CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/107,142, filed October 29, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to floor cleaners.

SUMMARY

[0003] In one embodiment a floor cleaner includes a suction source operable to generate a suction airflow along an airflow path, a collection container along the airflow path, the collection container configured to retain debris separated from the suction airflow, a handle, and a base configured to move along a surface to be cleaned by the handle. The base includes a bottom side adjacent the surface, a top side opposite bottom side, a forward side, a rearward side opposite the forward side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, and a nozzle forming a portion of the airflow path. The nozzle includes a cylindrical body having a first end, a second end, a tangential inlet between the first end and the second end, and an outlet between the first end and the second end, the outlet spaced around the cylindrical body from the tangential inlet. The nozzle further includes a first sidewall at the first end of the cylindrical body, a second sidewall at the second end of the cylindrical body, a nozzle axis that extends horizontally and centrally through the first and second sidewalls and centrally through the cylindrical body, a suction inlet duct that extends from the tangential inlet of the cylindrical body in a direction toward the bottom side of the base and the suction inlet duct extends along the nozzle axis, the suction inlet duct includes a suction opening configured to draw debris from the surface into the cylindrical body along with the suction airflow. The nozzle further includes a nozzle outlet duct that extends from the outlet of the cylindrical body toward the suction source, the nozzle outlet duct configured to direct the airflow and debris toward the collection container.

[0004] Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed descnption and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a floor cleaner according to one embodiment.

[0006] Fig. 2 is a partially exploded view of a base of the floor cleaner of Fig. 1 illustrating a nozzle exploded from the base.

[0007] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the nozzle of Fig. 2.

[0008] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle of Fig. 2.

[0009] Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 4.

[0010] Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the nozzle of Fig. 3.

[0011] Fig. 7 is a graph illustrating performance of the floor cleaner of Fig. 1 including the nozzle.

[0012] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a nozzle according to another embodiment.

[0013] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates a floor cleaner 10. The floor cleaner 10 includes a suction source 12 that is operable to generate a suction airflow along an airflow path through the floor cleaner 10 and through the suction source 12. In one embodiment, the suction source 12 includes a motor and a fan. The illustrated floor cleaner 10 includes a supply tank 14 and a liquid distributor 16 (Fig. 2). The supply tank 14 is configured to store a liquid, such as water or a mixture of water and detergent. The liquid distributor 16 is in fluid communication with the supply tank 14 and the liquid distributor 16 dispenses the liquid from the supply tank 14 onto a surface 18 to be cleaned.

[0015] The floor cleaner 10 further includes a collection container 20. The collection container 20 is along the airflow path. The collection container 20 retains debris, such as liquids and/or solid particles, separated from the suction airflow that is drawn from the surface 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the collection container 20 is a recovery tank configured to separate liquid from the suction airflow, the liquid including the liquid dispensed onto the surface by the distributor 16. In other embodiments, the collection container 20 may include a cyclonic separator, a filter, a filter bag, and the like.

[0016] The floor cleaner 10 further includes a handle 22 and a base 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 22 is pivotally coupled to the base 24 so that the handle 22 pivots relative to the base 24 between an upright position (Fig. 1) and an inclined position. In the illustrated embodiment, the collection container 20 and the supply tank 14 are coupled to the handle 22 for pivotal movement with the handle 22 relative to the base 24. In one embodiment, the collection container 20 and/or the supply tank 14 are coupled to the base 24. In other embodiments, the handle is fixed from movement relative to the base and in such embodiments, the handle may be integrally formed with the base. That is, while the illustrated floor cleaner 10 is an upright style floor cleaner, in other embodiments, the floor cleaner may be a handheld floor cleaner, an accessory tool for a floor cleaner, and the like.

