Surface cleaning head including removable rotatable driven agitator
View Patent ↗A surface cleaning head includes a removable rotatable driven agitator, such as a brush roll, which is driven by a drive mechanism that axially engages the driven end. The removable rotatable driven agitator may be located in an openable agitator chamber for purposes of removing debris and/or removing the agitator. The openable agitator chamber may be covered by an external cover that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The removable agitator may be secured in the agitator chamber by the external cover. Different removable agitators with different characteristics may be used interchangeably in the surface cleaning head. The surface cleaning head may also include one or more transparent regions (e.g., on the openable cover) to allow visual inspection of the agitator during use.
1. A surface cleaning head for a vacuum, the surface cleaning head comprising:
a cleaning head housing having a front end portion, a rear end portion, laterally disposed sides, an upper portion and a bottom portion, wherein the upper portion extends over the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing;
an agitator chamber located in the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the agitator chamber having a top opening through the upper portion of the cleaning head housing and a bottom opening through the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing, and wherein the agitator chamber includes a non-driven side and a driven side;
an agitator drive mechanism including a drive member at the driven side of the agitator chamber and an agitator drive motor drivingly coupled to the drive member;
an external cover movably mounted to the cleaning head housing for covering the top opening of the agitator chamber at the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the external cover being movable between a closed position and an open position by pivoting about a hinge pivotally coupling the external cover to a front bottom edge of the cleaning head housing and in a direction away from the rear end portion of the cleaning head housing, wherein the top opening of the agitator chamber is covered when the external cover is in the closed position and accessible through the top opening when the external cover is in the open position, and wherein at least part of the upper portion remains over the bottom portion when the external cover is in the open position; and
a rotatable driven agitator removably mounted within the agitator chamber such that the agitator is configured to contact a surface through the bottom opening, wherein the agitator is accessible and removable through the top opening when the external cover is in the open position, wherein the rotatable driven agitator includes a non-driven end mounted at the non-driven side of the agitator chamber such that the agitator spins freely at the non-driven end and a driven end including a driven member, wherein the driven member mates axially and engages with the drive member of the drive mechanism such that the drive member transmits torque and rotation to the driven member and the rotatable driven agitator.
2. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the drive member transmits torque and rotation to the driven member and the rotatable driven agitator without a belt.
3. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the drive member is a splined drive member and the driven member is a splined driven member.
4. The surface cleaning head of claim 3 wherein the splined drive member and splined driven member have wedge-shaped spline teeth.
5. The surface cleaning head of claim 4 wherein the wedge-shaped spline teeth of the splined driven member have chamfered radial faces.
6. The surface cleaning head of claim 5 wherein the wedge-shaped spline teeth of the splined drive member and the splined driven member have tapered side walls.
7. The surface cleaning head of claim 3 wherein the splined drive member and the splined driven member include six spaced spline teeth arranged in a star configuration around an axis of rotation.
8. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein at least one of the drive member and the driven member is made of a thermoplastic material having a durometer of at least about 90.
9. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the motor is coupled to the drive member using a belt.
10. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the external cover engages the non-driven end of the agitator in the closed position to hold the agitator in the agitator chamber and wherein the external cover disengages from the non-driven end of the agitator when moved to the open position.
11. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 further comprising an agitator engaging member movably mounted to the cleaning head housing for movement into engagement with the non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator to hold the agitator in the agitator chamber.
12. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 , wherein the drive member includes wedge-shaped spline teeth having chamfered axial faces tapering inwardly toward the axis of rotation.
13. The surface cleaning head of claim 10 , wherein the external cover includes an engaging structure protruding from an inside portion of the external cover for engaging the non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator in the closed position to hold the agitator in the agitator chamber.
14. The surface cleaning head of claim 13 , wherein the rotatable driven agitator includes an end cap at the non-driven end, and wherein the engaging structure engages the end cap.
15. The surface cleaning head of claim 14 , wherein the end cap includes an elastomeric pad, and wherein the engaging structure engages the elastomeric pad.
16. The surface cleaning head of claim 14 , wherein the end cap is keyed to mate with the non-driven side of the agitator chamber with a particular orientation.
17. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 , wherein the agitator chamber includes mounting rails at the non-driven side and the rotatable driven agitator includes an end cap at the non-driven end, and wherein the end cap fits between the mounting rails when mounted within the agitator chamber, and wherein the end cap is configured to slide between the mounting rails when inserting and removing the rotatable driven agitator.
18. The surface cleaning head of claim 17 , wherein the end cap includes stabilizing structures engaging corresponding structures on the mounting rails.
19. The surface cleaning head of claim 18 , wherein the stabilizing structures have a configuration keyed to mate with the mounting rails with a particular orientation.
20. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the external cover is movable between the closed position and the open position while remaining movably mounted to the cleaning head housing.
21. The surface cleaning head of claim 4 , wherein the wedge-shaped spline teeth of the splined drive member are separated by spaces configured to receive the wedge-shaped spline teeth on the splined driven member, wherein each of the spaces have a radially outer portion that is wider than a radially inner portion.
22. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the agitator chamber includes a back side and a dirty air inlet formed in the back side.
23. A surface cleaning head for a vacuum, the surface cleaning head comprising:
a cleaning head housing having a front end portion, a rear end portion, laterally disposed sides, an upper portion and a bottom portion, wherein the upper portion extends over the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing;
an agitator chamber located in the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the agitator chamber having a top opening through the upper portion of the cleaning head housing and a bottom opening through the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing, wherein the agitator chamber is configured to receive a rotatable driven agitator such that the agitator contacts a surface through the bottom opening and is removable through the top opening, and wherein the agitator chamber includes a non-driven side for receiving a non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator and a driven side for receiving a driven end of the rotatable driven agitator;
an agitator drive mechanism including a drive member at a driven side of the agitator chamber and an agitator drive motor drivingly coupled to the drive member, wherein the drive member is configured to mate axially and engage with the driven member on the rotatable driven agitator such that the drive member transmits torque and rotation to the driven member and the rotatable driven agitator; and
an external cover movably mounted to the cleaning head housing for covering the top opening of the agitator chamber at the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the external cover being movable between a closed position and an open position by pivoting about a hinge pivotally coupling the external cover to a front bottom edge of the cleaning head housing and in a direction away from the rear end portion of the cleaning head housing, wherein the top opening of the agitator chamber is covered when the external cover is in the closed position and accessible through the top opening when the external cover is in the open position, and wherein at least part of the upper portion remains over the bottom portion when the external cover is in the open position.
24. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 wherein the drive member includes a splined drive member.
25. The surface cleaning head of claim 24 wherein the splined drive member includes wedge-shaped spline teeth.
26. The surface cleaning head of claim 25 wherein the wedge-shaped spline teeth have tapered sides.
27. The surface cleaning head of claim 24 wherein the splined drive member includes six spline teeth arranged in a star configuration around the axis of rotation.
28. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 wherein the drive motor is drivingly coupled to the drive member with a belt.
29. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 further comprising at least one transparent region in the external cover, the transparent region being configured to allow visual inspection of the agitator chamber when the external cover is in the closed position.
30. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 wherein the external cover includes an engaging structure protruding from an inside portion of the external cover for engaging the non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator in the closed position to hold the agitator in the agitator chamber.
31. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 further comprising an agitator engaging member movably mounted to the cleaning head housing for movement into engagement with the non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator to hold the agitator in the agitator chamber.
32. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 , wherein the drive member includes wedge-shaped spline teeth having chamfered axial faces tapering inwardly toward the axis of rotation.
33. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 , wherein the agitator chamber includes mounting rails at the non-driven side and wherein the mounting rails are configured to receive an end cap at the non-driven end of the rotatable driven agitator when mounted in the agitator chamber.
34. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 wherein the external cover is movable between the closed position and the open position while remaining movably mounted to the cleaning head housing.
35. The surface cleaning head of claim 25 , wherein the wedge-shaped spline teeth of the splined drive member are separated by spaces configured to receive the wedge-shaped spline teeth on the splined driven member, wherein each of the spaces have a radially outer portion that is wider than a radially inner portion.
36. The surface cleaning head of claim 23 wherein the agitator chamber includes a back side and a dirty air inlet formed in the back side.