Powered cleaning appliance

• US 7,617,557 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Reindle, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US10/967,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20050217042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 15/521, 15/52, 15/411, 15/42, 153/19, 15/82, 15/83, 153/84
• US Class Current: 15/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning

Abstract

A powered sweeper includes a housing, a brushroll chamber disposed in the housing, a brushroll mounted in a brushroll chamber, a dirt chamber disposed in the housing, a drive motor disposed in the housing, and a driven wheel operatively connected to the drive motor. The brushroll rotates in the brushroll chamber and the dirt chamber communicates with the brushroll chamber such that debris is propelled by the brushroll into the dirt chamber.

Claims

1. A powered sweeper comprising:

a housing;

a first brushroll chamber disposed in the housing;

a first brushroll rotatably mounted in the first brushroll chamber;

a dirt chamber disposed in the housing and communicating with the first brushroll chamber;

a first drive motor disposed in the housing;

a first driven wheel mounted to the housing and operatively connected to the first drive motor;

a bumper movably mounted to the housing; and

,

wherein at least one of the bumper and the housing includes a joystick in communication with a circuit board and the other of the bumper and the housing includes a socket that receives a distal end of the joystick.

2. The sweeper of claim 1, further comprising:

a first brushroll motor operatively connected to the first brushroll.

3. The sweeper of claim 2, further comprising:

a second brushroll chamber disposed in the housing on an opposite side of the dirt chamber from the first brushroll chamber; and

a second brushroll disposed in the second brushroll chamber.

4. The sweeper of claim 3, further comprising:

a second brushroll motor operatively connected to the second brushroll.

5. The sweeper of claim 3, wherein the dirt chamber includes a first dirt inlet adjacent the first brushroll chamber and a second dirt inlet on an opposite side of the dirt chamber adjacent the second brushroll chamber.

6. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein the dirt chamber is defined by a dirt container that is removably mounted in the housing.

7. The sweeper of claim 1, further comprising:

a second drive motor disposed in the housing; and

a second driven wheel operatively connected to the second drive motor, wherein the first driven wheel is positioned on a first side of the dirt chamber and the second driven wheel is positioned on a second side of the dirt chamber, wherein the first side is opposite the second side.

8. The sweeper of claim 7, wherein the first driven wheel drives a first tread belt and the second driven wheel drives a second tread belt.

9. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein the first drive motor comprises a reversible electric motor.

10. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein the first drive motor is in electrical communication with a switch to control direction of rotation of the motor.

11. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein the bumper comprises a shell that at least substantially encircles the housing.

12. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein at least one of the bumper and the housing includes an extension and the other of the bumper and the housing includes a socket that receives the extension, wherein the extension selectively contacts the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing.

13. The sweeper of claim 12, wherein the socket is approximately cylindrical and the extension contacts a radial wall of the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing.

14. The sweeper of claim 1, wherein the dirt chamber does not communicate with a suction source.

15. A powered sweeper comprising:

a housing;

a bumper movably mounted to the housing, wherein at least one of the bumper and the housing includes a joystick in communication with a circuit board and the other of the bumper and the housing includes a socket that receives a distal end of the jovstick;

a first brushroll chamber disposed in the housing;

a first brushroll rotatably mounted in the first brushroll chamber;

a dirt chamber supported by the housing and communicating with the first brushroll chamber;

a first drive motor supported by the housing;

a first driven wheel mounted to the housing and operatively connected to the first drive motor;

a second drive motor supported by the housing;

a second driven wheel operatively connected to the second drive motor, wherein the first driven wheel is positioned on a first side of the dirt chamber and the second driven wheel is positioned on a second side of the dirt chamber, wherein the first side is opposite the second side;

a first belt tread driven by the first driven wheel; and

a second belt tread driven by the second driven wheel.

16. The sweeper of claim 15, further comprising:

a first brushroll motor operatively connected to the first brushroll.

17. The sweeper of claim 16, further comprising:

a second brushroll chamber disposed in the housing on an opposite side of the dirt chamber from the first brushroll chamber; and

a second brushroll disposed in the second brushroll chamber.

18. The sweeper of claim 17, further comprising:

a second brushroll motor operatively connected to the second brushroll.

19. The sweeper of claim 17, wherein the dirt chamber includes a first dirt inlet adjacent the first brushroll chamber and a second dirt inlet on an opposite side of the dirt chamber adjacent the second brushroll chamber.

20. The sweeper of claim 15, wherein the dirt chamber does not communicate with a suction source.

21. The sweeper of claim 15, wherein the first drive motor is in electrical communication with a switch to control direction of rotation of the motor.

22. The sweeper claim 15, wherein the bumper comprises a shell that at least substantially surrounds the housing.

23. The sweeper of claim 15, wherein at least one of the bumper and the housing includes an extension and the other of the bumper and the housing includes a socket that receives the extension, wherein the extension selectively contacts the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing.

24. The sweeper of claim 23, wherein the socket is approximately cylindrical and the extension contacts a radial wall of the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing.

25. The sweeper of claim 15, wherein the first belt tread and the second belt tread are positioned to contact an associated floor that is to be cleaned by the sweeper.

26. A powered sweeper comprising:

a housing;

a first brushroll chamber disposed in the housing;

a first brushroll rotatably mounted in the first brushroll chamber;

a dirt chamber supported by the housing and communicating with the first brushroll chamber;

a first drive motor supported by the housing;

a first driven wheel mounted to the housing and operatively connected to the first drive motor; and

a bumper movably mounted to the housing, wherein at least one of the bumper and the housing includes an extension and the other of the bumper and the housing includes a socket that receives the extension, wherein the extension selectively contacts the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing, wherein the socket is approximately cylindrical and the extension contacts a radial wall of the socket to limit movement of the bumper in relation to the housing.

27. The sweeper of claim 26, wherein the bumper comprises a shell that at least substantially surrounds the housing.

28. The sweeper of claim 26, wherein the dirt chamber does not communicate with a suction source.

29. The sweeper of claim 26, further comprising a bumper plate attached to the bumper, wherein the bumper plate and the bumper sandwich the housing.