Vacuum Cleaner

The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners.

Some vacuum cleaners are arranged to convey information to a user via an electronic visual display. For instance a vacuum cleaner may have a single light to indicate a fault state, an array of lights to indicate remaining battery power (in the case of a battery-powered vacuum cleaner), or a screen which can display more comprehensive information such as text or pictures.

One problem with such vacuum cleaners is that the electronic visual display may only be visible from certain angles, meaning that the vacuum cleaner cannot convey information to the user when viewed from other angles.

It is one object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate the above disadvantage, and/or to provide an improved or alternative vacuum cleaner.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising a first electronic visual indicator and a second electronic visual indicator, wherein the first and second electronic visual indicators face in different directions.

The two electronic visual indicators facing different directions may improve the chances that at least one of them is visible during use of the vacuum cleaner, thereby increasing the likelihood that the vacuum cleaner can convey information to the user. For example, one of the electronic visual indicators may face in a direction which makes it particularly clearly visible during normal use, with the other electronic visual indicator facing in a direction which makes it particularly clearly visible during charging (for instance with the vacuum cleaner positioned in a charging dock).

An electronic visual indicator may be considered to be any electronic component which is capable of selectively providing one or more visual signals to a user, for instance an LED or incandescent light bulb or a screen. The direction in which an electronic visual indicator faces may be considered to be the average direction of light emanating therefrom (or reflected thereby where the electronic visual indicator does not emit light). For example, in the case of a screen the direction in which it faces is normal to the plane of the screen, or in the case of a conventional shape LED the direction in which it faces is normal to the outermost surface thereon (e.g. the top of a domed tip where the LED is generally bulb-shaped).

Two electronic visual indicators may be considered to face in different directions if vectors representing the directions in which they face are non-parallel. For example, a car’s two headlights face in the same direction, since (generally speaking) vectors representing the directions in which they face run parallel to one another (in the forward direction). As another example, one of a car’s headlights and one of its brake lights do not face in the same direction, since vectors representing the directions in which they face run anti-parallel to one another (i.e. one faces forwards and one faces rearwards).

The first electronic visual indicator may be an electronic visual display.

An electronic visual display is an electronic visual indicator which is capable of displaying at least three different conditions. For instance, an array of lights which can be lit in different combinations (for example a single digit seven segment display, which comprises an array of elongate lights which can be light in combinations to display the digits 0-9). An electronic visual display is therefore distinct from a single light, for example, which can display only two conditions (on or off).

The vacuum cleaner having an electronic visual display can increase the amount of information which can be conveyed to the user.

The electronic visual display may be a screen.

This may further increase the amount of information which can be conveyed to the user. For example, a screen may show a schematic of the vacuum cleaner or may display text, whereas a simpler type of electronic visual display (such as the seven segment display discussed above) may have more limited functionality. The screen may be an LCD screen such as a TFT screen, an LED screen such as an OLED screen, or any other suitable type of screen such as an‘e-paper’ screen.

The second electronic visual indicator may consist essentially of one or more discrete lights.

This may reduce the complexity, and therefore cost of production, of the vacuum cleaner in comparison to one where the second electronic visual indicator is more intricate.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a third electronic visual indicator which faces in a different direction to the first and second electronic visual indicators.

The vacuum cleaner having a third electronic visual indicator, facing in a different direction to either of the first and second, may further increase the range of angles through which the vacuum cleaner can convey information.

Said electronic visual indicators may face in directions which are no less than 10 degrees, for instance no less than 20 degrees or no less than 30 degrees, to one another.

Preferably, said electronic visual indicators face in directions which are no less than 40 degrees, for instance no less than 50 degrees, no less than 60 degrees, no less than 70 degrees or no less than 80 degrees, to one another.

The electronic visual indicators facing in such different directions may further increase the range of angles over which the vacuum cleaner can convey information.

The angle between two directions can be calculated by translating vectors in those directions so that they intersect, then measuring the angle defined between them.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise:

a pistol grip which is positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner that runs from a front end to a rear end thereof; and an air inlet positioned forward of the pistol grip,

and one of the electronic visual indicators may face generally rearwards.

In use, the user holds the vacuum cleaner by the pistol grip and‘points’ the longitudinal axis towards an area to be cleaned in a manner akin to pointing a pistol at a target, so as to direct the air inlet (or a suction tool attached thereto) to that area. One of the electronic visual indicators facing generally rearwards means that it more clearly visible to the user during use. In contrast, if the electronic visual indicators all faced in other directions, the user may have to discontinue use and reposition the vacuum cleaner so as to gather information.

It is preferably the first electronic visual indicator which faces generally rearwards

Said electronic visual indicator may be positioned axially rearwards of the pistol grip.

This may make said electronic visual display indicator for the user to see, for instance avoiding the possibility of the pistol grip (or the user’s hand) obscuring part of the electronic visual indicator.

As an alternative, said electronic visual indicator may be positioned axially in line with or in front of the pistol grip, in which case it may be displaced from the pistol grip in a radial direction about the longitudinal axis so as to reduce the risk of the pistol grip (or the user’s hand) obscuring it.

The vacuum cleaner may comprise a battery pack arranged to power the vacuum cleaner.

