IT202100000032A1 - VACUUM CLEANER SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention entitled: ?Vacuum cleaner system?

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner system, and more? specifically a vacuum cleaner system defined in the preamble of claim 1.

There are many models of vacuum cleaners on the market today, including bagless electric brooms which are equipped with powerful lithium-ion batteries and digital motors and offer the consumer a completely cordless cleaning experience and with a suction power comparable to a vacuum cleaner. tow equipped with electric cable.

However, these products have limitations in their daily use. For example, battery life ? limited and allows only a few tens of minutes of use at full power, although the manufacturers declare times of use more? elevated. Furthermore, the capacity to contain dust and debris ? very small and allows few uses before requiring the emptying of the tank. Despite this, the presence of the tank takes up space and makes it uncomfortable and not very ergonomic to hold the product.

Can you? claim that the ?cordless? revolution has some price to pay. Cordless and bagless vacuum electric brooms are generally not easy to handle and heavy as the whole load? suspended on the user?s wrist. Some manufacturers have tried to remedy this problem by making the engine and tank unit translatable from above, near the of the handle, at the bottom, near? of the brush.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a satisfactory solution to the problems described above, avoiding the drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, the purpose of the invention? that of realizing a cordless and bagless vacuum cleaner system, of small size and weight, ergonomic and therefore easy to handle, easy to use and which does not require frequent emptying operations by the user.

According to the present invention this object is achieved thanks to a vacuum cleaner system having the characteristics referred to in claim 1.

Particular embodiments form the subject of the dependent claims, the content of which? to be understood as an integral part of this description.

In summary, the present invention is based on the principle of combining a portable vacuum cleaner device equipped with a collection tank suitable for containing dust, debris, particles and small materials of a single use with a suction base station equipped with a very large collection chamber where you can empty the collection tank after each use. The aspirating base station ? advantageously integrated or coupled to a recharging support of the portable device, for example a recharging support fixed to a wall, and ? configured to automatically suck up dust and debris from the tank of the portable device when it ? parked at the end of work in a rest condition, through an emptying opening of the portable device accessible when it is paired with the base station. The collection chamber of the base station can advantageously be emptied less frequently than traditional vacuum cleaner devices, for example every month or even every two months (in the case of daily cleaning of rooms over 100 square meters).

Additional features and advantages of the invention will come later. set out in detail in the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

figures 1a, 1b and 1c show a first currently preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention, comprising a portable device and a base station;

figures 2 and 3 show the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention in a condition of coupling of the portable device to the base station, respectively in a partially broken perspective view and in a longitudinal sectional view;

figures 4a and 4b are longitudinal sectional views of the portable device of the vacuum cleaner system according to the invention, respectively in a first and a second operating position; figures 5a and 5b show a base station of the vacuum cleaner system according to the invention, in a broken perspective view, in a first and a second operating condition;

figure 6 shows the portable device in a partially broken perspective view;

figures 7a and 7b are further broken perspective views of a portion of the portable device of figure 2 in a first and a second operating condition;

the figure 8 ? a flow diagram of an operating procedure of the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention;

figure 9 shows a second embodiment of the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention, in a condition of coupling of the portable device to the base station, in a partial perspective view; And

figures 10a, 10b and 10c show the second embodiment of the vacuum cleaner system of figure 9, respectively in a partial view in longitudinal section and in two enlarged views in longitudinal section of the two inserts in figure 10a.

A vacuum cleaner system according to the invention comprises a portable device capable of sucking up material, ie dust, debris, particles and small materials from a surface, and a base station to which the portable device is connected. operationally coupled to dispose (unload) the aspirated material, both equipped with material collection tank and bagless.

Figures 1a-1c show the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention in a first embodiment, in which the portable device ? denoted by 10 and the base station by 12.

Specifically, in figure 1a the portable device 10 and the base station 12 are shown separated, in a first operating condition of use of the portable device, while in figure 1b the portable device 10 and the base station 12 are shown coupled, in a second condition operation of dumping or disposing of dust and debris from the handheld device 10 to the base station 12. The coupled condition is also adopted as rest configuration of the vacuum cleaner system, ie as parking condition of the portable device, and - in the currently preferred embodiment in which the portable device is without cable and powered by an internal battery - it also allows the carrying out of a battery recharging operation of the portable device. For this purpose, the base station ? advantageously connected by cable or by direct connection to an electrical socket. In figure 1c ? shown is an exemplary arrangement of the vacuum cleaner system, in which the base station is fixed to a wall W of a building.

