Self-propelled vacuum cleaner having forward and reverse drive

• US 5,285,550 A
• Filed: 04/20/1992
• Issued: 02/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Scott Fetzer Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: The Scott Fetzer Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Meyer, Robert B., Lackner, John R., Matuschek, Hans J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/871,021
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 15/340.2, 15/329, 15/328, 180/19.3, 192/48.1, 192/48.9, 192/48.91, 192/49
• US Class Current: 15/328
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0073 Measuring a force

Abstract

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a transmission assembly that selectively drives the vacuum cleaner in both forward and reverse directions. The transmission arrangement includes a first stage of speed reduction in the coupling of a drive motor and a transmission input shaft interconnected by sprockets and a primary drive belt. A pinion on the input shaft drives one of a pair of meshed counter-rotating gears. A clutch/sprocket is associated with each of the counter-rotating gears and a belt couples both of these clutch/sprockets to a common sprocket which through associated elements drives the wheels of the appliance. The input pinion, counter-rotating gears, respective clutch/sprockets and common output sprocket all rotate about axes parallel to the motor shaft. An actuating mechanism selectively energizes one or the other of the clutch/sprockets for forward or reverse propulsion of the appliance.

Claims

1. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a wheel supported housing and a reversible drive system in the housing, the drive system comprisin an input pinion and a pair of constantly meshed counter-rotating gears, the input pinion being in driving engagement with one of said gears, said counter-rotating gears each being supported for rotation about a respective axis parallel to the axis of the other, a sprocket associated with each gear to form a set, means supporting each sprocket in confronting relation to a respective gear, clutching surfaces for each gear and sprocket set, a common sprocket supported for rotation about an axis parallel to said gear axes, a belt trained around both of said associated sprockets and said common sprocket, an output shaft operatively connected to said common sprocket and adapted to drive the wheels of the device in forward or reverse rotation as determined by the rotational direction of the sprockets, and clutch actuation means responsive to a manually developed force applied in a first direction to at least a selected one of the gear and sprocket of one set to clutch the one set of said gears and sprockets together through their respective clutching surfaces to drive said sprockets in a first rotary direction and applied in a direction opposed to said first direction to at least a selected one of the gear and sprocket of the other set to clutch the other set of said gears and sprockets together through their respective clutching surfaces to drive said sprockets in a second rotary direction.

2. A vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 1, wherein said common sprocket is associated with a bevel gear, a second bevel gear meshing with said first mentioned bevel gear being assembled on the wheel shaft.

3. A vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 1, including overload clutch means operatively connected to said output shaft and including components which transmit driving force when the vacuum cleaner is in operation and are relatively moveable under excessive torque conditions, thereby preventing the application of such excessive torque to said output shaft.

4. A vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 1 further comprising an upright handle for use in an upright mode, a portable handle for use in a portable mode, and, structure integral with said portable handle for preventing activation of said drive system during use in said portable mode.

5. For use in a power assisted sweeper having a handle for operator control and floor wheels for traversing a surface to be cleaned, a drive system improvement responsive to handle manipulation comprising:

a) a transmission having a selectively driven rotatable output element;

b) a drivable wheel shaft connected to at least one of the wheels for transmitting rotative forces to said at least one wheel;

c) a selectively engageable coupling interposed between and connected to said output element and said shaft;

d) the coupling including interengageable components for transmitting rotational forces from the output element to the shaft when in an engaged position;

e) the components being relatively movable from the engaged position to a disengaged position; and

,

f) operator actuatable coupling engagement control means for relatively shifting the components from one position to the other whereby selectively to connect the transmission to the shaft in driving relationship to enable power assisted manipulation of the sweeper and to disconnect such driving relationship to enable manual manipulation of the sweeper through forces applied to the handle by an operator, the manual manipulation being without power assistance.

6. The sweeper of claim 5 wherein the engagement control means includes a pedal positioned for activation by an operator'"'"'s foot.

7. The sweeper of claim 5 wherein the engagement control means includes a pivotal arm operatively connected to one of the components and a pedal controlled cam for shifting the arm and with it said one component from said one position to the other.

8. For use in a wheel supported vacuum cleaner, a reversible drive system comprising:

a) an input gear and a pair of counter-rotating gears drivably connected to the input gear;

b) said counter-rotating gears each being supported for rotation about a respective axis parallel to the axis of the other;

c) a pair of transmission output elements respectively associated with the counter-rotating gears to form a pair of sets;

d) means supporting each output element in confronting relation to the associated counter-rotating gear of its set for rotation about the axis of the associated gear;

e) clutching surfaces for each gear and element set;

f) flexible power transmission means trained around both of said output elements and a driven element for transmitting rotational force from the output elements to the driven element;

g) an output shaft operatively connected to said driven element and adapted to drive at least one of the wheels of the device in forward or reverse rotation as determined by the rotational direction of the output elements; and

,

h) clutch actuation means responsive to a manually developed force applied in a first direction to at least a selected one of the gear and sprocket of one set to clutch the one set of said counter-rotating gears and elements together through their respective clutching surfaces to drive said output elements in a first rotary direction and responsive to a manually developed force applied in a second opposite direction to at least a selected one of the gear and sprocket of the other set to clutch the other set of said counter-rotating gears and output elements together through their respective clutching surfaces to drive said output elements in a second rotary direction to cause said shaft to selectively drive said at least one wheel in either forward or reverse directions.