The presence of multiple electronic visual indicators on a battery-powered vacuum cleaner may be somewhat counter-intuitive in that electrical power is at a premium, and steps are generally taken to ensure that as much power as possible is delivered to the vacuum motor rather than peripheral systems. However, the inventors of the present application have discovered that presence of the electronic visual indicators can allow the remaining power to be used more efficiently, and/or offer a greater level of ‘user friendliness’, thereby compensating for the power used by the electronic visual indicators themselves.

The battery pack may be removable from the vacuum cleaner

The first and second electronic visual indicators may be configured to display information relating to the battery pack.

Information relating to the battery is likely to be pertinent to the user at more times than other pieces of information. For instance, during use the user may need to know when the battery is getting low, and when charging the user may need to know when charging is nearing completion. It may therefore be particularly beneficial for both the first and second electronic visual indicators to convey such information.

The first and second electronic visual indicators may be configured to indicate that charging is in progress and/or that charging is complete.

Alternatively, the information relating to the battery may be the remaining charge level of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, or the predicted duration of use remaining before recharging is required.

One of the electronic visual indicators may be provided on the battery pack.

Said electronic visual indicator being provided on the battery may allow electrical power to be delivered to the indicator from the battery relatively easily, whereas if that indicator were provided further away then a greater length of electrical wiring would be required. Further, where said electronic visual indicator is configured to display information relating to the battery, it may be particularly intuitive for the user to look at the battery when desiring that information.

The vacuum cleaner may be a handheld vacuum cleaner.

A handheld vacuum cleaner is generally viewed over a wider range of angles during use than an upright vacuum cleaner or a cylinder vacuum cleaner, therefore the benefits of multiple electronic visual indicators facing in different directions (discussed above) may be particularly beneficial.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a stick vacuum cleaner comprising:

a handheld vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the invention;

a cleaner head defining a suction opening; and

an elongate rigid wand defining a suction path which extends from the cleaner head to the air inlet of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

Where the vacuum cleaner is a stick vacuum cleaner which comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner may be viewed over an even wider range of angles during use. The benefits of multiple electronic visual indicators facing in different directions (discussed above) may therefore be even more beneficial.

According to an arrangement useful for understanding the invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising:

an inlet through which dirty air can be drawn into the vacuum cleaner and an exhaust through which cleaned air can be expelled from the vacuum cleaner;

an air flow passage extending from the suction nozzle to the exhaust through a dirt separator;

a vacuum motor arranged to draw a flow of air through the vacuum cleaner from the suction nozzle to the exhaust, the vacuum motor comprising an electric motor and an impeller which rotates about a motor axis; and

an electronic visual display configured to display information relating to the vacuum cleaner,

wherein:

the vacuum motor is housed inside a motor bucket which is positioned in the flow passage; and

the electronic visual display is mounted to the motor bucket and supported thereby.

The electronic visual display being mounted on and supported by the motor bucket may be beneficial in that the motor bucket is generally a strong component (since it is required to house the vacuum motor, which is generally a relatively heavy component). The risk of the electronic visual display detaching due to mechanical failure of the component supporting it can therefore be reduced. Also, since the motor bucket contains electrical wiring (in order for power to reach the electric motor), it can be relatively simple to run additional wiring to the electronic visual display. In contrast, where the display is positioned elsewhere it may be necessary to modify the design of the vacuum cleaner so as to allow the necessary wiring to run to and from the display.

It is to be understood that an electronic visual display is distinct from a single light. Such a light has two conditions, on or off, whereas a display device is capable of displaying at least three different conditions. For instance, the display device may comprise an array of lights which can be lit in different combinations (for example a single digit seven segment display, which comprises an array of elongate lights which can be light in combinations to display the digits 0-9).

The electronic visual display may be a screen.

This may provide an advantageously high resolution display, thereby allowing more information and/or a wider range of different pieces of information to be presented to the user. For example, if the electronic visual display was a screen then it may be capable of showing an image, whereas if the electronic visual display was a single digit seven segment display then the information which the display could show would be limited to the digits 0-9 (possibly with the addition of other patterns such as may denote the letters E, L, b, h, etc).

The screen may be an LCD screen such as a TFT screen, an LED screen such as an OLED screen, or any other suitable type of screen such as an‘e-paper’ screen.

As an alternative, the electronic visual display may comprise an array of individual lights (for instance a seven segment display of one or more digits, for instance, two, three, four or more digits). This may reduce the cost of the vacuum cleaner.

The electronic visual display may be configured to selectively display at least two different colours. For instance, where the display is a screen said screen may be a full colour screen.

The electronic visual display being able to display different colours can allow more information to be displayed than a monotone display, and/or may allow the information presented to the user to be more intuitive. For instance, the display may show an error message in red and an all-clear message in green, providing the user with an indication of the state of the vacuum cleaner at a glance without relying on them reading the message.

As an alternative, the electronic visual display may be a monotone display such as an array of single colour lights, or a monochrome screen. This may reduce the cost of the vacuum cleaner.

The motor bucket may be mounted to the vacuum cleaner in cantilevered fashion.