[0017] Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the base 24 is configured to move along the surface 18 to be cleaned by the handle 22. The base 24 includes a bottom side 26 adjacent the surface 18, a top side 28 opposite the bottom side 26, a forward side 30, a rearward side 32 opposite the forward side 30, a first lateral side 34, and a second lateral side 36 opposite the first lateral side 34. The illustrated base 24 further includes a brush roll 38 and a brush roll chamber 40. The brush roll 38 is located within the brush roll chamber 40 and the brush roll 38 is rotatable relative to the base 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the brush roll 38 includes a dual brush roll but in other embodiments, the brush roll chamber 40 may include only a single brush roll, or an oscillating brush roll, or no brush roll. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the brush roll rotates about a horizontal axis parallel to the surface 18 but in other embodiments, the brush roll may rotate about a vertical axis relative to the surface 18. The brush roll chamber 40 includes an opening 42 in the bottom side 26 of the base 24 through which the brush roll 38 contacts the surface 18 to be cleaned. Rotation of the brush roll 38 agitates and/or scrubs the surface 18. In one embodiment, the liquid distributor 16 delivers liquid from the supply tank 14 directly onto the brush roll 38. In other embodiments, the liquid distributor 16 delivers the liquid from the supply tank 14 directly onto the surface 18. [0018] The base 24 further includes a nozzle 44 forming a portion of the airflow path of the floor cleaner 10. The nozzle 44 draws debris, such as liquids and/or solid particles, from the surface 18 into the airflow path of the floor cleaner 10. The nozzle 44 is removably coupled to the base 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle 44 includes a fluid connection 46 that removably couples the nozzle 44 to the base 24. A latch (not shown) retains the fluid connection 46 to the base 24. The nozzle 44 is removable from the base 24 to access the brush roll 38 through the top side 28 of the base 24.

[0019] Referring to Figs. 3 - 6, the nozzle 44 includes a hollow cylindrical body 48 forming a nozzle axis 70 and a suction inlet duct 50 that extends generally tangentially from the cylindrical body 48. As used herein, tangential and tangentially includes transitions that are smooth and continuous with the cylindrical body 48 to create a flow along an inside wall 90 of the cylindrical body 48 transverse to a radius from the nozzle axis 70 to the wall 90, and also includes transitions that are offset from or discontinuous with the inside wall 90 of the cylindrical body 48 but generate a flow along the inside wall 90 of the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body 48 includes a first end 52, a second end 54, a tangential inlet 56 between the first end 52 and the second end 54. A first sidewall 66 (Fig. 2) is at the first end 52 of the cylindrical body 48 and a second sidewall 68 is at the second end 54 of the cylindrical body 48. The cylindrical body 48 may include a cross-section that is circular, oval, spiral, or polygonal approximating a cylinder.

[0020] In one embodiment, such as shown in Fig. 6, a portion of the first sidewall 66' is removably coupled to the first end 52 of the cylindrical body 48. The first end 52 is removable to access the inside of the cylindrical body for cleaning or maintenance, for example. The first sidewall 66' is removably coupled using a releasable connection, such as a rotatable bayonet lock or threaded connection in some embodiments. An O-ring, gasket, or other seals may be used between the first sidewall 66' and the cylindrical body 48 to inhibit airflow leaking through the connection between the first sidewall 66' and the cylindrical body 48.

[0021] The nozzle axis 70 extends horizontally and centrally through the first end 52 and the second end 54 and centrally through the sidewalls 66, 68 of the cylindrical body 48. The nozzle axis 70 is parallel to the surface 18 and perpendicular to the forward and rearward direction of travel of the floor cleaner 10 on the surface 18 in the illustrated embodiment. [0022] The cylindrical body 48 further includes an outlet 58 between the first end 52 and the second end 54. The outlet 58 is centrally positioned between the ends 52, 54 in the illustrated embodiment, but may be located at any position between the first end 52 and the second end 54. The outlet 58 is formed in the wall 90 of the cylindrical body 48 spaced from the tangential inlet 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the outlet 58 faces toward the bottom side 26 of the base 24. The outlet 58 may extend aligned to the axis 70. The suction inlet duct 50 extends from the tangential inlet 56 of the cylindrical body 48 in a direction toward the bottom side 26 of the base 24 formed between a forward duct wall 5 land a rearward duct wall 53. The suction inlet duct 50 includes a suction opening 60 that draws debris from the surface 18 into the cylindrical body 48 along with the suction airflow. The debris and the suction airflow exit the cylindrical body 48 through the outlet 58. In the illustrated embodiment, the floor cleaner 10 includes only a single suction opening 60 for drawing suction airflow into the floor cleaner 10 and the collection container 20.

