristles are arranged in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally with respect to the brush bar.

32. The brush bar of claim 31, wherein the width of each row is not greater than 5 mm.

33. The brush bar of claim 31, wherein the rows of bristles are arranged in a generally helical configuration extending around, or partially around, the brush bar.

34. The brush bar of claim 31, where the bristle density of the bristles is not less than 10,000 bristles per 10 mm in length.

35. The brush bar of claim 22, wherein the length of each bristle is between 4 mm and 8 mm.

36. (canceled)