The motor bucket being mounted in cantilevered fashion can allow the motor bucket to act as a shock absorber, for instance in the event that the vacuum cleaner is dropped. When a shock is imparted to the vacuum cleaner, the motor bucket may flex slightly about the end at which it is attached to the vacuum cleaner. By mounting the display away from this end, the g-forces experienced by the display (and thus the risk of the display being damaged) can be reduced.

The motor bucket may have an inlet which is configured to allow air to enter the motor bucket in a generally radial direction.

This may allow the motor bucket, and thus the vacuum cleaner as a whole, to be advantageously compact in the axial direction relative to the motor axis. Instead or as well, it may allow the provision of advantageously simple or efficient ducting to the motor bucket inlet.

The motor bucket may have an outlet which is configured to allow air to exit the motor bucket in a generally radial direction. Again, this may allow the motor bucket and thus the vacuum cleaner to be advantageously compact in the axial direction, and/or may allow the provision of advantageously simple or efficient ducting from the motor bucket outlet.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a control member configured to receive a control input from a user, the control member being positioned adjacent to the electronic visual display.

This may allow the same benefits discussed above in relation to the display, to be provided in relation to the control member. Further, the control member being adjacent to the electronic visual display may allow the user to view the display and operate the control member at the same time, rather than having to re-orient the vacuum cleaner between viewing the electronic visual display and looking at the control member to operate it.

The control member may be, for example, a push-button, a rotatable knob or a slider. The control member may be an on/off switch for the vacuum motor, a mode select switch (such as a vacuum motor speed control), and/or a switch which is configured to change the information which is displayed on the electronic visual display.

The vacuum cleaner may comprise a plurality of control members positioned adjacent to the electronic visual display.

The electronic visual display may project through or be visible through an aperture in a removable component

This may allow both the user-removable component and the electronic visual display to be located in the same area of the vacuum cleaner (for instance a particularly clearly visible and/or easily accessible area) without the electronic visual display needing to be mounted on the user-removable component (which may complicate the power and/or data supply to the electronic visual display). Instead or as well, the user-removable component may provide protection for the display against knocks and the like. The aperture may be fully enclosed (for instance it may be a circular through-hole), or may be open-sided (for instance the aperture may be U-shaped and encircle only a portion of the circumference of the electronic visual display).

The user-removable component may be generally annular. For example, the user- removable component may fit around a component of the vacuum cleaner (for instance a motor housing or a component thereof such as an motor bucket) like a sleeve.

The user-removable component may be removable from the vacuum cleaner by moving it in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

The user removable component may comprise a pre-motor filter which is positionable in a fluid path upstream of the vacuum motor.

The pre-motor filter is preferably positionable downstream of the dirt separator.

Instead or as well, the user removable component may comprise a post-motor filter which is positionable in a fluid path downstream of the vacuum motor

The removable component may provide the air outlet of the vacuum cleaner.

The removable component comprising both pre-motor and post-motor filters may be particularly advantageous in that both filters can be removed together for cleaning or other maintenance, which may make the vacuum cleaner more user friendly.

As an alternative, the screen may be visible through or project through an aperture in a non-removable component. The non-removable component may be a filter assembly which comprises a pre-motor filter and/or a post-motor filter.

The removable component may be removable in an axial direction and slidably engage the motor bucket. The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a pre-motor filter positioned in the air flow passage upstream of the vacuum motor, the pre-motor filter axially overlapping with, and being positioned radially outward of, the motor bucket.

This may provide an advantageously compact arrangement, or an arrangement which can be assembled or disassembled with advantageous speed or ease. Instead or as well, it may provide aerodynamic advantages such as reducing flow losses or noise.

As noted above, the pre-motor filter may be part of a user-removable component.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise a post-motor filter positioned in the air flow passage downstream of the vacuum motor, the post-motor filter axially overlapping with, and being positioned radially outward of, the motor bucket.

This may provide an advantageously compact arrangement, or an arrangement which can be assembled or disassembled with advantageous speed or ease. Instead or as well, it may provide aerodynamic advantages such as reducing flow losses or noise.

As noted above, the post-motor filter may be part of a user-removable component.

The motor bucket may be generally cylindrical.

This may allow assembly/disassembly of the vacuum cleaner to be advantageously simple, for instance where a component such as a user-removable component fits around the motor bucket by moving it in a radial direction (for instance through sliding engagement). Instead or as well, it may allow for a more radially compact arrangement. In contrast, if the diameter of the motor bucket changed considerably along its axial length then a component which fits around the motor bucket may have to have a bore of internal diameter as large as the largest diameter of the motor bucket. The space between the bore and the narrower portion of the motor bucket may then be wasted.

The electronic visual display may be supported on an axial end surface of the motor bucket. This may allow a stronger or more compact attachment mechanism to be utilised. In contrast, if the electronic visual display were attached to an arcuate outer surface of the motor bucket there may be relatively little contact area between the display and the motor bucket, reducing the strength of the attachment, and the space between the parts of the display and the motor bucket which do not touch may be wasted.

The vacuum cleaner may further comprise one or more electrical wires leading to or from the electronic visual display, said wires running inside the motor bucket.