[0023] The cylindrical body 48 has a length 62 that extends from the first end 52 to the second end 54 of the cylindrical body 48. In the illustrated embodiment, the suction opening 60 extends along the entire length 62 of the cylindrical body 48. In other embodiments, the suction opening 60 extends along at least 50 percent of the length 62 of the cylindrical body 48. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the cylindrical body 48 and the suction opening 60 extend along entire width of base 24 (i.e., from the first lateral side 34 of the base 24 to the second lateral side 36 of the base 24).

[0024] The cylindrical body 48 also has a cross-sectional diameter 64 measured through the nozzle axis 70 as shown in Fig. 5. The suction opening 60 has a width 72 measured in a direction from the forward side 30 of the base 24 to the rearward side 32 as shown in Fig. 5 or in the direction of forward and rearward travel of the base 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the width 72 is the same as the dimension between the forward duct wall 51 and the rearward duct wall 53 measured perpendicular to axis 80. In one embodiment, the width 72 is less than the dimension between the forward duct wall 5 land the rearward duct wall 53. In one embodiment, the width 72 is less than 35 percent of the cross-sectional diameter 64. In other embodiments, the width 72 is less than 15 percent of the cross-sectional diameter 64. In one embodiment the cross-sectional diameter 64 is 30mm diameter. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional diameter 64 is 25mm diameter. Other diameters may be selected as desired for the floor cleaner application. In one embodiment, the width 72 is 2.6 mm. In one embodiment, the width 72 is 3 mm. Other widths may be selected as desired for the floor cleaner application.

[0025] The outlet 58 of the cylindrical body 48 has a width 74 measured parallel to the nozzle axis 70 as shown in Fig. 3. In one embodiment, the width 74 of the outlet 58 is in a range from 15 percent to 100 percent of the length 62 of the cylindrical body 44. In another embodiment, the width 74 of the outlet 58 is in a range from 15 percent to 35 percent of the length 62 of the cylindrical body 48. In yet another embodiment (e.g., Fig. 8), the width 74 of the outlet 58 is in a range from 65 percent to 100 percent of the length 62 of the cylindrical body 44. In yet another embodiment, the width 74 of the outlet 58 is less than 15 percent of the length 62 of the cylindrical body 44.

[0026] The brush roll 38 is located outside of the cylindrical body 48. The cylindrical body 48 is separated from the brush roll chamber 40 and the brush roll 38 is not located inside the cylindrical body 48. The brush roll 38 is between the cylindrical body 48 and the rearward side 32 of the base 24. In one embodiment, the cylindrical body 48 is nested in the base adjacent the brush roll 38.

[0027] The suction inlet duct 50 extends along the nozzle axis 70 and parallel to the nozzle axis 70 in the illustrated embodiment. A suction inlet duct axis 80 extends centrally through the suction opening 60 and centrally through the tangential inlet 56 of the cylindrical body 48 as shown in Fig. 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the suction inlet duct axis 80 is vertically orientated and the suction inlet duct axis 80 is perpendicular to the surface 18 to be cleaned. In other embodiments, the suction inlet duct axis 80 may be vertically orientated and at an oblique angle relative to the surface 18. The suction inlet duct 50 includes a length 82 measured from the suction opening 60 to the tangential inlet 56 along the suction inlet duct axis 80 as shown in Fig. 5. In one embodiment, the length 82 of the suction inlet duct 50 is at least two times the width 72 of the suction opening 60. In other embodiments, the length 82 of the suction inlet duct 50 is at least three times the width 72 of the suction opening 60. The length 82 is measured along the duct walls 51, 53 parallel to the axis 80 in the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the length 82 is such that the inlet duct 50 is long enough to space the cylindrical body 48 from the surface 18.