In the presently preferred embodiment, the portable device is a cordless and bagless electric broom, which has a main body 20 - which includes means for generating a suction air flow with at least one associated filtering means, and at least one collection chamber for the sucked material - to which ? can be connected in a removable way a pipe 22 for conveying the intake air flow, at the end of which? distal ? connected a cleaning tool having a suction mouth, for example a brush 23. The base station 12 ? a fixed vacuum cleaner device which includes an opening 24 for receiving the material previously sucked up by the portable device, able to allow the collection chamber of the portable device to be emptied, respective means for generating a suction air flow with at least one associated filtering means, and at least one collection chamber for the disposed material formed in a main body 26 of the base station.

In figures 2 and 3 ? shown the vacuum cleaner system object of the invention in a condition of coupling of the portable device to the base station, respectively in a partially broken perspective view and in a longitudinal sectional view. In figures 4a and 4b ? shown in greater detail the main body 20 of the portable device 10 in a longitudinal section, respectively in the first and in the second operating position, and in figures 5a and 5b? shown in greater detail the main body 26 of the base station 12 in a broken perspective view, respectively in the first and in the second operating position.

The main body 20 of the portable device ? placed near of a handle 28 of the device and a tubular fitting 30 emerges from it for connection to the pipe 22 for conveying the intake air flow. The main body 20 of the portable device defines within it a collection chamber indicated by C, which is placed in communication with a suction opening 32, which faces the tubular fitting 30 integral with the main body, intended for connection with the conveying pipe 22. The collection chamber C also has a disposal opening 36 for emptying the material sucked from the collection chamber.

The main body of the portable device also houses the means for generating the suction air flow indicated as a whole with 38, which include an electric motor 40, powered by a battery 41 housed for example in the handle, and an impeller 42 coupled thereto for establishing a suction airflow by its rotation. The electric motor and impeller are protected by a filter medium 44 from the ingress of sucked in dust and debris. On the main body? moreover, there is at least one air outflow opening, for example a plurality? of slits 46, to release the intake air flow outside - purified from dust and debris through the filter medium. Actuation control means of the portable device (not shown) are provided for commanding the activation and deactivation of the intake air flow according to a manual command given through a switch (not shown) accessible by a user .

The main body 26 of the base station internally defines a collection chamber for the material disposed of by the portable device indicated by C' which ? placed in communication with the opening for receiving the material sucked up by the portable device through a cap 24', and ? formed by two parts 26' and 26'' joined together by screwing or snap coupling and separable to allow collection chamber C' to be emptied.

Inside the main body 26 of the base station, the generator means of the respective intake air flow are housed, indicated as a whole with 48, which include an electric motor 50, powered by the mains or by a battery also housed in the main body ( not shown), and an impeller 52 coupled thereto for establishing an intake air flow by its rotation. The electric motor and impeller are protected by a filter medium 54 from the ingress of sucked in dust and debris. On the main body? moreover, there is at least one air outflow opening, for example a plurality? of slits 56, to release the intake air flow outside - purified from dust and debris through the filter medium.

Externally, the main body 26 has a longitudinal groove 58 suitable for at least partially housing the conveying tube 22 of the portable device when the latter is? paired with the base station.

In the pairing condition of the portable device 10 to the base station 12, the portable device ? mechanically connected to the base station and the 24 reception opening of the base station ? disposed in communication with the collection chamber C of the sucked material through the disposal opening 36 of the portable device, whereby the suction air flow generated by the base station is conducted from the collection chamber C of the handheld device to the collection chamber C' of the base station.

According to a first improvement of the vacuum cleaner system, in the portable device 10 at least one closure member 60? arranged to selectively engage the suction opening 32 and the disposal opening 36, operable between a first operating position in which the portable device 10 is separated from the base station 12 and the closing member closes the disposal opening 36, allowing the passage of the suction air flow - indicated with A in figure 4a - from the suction opening 32 to the collection chamber C due to the effect of the actuation of the air flow generating means 38 of the portable device, and a second operating position in which the portable device 10 is coupled to the base station 12 and the closing member 48 closes the suction opening 32, allowing the passage of the suction air flow - indicated with S in figure 4b - from the collection chamber C to the collection chamber C' of the base station through the disposal opening 36 due to the operation of the base station air flow generating means 48.

The closure member 60 ? shown in detail in Figures 6, 7a and 7b. in particular, figures 7a and 7b show in broken perspective views of a main body portion of the portable device a first and a second operating condition of the closure member.