The motor bucket may therefore be able to protect these wires from wear and/or knocks, in contrast to an arrangement where wires ran along the outside of the motor bucket.

The vacuum cleaner may be a handheld vacuum cleaner.

Space is at a particular premium in such vacuum cleaners, therefore the increased compactness discussed above may be particularly advantageous.

The presence of an electronic visual display on a handheld vacuum cleaner may be somewhat counter-intuitive in that such vacuum cleaners are generally battery powered, therefore electrical power is at a premium and steps are generally taken to ensure that as much power as possible is delivered to the vacuum motor rather than peripheral systems. However, the inventors of the present application have discovered that presence of the electronic visual display can allow the remaining power to be used more efficiently (for instance by alerting the user that the vacuum cleaner is blocked so that they do not waste power attempting to continue use), and/or offer a greater level of ‘user friendliness’, thereby compensating for the power used by the electronic visual display itself.

The handheld vacuum cleaner may further comprise a pistol grip and a battery pack arranged to power the vacuum motor and/or the electronic visual display, and the motor bucket and the battery pack may be positioned at opposite ends of the pistol grip. The vacuum motor and the battery pack being positioned at opposite ends of the pistol grip positions the vacuum motor and the battery pack (generally two of the heaviest components of the vacuum cleaner) on opposite sides of the user’s wrist. This can make the vacuum cleaner more manoeuvrable and/or easier to use for extended periods of time.

Optionally the vacuum cleaner comprises a pistol grip which is positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner that runs from a front end to a rear end thereof, and an air inlet positioned forward of the pistol grip, and the electronic visual display which faces generally rearwards.

In use, the user holds such a vacuum cleaner by the pistol grip and ‘points’ the longitudinal axis towards an area to be cleaned in a manner akin to pointing a pistol at a target, so as to direct the air inlet (or a suction tool attached thereto) to that area. The electronic visual display facing generally rearwards means that it more clearly visible to the user during use. In contrast, if the electronic visual display faced in a different direction, the user may have to discontinue use and reposition the vacuum cleaner so as to view the electronic visual display.

Reference to the handheld vacuum cleaner having a longitudinal axis is not intended to imply that the handheld vacuum cleaner is elongate or comprises an elongate component. Rather, the longitudinal axis of a handheld vacuum cleaner may be considered to be the direction in which the user‘points’ the vacuum cleaner to direct it. Nonetheless, in some cases the handheld vacuum cleaner may comprise an elongate body the longitudinal axis of which is collinear with the longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner. Said elongate body may be, for example, a main body, a motor housing, a rotational axis of a dirt separation stage or an elongate duct section of the air inlet.

For the avoidance of doubt, reference to a vacuum cleaner exhausting clean air is intended to mean that some dirt entrained therein has been removed by the dirt separator. It is not intended to imply that the‘clean’ air has had all dirt removed therefrom. The pistol grip is preferably positioned at an angle of more than 50 degrees, for instance more than 60 degrees or more than 70 degrees, to the longitudinal axis. In some embodiments the pistol grip may be positioned substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. However, the pistol grip is preferably positioned at an angle of less than 85 degrees or less than 80 degrees to the longitudinal axis. This may allow the position of the user’s hand to be positioned more naturally, thereby making the handheld vacuum cleaner more comfortable to use for extended periods.

The pistol grip is preferably positioned so that the longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to (for instance in line with) the forearm of a user when the user grips the pistol grip with a straight wrist. This may make the handheld vacuum cleaner more comfortable to use and/or more intuitive to point in different directions.

The electronic visual display may be substantially planar, and positioned at an angle of no more than 20 degrees to the longitudinal axis.

For instance, the electronic visual display may be positioned at an angle of no more than 10 degrees to the longitudinal axis or may be substantially normal to the longitudinal axis. This may increase the visibility of the electronic visual display by reducing the viewing angle when the user looks along the longitudinal axis.

The electronic visual display may be positioned axially rearwards of the pistol grip.

This may make the electronic visual display easier for the user to see, for instance avoiding the possibility of the pistol grip (or the user’s hand) obscuring part of the electronic visual display.

As an alternative, the electronic visual display may be positioned axially in line with or in front of the pistol grip, in which case it may be displaced from the pistol grip in a radial direction about the longitudinal axis so as to reduce the risk of the pistol grip (or the user’s hand) obscuring it.

The pistol grip may be positionable in a generally vertical orientation when the longitudinal axis is horizontal, the pistol grip extending from a lower end configured to be gripped by the little finger and/or ring finger of the user to an upper end configured to be gripped by the index finger and/or middle finger of the user, and the electronic visual display may be positioned radially above the pistol grip.

This may position the electronic visual display advantageously close to the line of sight of a user during use. For instance, the electronic visual display may be positioned at a location equivalent to the rear sight of a pistol.

As an alternative, the electronic visual display may be positioned to one side of the pistol grip (whereupon the user may view the display more clearly by rotating the vacuum cleaner slightly about the longitudinal axis.

Where the vacuum cleaner comprises a control member, the control member may face generally rearwards.