[0028] The illustrated suction inlet duct 50 extends along the forward side 30 of the base 24 and the forward side of the cylindrical body 48. This enables a user to maneuver the suction opening 60 near a wall or other obstruction when moving the floor cleaner 10 in the forward direction. In one embodiment, the suction inlet duct 50 extends along the rearward side 32 of the cylindrical body 48. The suction inlet duct 50 and the suction opening 60 extend from the first end 52 to the second end 54 of the cylindrical body 48.

[0029] The nozzle 44 further includes a nozzle outlet duct 84 that extends from the outlet 58 of the cylindrical body 48 toward the suction source 12. The nozzle outlet duct 84 directs the airflow and debris toward the collection container 20. The nozzle outlet duct 84 includes an inlet 86 and an outlet 88. The inlet 86 of the nozzle outlet duct 84 is adjacent the outlet 58 of the cylindrical body 48. The nozzle outlet duct 84 has a cross-sectional area that decreases in a direction from the inlet 86 toward the outlet 88. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the nozzle outlet duct 84 may decrease 40 to 80 percent from the inlet 86 to the outlet 88. In other embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the nozzle outlet duct 84 may decrease 40 to 60 percent from the inlet 86 to the outlet 88. In yet other embodiments, the cross- sectional area of the nozzle outlet duct 84 may decrease about 50 percent from the inlet 86 to the outlet 88. In yet other embodiments, the nozzle outlet duct 84 may have a uniform cross-sectional area from the inlet 86 to the outlet 88. The illustrated outlet duct 84 has a generally rectangular cross sectional shape. However, the outlet duct 84 could have any shape that will transport debris, such as oval, polygonal, or other shape.

[0030] In operation, the floor cleaner 10 is used to draw debris, which may include liquid and/or solid particles, through the suction opening 60 from the surface 18 using the suction airflow generated by the suction source 12. The suction inlet duct 50 is arranged to deliver the debris and air upwardly through the tangential inlet 56 of the nozzle 44, into the cylindrical body 48 and along an inside wall 90 of the cylindrical body 48. This creates a swirling or centrifugal flow within the cylindrical body 48 about the nozzle axis 70. The debris and air exit the cylindrical body 48 through outlet 58 and into the nozzle outlet duct 84 and flow to the collection container 20 where the debris and/or liquid separates from the airflow. Relatively clean and dry air exits the collection container 20 and travels to the suction source 12 and is discharged out of the floor cleaner 12. The cylindrical body 48 and the tangential inlet 56 of the nozzle 44 improves airflow into the suction opening 60 by improving distribution of pressure along the suction opening 60. Referring to the graph of Fig. 7, in prior nozzles, the airflow velocity near the ends of the suction opening of the prior nozzle was less than 10% of the airflow velocity into the center of the prior nozzle due to low suction pressure toward the ends of the suction opening. In contrast, in one embodiment of the nozzle 44 of the present disclosure, the airflow velocity near the ends 52, 54 of the suction opening 60 is greater than 50 percent of the airflow velocity near the center 92 of the suction opening 60. In another present embodiment, the airflow velocity near the ends 52, 54 of the suction opening 60 is greater than 60 percent of the airflow velocity near the center 92 of the suction opening 60, and may be greater than 70 percent of the airflow velocity near the center 92 of the suction opening 60. As shown in the embodiment of Fig. 8, the nozzle 44’ includes a wider width 74 of the outlet 58 and gradual transition to the duct outlet 88 further smooths the distribution of suction pressure across the suction opening 60 as shown in the graph of Fig. 7.

[0031] Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.