In the currently preferred embodiment, the closure member 60 includes at least one integral element which has a first closure formation 62 and a second closure formation 64, respectively suitable for sealingly engaging the port of the suction opening 32 and the opening disposal devices 36, joined together by an integral bridge 66. The closure member 60 has movement means, for example in the form of a cursor 68, arranged to move said member from the first operating position to the second operating position. Advantageously, the first operating position of the closure member is a stable position, while the second operating position? attainable by translating the closure member with a mechanical slide movement guided by the sliding of the bridge 66 within a slot 70 due to the effect of the interference action of the main body 26 of the base station with the slider 68 upon coupling of the portable device with the base station. The second operating position? maintainable in virtue? of the coupling of the portable device with the base station, and the closure member 60 further comprises elastic return means such as a spring 72 which can be biased in compression, arranged to translate said member from said second operative position to said first operative position.

In a second improvement, the base station 12 comprises sensor means arranged to detect the presence and/or quantity of of material sucked into the collection chamber C of the portable device 10, for example to detect a filling condition of the collection chamber C. Processing and control means (not shown) are configured to control a disposal action of the material sucked from the collection chamber collection C of the portable device to the collection chamber C' of the base station according to the presence and/or quantity? of aspirated material detected in collection chamber C of the portable device.

The sensor means preferably, but not exclusively, comprise image acquisition means 74 (clearly visible in figure 2) arranged to acquire images of at least one volume of the collection chamber of the portable device in the condition of coupling of said device to the base station, and are the processing and control means configured to recognize the presence and/or quantity? of material sucked into the collection chamber of the portable device on the basis of said images, for example through the recognition of predetermined patterns of shape or color or reflectivity? (by comparison between a clean condition - with predefined shape, color and reflectivity - of the walls of the collection chamber with a dirty condition of the aforementioned walls - with modified shape, color and reflectivity).

In a currently preferred embodiment, shown in Figures 2 and 3, said image acquisition means 74 are mounted close to the of the receiving port 24 of the base station which flows into the collection chamber C of the portable device via the disposal port 36.

Alternatively or in addition to the image acquisition means (74), pressure (74), volume (74) sensor means or a mechanical valve can be provided.

The processing and control means are housed in the base station, for example in the main body of the base station, and are configured to control the intake airflow generating means of the portable device and the intake airflow generating means of the base station in order to carry out an automatic disposal action of the aspirated material.

In an exemplary embodiment, the automatic action of disposing of the aspirated material follows one of two predetermined methods. emptying of the portable device and includes the following operating phases, illustrated in the flowchart of figure 8.

At step 100 ? the existence of a coupling condition between the portable device 10 and the base station 12 of the vacuum cleaner system has been verified, through dedicated coupling sensor means (not shown) or through the image acquisition means 74 or functionally similar sensor means.

If so ? acquired at least a first reading of the sensor means facing the collection chamber C of the portable device at step 110, for example an image of the internal volume of the collection chamber C, and a datum representative of the quantity? of aspirated material detected in collection chamber C of the portable device.

At step 120, a first comparison is made between the quantity? of aspirated material present in the detected collection chamber and a predetermined first filling threshold of said chamber, and if the quantity? of aspirated material detected ? greater than said first filling threshold at step 130 ? made a second comparison between the amount? of aspirated material detected and a predetermined second filling threshold of said chamber, higher than the first filling threshold.

If the quantity? of aspirated material ? also greater than said second filling threshold, at step 140 ? the generation of the suction air flow from the collection chamber of the portable device to the collection chamber of the base station by the base station generator means is commanded, and at step 150 ? the generation of a blowing air flow from the collection chamber of the portable device to the collection chamber of the base station by the generating means of the portable device, in conjunction with the aforementioned suction air flow, is controlled, thus implementing a first mode? of emptying the portable device, pi? aggressive. The generation of a blowing air flow by the generator means of the portable device ? controlled through a short-range wireless connection between the processing and control means of the base station and the drive control means of the portable device, having priority with respect to the manual command impartable through the switch, commanding rotation of the motor in the direction reverse to the commanded direction of rotation for the generation of an intake air flow.

Alternatively, if the quantity? of aspirated material ? lower than said second filling threshold, ? only the generation of the suction air flow from the collection chamber of the portable device to the collection chamber of the base station by the generating means of the base station, here indicated as step 160, is controlled, thus implementing a second mode? emptying of the portable device, less aggressive.

Alternatively, the generation of the suction airflow from the collection chamber of the handheld device to the collection chamber of the base station by the base station generating means may however be started regardless of the acquisition of a reading of the sensor means facing the collection chamber C at step 110, and therefore from the knowledge of the datum representative of the quantity? of aspirated material present in the collection chamber C of the portable device.