For instance where the control member is a push-button the button may be movable generally in a direction parallel to (for instance collinear with) the longitudinal axis, or where the control member is a rotatable knob the knob may project along and be rotatable around an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

This may make the control member particularly easy to operate when viewing the electronic visual display, and/or may make it easier for the user to view the state of the control member (for instance the rotational position of a knob) while looking at the electronic visual display.

As an alternative, the control member may face in any other suitable direction. For instance the control member may be a knob which projects generally laterally, and can be rotated‘up’ or‘down’ by the user when looking at the electronic visual display.

The longitudinal axis may intersect the electronic visual display.

This may make the electronic visual display easier to see when the user is looking along the longitudinal axis than if the electronic visual display were positioned offset to the longitudinal axis. The dirt separator may have a generally cylindrical outer wall which is substantially concentrically positioned around the longitudinal axis.

Alternatively the dirt separator may take any other suitable form. For example, it may define an outer wall of any other suitable shape, or may define a generally cylindrical outer wall which is positioned about an axis which is parallel to or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Said outer wall may define said dirt receptacle.

Alternatively or in addition, the outer wall may define the perimeter of an inertial separator such as a cyclonic separator.

The longitudinal axis may intersect the suction inlet. The air inlet may define an inlet axis. The inlet axis may be parallel to, for instance collinear with, the longitudinal axis of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The motor may define an axis about which its rotor rotates, said axis being parallel to (for instance collinear with) the longitudinal axis.

The electronic visual display may be positioned behind the vacuum motor.

The vacuum cleaner may be a stick vacuum which comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner as discussed above, a cleaner head defining a suction opening, and an elongate rigid wand defining a suction path which extends from the cleaner head to the air inlet of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The wand may be positioned substantially parallel to longitudinal axis. For instance, the wand may be substantially collinear with the longitudinal axis.

The wand is preferably removably connected to the handheld vacuum cleaner and the cleaner head. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stick vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a handheld vacuum cleaner of the stick vacuum cleaner of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the handheld vacuum cleaner of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the handheld vacuum cleaner of Figures 2 and 3, with a removable component separated therefrom; and

Figure 5 is a rear view of a lower part of the handheld vacuum cleaner of Figures 2-4.

Throughout the description and drawings, corresponding reference numerals denote corresponding features.

Figure 1 shows a stick vacuum cleaner 2 according to an embodiment of the invention. The stick vacuum cleaner comprises a handheld vacuum cleaner 4 which is connected to a floor tool 6 in the form of a cleaner head by an elongate rigid wand 8. In this case the wand is attachable to an air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner, and to a rear duct 12 of the cleaner head 6. The wand 8 is generally tubular, the space inside forming a suction path which extends from the cleaner head 6 to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4.

The cleaner head 6 has a sole plate 14 which is configured to engage a floor surface, and which has a suction opening (not visible) through which dirty air (i.e. air with entrained dirt) from the floor surface can be sucked into the cleaner head 6. A vacuum motor (not visible) which comprises an electric motor and an impeller is housed in the handheld vacuum cleaner 4. In use, the electric motor rotates the impeller about a motor axis (not visible), which draws a flow of air through an air flow passage defined inside the vacuum cleaner 2. Dirty air from a floor surface is drawn into the cleaner head 6 through the suction opening (not visible) in the sole plate 14, then runs along the inside of the wand 8 and into the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The wand 8 is releasably attachable to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, so that the handheld vacuum cleaner can be used on its own (or with a tool attached to the air inlet 10). The wand 8 is also releasably attachable to the cleaner head 6, so that different floor tools can be fitted to the wand. Furthermore, the rear duct 12 of the cleaner head 6 can be attached directly to the air inlet 10 of the handheld vacuum cleaner so that the cleaner head 6 can be used in conjunction with the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 rather than being limited to use as part of the stick vacuum cleaner 2.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 defines a longitudinal axis 16 is collinear with the motor axis referred to above. The motor axis/longitudinal axis 16 runs from a front end 18 of the handheld vacuum cleaner to a rear end 20, and intersects the air inlet 10. When it is attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4, the wand 8 is parallel to (and in this case collinear with) the longitudinal axis 16. The handheld vacuum cleaner further comprises a pistol grip 22 which is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. The pistol grip 22 is positioned rearward of the air inlet 10, i.e. the axial position of the pistol grip is further towards the rear end 20 than the air inlet. In other words, the air inlet 10 is positioned forward of the pistol grip 22 (in that the axial position of the air inlet is further towards the front end 18 than the pistol grip).

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 2 to 4, which show the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 in isolation, in conjunction with Figure 1.

As noted above, the pistol grip 22 is positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis 16. In this case, the pistol grip 22 is positioned at an angle of around 75 degrees to the longitudinal axis 16. As shown in Figures 1-4, with the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 positioned with the longitudinal axis 16 horizontal, the pistol grip 22 can positioned in a generally vertical orientation, running from a lower end 24 to an upper end 26. The upper end 26 has a trigger 28 which forms the on/off switch for the handheld vacuum cleaner 4. The handheld vacuum 4 cleaner comprises a first housing 30 positioned at the upper end 26 of the pistol grip 22, and a second housing 32 positioned at the lower end 24 of the pistol grip 22. The first and second housings 30, 32 are attached to one another by the pistol grip 22, and by a support strut 34 which in this case runs generally parallel to the pistol grip 22.

In this embodiment the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 is battery powered. An array of batteries (not visible) are provided in the second housing 32, the batteries and second housing 32 forming a battery pack. In some embodiments the battery pack may be removable, but in this case it is permanently attached. The batteries are rechargeable, and are charged in situ by plugging a charging cable into a charging port (not shown) of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4.

The first housing 30 comprises a motor housing 38 and a separator support 40. The motor housing 38 is generally elongate and defines a longitudinal axis which is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16 (and thus of the motor axis). The motor housing 38 houses the vacuum motor 42 in a motor bucket 38a, and supports a filter assembly 44. As mentioned above, the vacuum motor 42 comprises an electric motor 46 and an impeller 48. The electric motor 46 is configured to receive power from the batteries (not visible) so as to drive the impeller 48 to rotate about the motor axis 16. Rotation of the impeller 48 creates a flow of air through the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 (as discussed in more detail below) and thereby generates suction at the air inlet 10.

The separator support 40 supports a dirt separator 50 which is configured to remove dirt from the air that is drawn into the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 through the air inlet 10. The dirt separator 50 of this embodiment comprises a first separation stage 52 and a second separation stage 54. The first separation stage 52 has a single cyclone chamber 56 formed by an upper portion of a transparent bin 58, a porous cylindrical shroud 60, and a first dirt collection chamber 62 which is formed by a lower portion of the bin 58 and an openable lid 64. The bin 58 takes the form of a cylindrical outer wall which is concentrically positioned around the longitudinal axis 16. With the bin 58 being concentrically positioned, the rotational axis of the first separation stage 52 (i.e. the rotational axis of the cyclone which forms inside the cyclone chamber 56) is collinear with the longitudinal axis.

Behind the shroud 60 is an air passage 66 which surrounds an inner wall 68 and leads to the second separation stage 54. The second separation stage 54 has a plurality of cyclone chambers 70 arranged in parallel. The cyclone chambers 70 have respective tangential inlets 72 which branch off from the air passage 66, open ends 74 configured as dirt outlets, and air outlets in the form of vortex finders 76. The second separation stage 54 also has a second dirt collection chamber 78 which is defined between the inner wall 40 and a duct 80 of the air inlet 10. The duct 80 is generally elongate, defining an inlet axis which is parallel to, and in this case collinear with, the longitudinal axis/motor axis 16.

The filter assembly 44 comprises a casing 82, a pre-motor filter 84 and a post-motor filter 86. The casing 82 defines a pair of grid-like air outlets 88 through which clean air (i.e. air from which at least some of the entrained dirt had been separated therefrom) is exhausted from the handheld vacuum cleaner 4. The pre-motor filter 84 is positioned upstream of the vacuum motor 42 and downstream of the dirt separator 50, and is configured to filter out small dirt particles which were not removed by the dirt separator 50 before they can reach the vacuum motor 42. The pre-motor filter 84 comprises a layered wad of porous felt which in this case including a layer of an electrostatic felt such as is sold under the name Technostat’. The post-motor filter 86 is positioned downstream of the vacuum motor 42 and upstream of the air outlets 88. The post motor filter 86 is configured to filter any dirt particles which may be released by the electric motor 46 (for instance debris from carbon brushes of the electric motor 46). In this case the post-motor filter 86 is a pleated glass fibre HEPA filter. The filters 84, 86 are annular in shape and share a common axis, which in this embodiment is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16. Indeed, the entire filter assembly 44 is annular, and is positioned substantially concentrically around the longitudinal axis 16.

In this embodiment the filter assembly 44 is a user-removable component, allowing the user to remove the filter assembly so as to wash or replace the filters 84, 86. The dirt separator 50, first housing 30 and filter assembly 44 together form an elongate main body 93 the longitudinal axis of which is collinear with the longitudinal axis 16 of the handheld vacuum cleaner. The filter assembly 44 can be removed from the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 by moving it in the direction of the longitudinal axis 16.

When attached to the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 the filter assembly 44 fits radially around a cylindrical motor bucket 38a of the motor housing 38 like a sleeve such that both the pre-motor filter 84 and the post-motor filter 86 axially overlap the motor bucket 38a, and the pre-motor filter 84 projects into an outer cover 38b of the motor housing.

The motor bucket 38a is most clearly visible in Figure 4. As noted above, the motor bucket 38a houses the vacuum motor 42. The motor bucket 38a is positioned in the air flow path along which the flow of air passes through the vacuum cleaner 4. It has a front array of apertures 90 which provide a motor bucket inlet through which air can flow in a radial direction (in this case radially inwards). The inlet formed by the apertures 90 provides fluid communication between the pre-motor filter 84 and the vacuum motor 42. The motor bucket 38 also has a rear array of apertures 92 which provide a motor bucket outlet through which air can flow in a radial direction (in this case radially outwards). The outlet formed by the apertures 92 provides fluid communication between the vacuum motor 42 and the post-motor filter 86.