In the first case, in which the suction by the base station and the blowing by the portable device intervene at the same time, optionally ? carried out a cyclical check at step 170 that the quantity? of aspirated material detected is greater than said first filling threshold, and when this condition ceases ? only the generation of the suction air flow from the collection chamber of the portable device to the collection chamber of the base station by the base station generator means is controlled, i.e. the vacuum cleaner system switches from the first mode to the base station. of emptying to the second modality? of emptying, indicated here as step 160.

Finally, when the quantity? of material sucked into the collection chamber of the portable device ? lower than a predetermined third filling threshold, lower than the first and second filling threshold, condition verified cyclically at step 180, ? commanded the arrest of the suction air flow from the collection chamber of the portable device to the collection chamber of the base station by the generator means of the base station, and the system moves to a rest position and possible recharging of the battery of the portable device.

Different embodiments of the automatic action of disposing of the aspirated material provide, for example, for automatically regulating the suction power on the basis of the quantity? of dust/debris detected in real time. Again, through the sensory means of acquiring images ? It is possible to identify the areas with the greatest concentration of dirt and to concentrate on vacuuming until these areas are perfectly clean, for example by increasing the suction power in the presence of stubborn dirt.

A simplified embodiment of the action of disposing of the sucked material instead provides for the manual actuation (by means of a mechanical button) of a timed system for activating and deactivating the suction function of the base station.

In figure 9 and in figures 10a-10c ? shown a second embodiment, in which the base station 12 comprises a centralized suction system 80 in which the generator means of the suction air flow and the collection chamber are located in a service room of a building and the flow of intake air reaches one or more? remote rooms through a duct and respective suction wall outlets.

In these figures elements or components identical or functionally equivalent to those illustrated in the previous figures have been indicated with the same references.

The base station comprises at least one wall support assembly 81 adapted to house the portable device and delocalized with respect to the centralized suction system, which includes a tube 82 for conveying the suction air flow of the base station having a first end? 84 adapted to be arranged in communication with the centralized suction system through a wall suction socket 86, and a second end? 88 which can be coupled to the disposal opening 36 of the portable device.

As shown in figure 9b, the second end? 88 of the conveying tube 82 ? adapted to interfere with the cursor 68 of the closure member 60 of the portable device upon coupling of the latter to the base station to cause its translation from the first operating position to the second operating position.

The wall support unit 80 also comprises a collection pre-chamber 90 formed by two parts 90' and 90'' joined together by screwing or snap coupling and separable to allow the pre-chamber to be emptied. The collection pre-chamber 90 ? coupled by one side to the first extremity? 84 of the conveying pipe 82 and connected on the opposite side to the wall suction intake 86 of the centralized suction system through a tubular fitting 92. Advantageously, the conveying pipe 82 flows into the collection pre-chamber 90 at an intermediate height, while the tubular fitting ninety two ? L-shaped and facing from the suction inlet towards the bottom of the collection pre-chamber, thus forming? a sort of "siphon" suction path. In this way, small objects inadvertently sucked in by the portable device settle on the bottom of the pre-chamber 90 where they can be collected.

It should be noted that the embodiment proposed for the present invention in the preceding discussion is purely by way of example and not a limitation of the present invention.

The improvements described can be made to the system as a whole or individually. will result? in fact, it is clear to an expert technician in the sector that every single improvement relating to a specific component of the system can? be made independently of the others, and as such claimed independently, without the non-implementation of the other improvements illustrated prejudicing their effectiveness.

Of course, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments and the details of construction can be widely varied with respect to what ? been described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention defined by the attached claims.

Claims (10)