The motor bucket 38a is mounted to the vacuum cleaner 4 in cantilevered fashion - the forward axial end 99 of the motor bucket 38 is fixed to the remainder of the motor housing 38 and the rear axial end 101 projects (in this case axially rearwards) in unsupported fashion.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 comprises a first electronic visual indicator 100, more particularly an electronic visual display, which in this embodiment faces rearwards so that it faces generally towards the user during use. In this case the electronic visual display 100 is a screen, more particularly a planar, full colour, backlit TFT screen. The screen 100 is configured to receive power from the batteries (not visible) and display information to the user. The screen can be configured to display any suitable pieces of information (such as an error message, an indication of the mode the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 is in, etc) to the user. In this case, among the information that the screen 10 can display is information relating to the battery pack. More particularly, when the vacuum cleaner 4 is in use the screen 10 is configured to display the remaining runtime left in the battery (for the power level that the vacuum cleaner is being used in). Further, when the vacuum cleaner is being charged the screen 100 displays an icon to show that charging is in progress and display the percentage charge level of the battery.

The screen 100 is mounted on and supported by the motor bucket 38a. More particularly, the screen 100 is fixed to an axial end surface defined by the rear end 101 of the motor bucket 38a, behind the vacuum motor 42. The screen 100 is located such that it is intersected by the motor axis / longitudinal axis 16. The screen 100 is therefore situated above the pistol grip 22 for ease of visibility, and for the same reason is positioned axially behind the pistol grip 22.

The screen 100 receives power from the batteries (not visible) via a PCB 103 mounted on the electric motor 46 of the vacuum motor 42. Wires 105 run from the PCB 103 to the screen, through the inside of the motor bucket 38a. The wires are therefore safe from damage (for instance as the user installs or removes the filter assembly 44.

The screen 100 is visible through an aperture 102 in the filter assembly 44 which takes the form of a circular through-hole in the casing 82 of the filter assembly 44. In this case the screen 100 is recessed slightly with respect to the casing 82 such that the screen is viewed by looking through the aperture 102. In other cases, however, the core 38 of the motor housing 30 may extend slightly further rearwards such that the screen 100 projects through the aperture 102 and stands proud of the casing 82.

Positioned beneath the screen 100 (in the vertical direction defined by the pistol grip 22) is a pair of control members 104a, 104b, each of which is positioned adjacent to the screen 100 and is configured to receive a control input from the user. In this case each control member 104a, 104b takes the form of a push-button (therefore the control input is the user pressing that button). Like the screen, each control member 104a, 104b faces rearwards. The control members 104a, 104b are therefore pressed by pushing them forwards in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 16.

In this particular embodiment each control member 104a, 104b is configured to change the mode of the vacuum cleaner. More particularly, pressing the right hand control member 104b increases the speed level of the vacuum motor 42 (and thus increases the level of suction) and pressing the left hand control member 104a decreases the speed level of the vacuum motor 42.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 4 also has a second electronic visual indicator 106 (visible in Figures 2 and 4) and a third electronic visual indicator 108 (visible in Figure 1), each of which takes the form of a single discrete LED light. The second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 are substantially identical to one another, therefore only the second electronic visual indicator 106 will be described in detail.

The second electronic visual indicator 106 is positioned on the battery pack. More particularly, it is positioned within a recess in an angled surface 110 of the second housing 32 of the battery pack, such that an outer surface of the indicator 106 is flush with that surface.

A battery control PCB (not visible) positioned inside the second housing 32 selectively illuminates the second electronic visual indicator 106 so as to display information relating to the battery pack. More particularly, when the battery pack is empty the second electronic visual indicator 106 pulses rapidly, when the battery is being charged the electronic visual indicator pulses slowly, and when charging has been completed the electronic visual indicator remains off.

It will be apparent that the second electronic visual indicator 106 (and thus the third electronic visual indicator 108) does not provide any information which cannot be obtained from the screen 100. Indeed, the screen 100 provides information (the percentage charge of the battery) which cannot be obtained from the second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108. On the surface, therefore, the second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 may appear to be redundant and simply waste power. However, it may not always be possible for the user to easily see the screen 100. The second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 face in different directions to the screen 100 (the first electronic visual indicator), therefore may be visible to the user in circumstances where the screen is not. For example, when charging the battery pack, the user may store the vacuum vertically (for instance in a charging dock), at which point the screen may be positioned too high up to be seen easily. However, when stored in such a position one or both of the second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 may be easily visible. The user would therefore be able to ascertain when attempting to charge the vacuum cleaner 4 whether charging was in progress or was complete (or neither, which may suggest that the charger is not connected to the mains).

In this embodiment, the first and second electronic visual indicators 100, 106, face in markedly different directions to one another. Referring to Figures 2 and 4, the screen faces rearwards along the longitudinal axis 16. The second electronic visual indicator 106 faces in the direction of arrow A (which is normal to the outer surface of the indicator, and to the angled surface 110).

Arrow A has no component in the axial direction. Accordingly, vectors in the two directions would be perpendicular to one another - if the vectors (one running in the axially rearward direction and one running in the direction of arrow A) were translated to that they intersected, they would define an angle of 90 degrees between them. Accordingly, the first and second electronic visual indicators 100, 106 face in directions which are 90 degrees to one another. The third electronic visual indicator 108 is the mirror image of the second electronic visual indicator 106, therefore also faces in a direction which is 90 degrees to the direction in which the screen 100 faces.

The second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 also face in markedly different directions to one another. This is illustrated in Figure 5, which shows a lower part of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 from the rear. The direction in which the second electronic visual indicator 106 faces (arrow A) is around 35 degrees from the vertical. As a mirror image of this, the direction in which the third electronic visual indicator 108 faces (arrow B) is around 35 degrees in the opposite direction. Accordingly, if one were to translate vectors extending in these directions so that they intersected one another, they would define an angle 112 therebetween of around 70 degrees. The second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 therefore face in directions which are around 70 degrees from one another. It will be apparent that the second and third electronic visual indicators 106, 108 each being a single light significantly limits how much information they are able to convey. It may therefore seem preferable for each single light to be replaced by a small screen or the like. However, this would increase the cost and complexity of the vacuum cleaner, and likely its power consumption. In many cases the increased functionality is overridden by the resulting disadvantages. For instance, in the present embodiment the screen 100 being on the back of the machine means it is usually visible during normal use, and is only likely to be obscured when the vacuum cleaner is being charged (i.e. the vacuum cleaner is not being held by the pistol grip). It is relatively unlikely that when charging the vacuum cleaner 4 the user would want to know anything beyond whether or not charging is taking place or has finished. The increased functionality may therefore be of limited utility, and thus insufficient to justify the extra cost and complexity.

Having said this, the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 being able to convey more complex information from some angles (i.e. when the screen 100 is visible), rather than the user never being able to access this information, is likely to be important in many cases. Thus, in many circumstances the first electronic visual indicator 100 being a screen, and thus able to convey complex information, is of sufficient benefit to justify the increased cost and complexity in comparison to a machine where all three of the electronic visual indicators 100, 106, 108 are formed from one or more discrete lights.

General use of the stick vacuum cleaner 2 (and by extension the handheld vacuum cleaner 4) will now be described with reference to Figures 1-4, for the sake of completeness. The user grips the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 by the pistol grip 22, with their index finger and middle finger gripping the upper end 26 and their ring finger and little finger gripping the lower end 24. This positions the longitudinal axis 16 substantially in line with the user’s forearm when their wrist is straight. The user can then point longitudinal axis 16 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 towards an area of floor to be cleaned (by moving their forearm and/or wrist), thereby pointing the air inlet 10, wand 8 and cleaner head 6 towards that area.

When the user squeezes the trigger 28 with their index finger, power from the batteries is delivered to the electric motor 46 by wires (not visible) and the electric motor 46 rotates the impeller 48. The impeller creates a flow of air through the vacuum cleaner, drawing air into the air inlet 10 and exhausting it out of the air outlets 88. This creates suction at the air inlet 10 which draws air into the cleaner head 6 and up the wand 8 as described previously.

Dirty air which has entered the air inlet 10 from the cleaner head 6 through the wand 8 passes along the duct 80, an end section 94 of which turns the air flow radially outwards and then directs it to enter the cyclone chamber 56 of the first separation stage 52 tangentially. The air then spirals around the cyclone chamber 56, where coarse dirt is separated therefrom by centrifugal action and is deposited into the first dirt collection chamber 62. Air from which coarse dirt has been separated then passes through the shroud 60, through the air passage 66 and into the second separation stage 54. The air then splits into a series of streams, each of which enters one of the cyclone chambers 70 through its inlet 72 and forms a cyclone therein. Finer dirt is separated by centrifugal action and falls out of the open end 74 of the cyclone chamber 70 into the second dirt collection chamber 78, while air from which the finer dirt has been removed exits the cyclone chamber 70 through its vortex finder 76. From the vortex finders 76, the separate streams are then directed into the filter assembly 44. The air is then directed generally radially inwards, through the pre-motor filter 84, through the apertures 90 and into the electric motor 46. It then passes out axially of the electric motor 46, through the impeller 48, through the apertures 92 and through the post-motor filter 86. The clean air then runs out of the handheld vacuum cleaner 4 through the air outlets 88. Intermittently, the lid 64 is opened in known fashion so as to allow dirt to be emptied out of the dirt collection chambers 62, 78.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, in the above embodiment the control members 104a, 104b increment the speed of the vacuum motor 42 up and down. In other embodiments, however, they may be differently configured. For example, the control members 104a, 104b may toggle through different display modes in which the screen 100 displays different pieces of information, without affecting the cleaning characteristics of the handheld vacuum cleaner. As another example, one of the control members 104a, 104b may toggle through vacuum motor speeds and the other may toggle through display modes. As a further example, one of the control members 104a, 104b may turn the screen 100 on and off, and the other may turn the backlight on or off.

As another example, although in the above embodiment the motor bucket is the only housing positioned around the vacuum motor 42, in other embodiments the vacuum motor may have a casing around it which is located inside the motor bucket.

For the avoidance of doubt, the optional and/or preferred features described above may be utilised in any suitable combinations, and in particular in the combinations set out in the appended claims. Features described in relation to an arrangement useful for understanding the invention may also be applied to the invention, and/or features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may be applied to another aspect of the invention, where appropriate.