1. Vacuum system, comprising a portable device (10) able to suck up material from a surface, and a base station (12) to which the portable device (10) is connected. operationally coupled to dispose of the aspirated material, wherein the portable device (10) includes a material suction opening (32), at least one collection chamber (C) for the sucked material in communication with said suction opening (32), first generating means (38) of a first intake air flow (A) from the intake opening (32) to the collection chamber (C) and at least one associated filtering medium (44) interposed between said intake opening (32) and said first generating means (38) of air flow, the portable device (10) further including and a disposal port (36) of the aspirated material, wherein the base station (12) includes an opening (24) for receiving the material sucked up by the portable device (10), at least one collection chamber (C') for the material disposed of by the portable device (10) in communication with said opening ( 24) for receiving the material, second means (48) generating a second suction air flow (S) from the receiving opening (24) to the collection chamber (C') and at least one associated filter means (54) interposed between said receiving opening (24) and said second generating means (48) of air flow, characterized in that in the condition of coupling of the portable device (10) to the base station (12) the portable device (10) is mechanically connected to the base station (12) and the receiving port (24) of the base station (12) ? disposed in communication with the disposal opening (36) of the portable device (10) so that the second suction air flow (S) generated by said second generator means (48) ? conducted from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) to the collection chamber (C') of the base station (12), and by the fact that the portable device (10) includes at least one closure member (60) capable of selectively engaging the suction opening (32) and the disposal opening (36), which can be operated between a first operating position in which the device portable (10) ? separated from the base station (12) and said closure member (60) closes the disposal opening (36), allowing the passage of the first intake air flow (A) from the intake opening (32) to the collection (C) due to the actuation of said first air flow generating means (38), and a second operating position in which the portable device (10) is coupled to the base station (12) and said closing member (60) closes the suction opening (32), allowing the passage of the second suction air flow (S) from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device ( 10) to the collection chamber (C') of the base station (12) through the disposal opening (36) by effect of the actuation of said second air flow generating means (48). The system according to claim 1, wherein said closure member (60) includes at least one integral element having a first closure formation (62) and a second closure formation (64) respectively adapted to seally engage the port of the suction opening (32) and of the disposal opening (36), in which the first operating position of the closure member (60) is? a stable position and in which said member (60) has movement means (68) arranged to translate said member (60) from said first stable operative position to said second operative position and elastic return means (72) arranged to translate said member (60) from said second operating position to said first operating position. 3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base station (12) comprises sensor means (74) arranged to detect the presence and/or quantity of of material sucked into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) and processing and control means configured to control a disposal action of the material sucked from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) to the collection chamber ( C') of the base station (12) according to the presence and/or quantity? of aspirated material detected in the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10). The system according to claim 3, wherein said processing and control means are configured to control said first generating means (38) of the first intake air flow (A) and said second generating means (48) of the second flow of air. intake air (S), and said disposal action includes: - the generation of the second suction air flow (S) from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) to the collection chamber (C') of the base station (12), when the quantity? of material sucked into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) ? greater than a predetermined first fill threshold; - the generation of a blowing air flow from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) to the collection chamber (C') of the base station (12) by the first generator means (38) together with the aforementioned second intake air flow (S), when the quantity? of material sucked into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) ? greater than a predetermined second fill threshold, said second fill threshold being greater than the first fill threshold; And - the stop of the second flow of suction air (S) from the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) to the collection chamber (C') of the base station (12) when the quantity? of material sucked into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) ? lower than a predetermined third filling threshold, said third filling threshold being lower than the first filling threshold. 5. System according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said sensor means comprise image acquisition means (74) arranged to acquire images of at least one volume of the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) in the condition of coupling to the base station (12) and said processing and control means are configured to recognize the presence and/or quantity of material sucked into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) on the basis of said images. The system according to claim 5, wherein the receiving port (24) of the base station (12) flows into the collection chamber (C) of the portable device (10) through said disposal port (36) and carries said means Image Acquisition System (74). 7. System according to claim 2, wherein the portable device (10) has: a main body (20) which includes the intake opening (32), the generating means (38) of the first intake air flow (A) with said at least one associated filtering means (44) and the collection chamber ( There is a conveyance pipe (22) of said first intake air flow (A) coupled to said intake opening (32), at the end of which? distal ? connected a cleaning tool (23) with a suction mouth, wherein the main body (20) has the movement means (68) of the closure member (60) arranged in such a position that they interfere with a portion of the base station (12) in the coupling condition of the portable device (10 ) to the base station (12) causing the translation of said closure member (60) from said first operating position to said second operating position. 8. System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base station (12) has a main body (26) which includes the receiving opening (24), the generating means (48) of the second intake air flow (S) with said at least one associated filtering means (54) and the collection chamber (C') of the disposed material, in which the main body (26) is? prepared for wall support (W). The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base station (12) comprises: a centralized suction system (80) including the generator means (48) of the second suction air flow (S) and the collection chamber (C'), located in a service room of a building, and a wall support means able to house the portable device (10), including a pipe (82) for conveying said second intake air flow (S) having a first end? (84) adapted to be arranged in communication with the centralized suction system (80) through a wall suction socket (86), and a second end? (88) that can be coupled to the disposal opening (36) of the portable device (10). 10. System according to claim 9, wherein said base station (12) further comprises a collection prechamber (90) coupled at the first end? (84) of said conveying pipe (82) and connected to a suction socket (86) on the wall of the centralized suction system (80) through a tubular fitting (92).