EP3560404B1 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

field of technology

The invention relates to a cleaning device with a housing, a cleaning accessory having a connection piece and an accessory connection formed on the housing for detachable connection to the connection piece of the cleaning accessory, the accessory connection facing a surface to be cleaned in relation to a normal usage position of the cleaning device, the cleaning device has a handle detachably arranged in the area of the accessory connection.

State of the art

Cleaning devices of the aforementioned type are well known in the prior art. These can be, for example, vacuum cleaners or damp mops. Cleaning devices of this type usually have a base device with a handle and/or a guide handle for guiding the cleaning device over a surface to be cleaned. During cleaning, the base unit stands, for example, on an attachment that is connected to the accessory connection and can have a brush or the like. In addition, the base unit can also be used to clean above-ground surfaces, in which case the base unit is then usually supported or guided with the assistance of a second hand.

The publication DE 10 2015 118 621 A1 discloses, for example, a cleaning device with a guide handle arranged on a handle and an additional handle arranged on the device housing, which can be pivoted from a rest position into a use position is. This additional handle can be used to carry the cleaning tool away or to guide it during an above floor cleaning.

Summary of the Invention

Proceeding from the prior art described above, it is the object of the invention to advantageously further develop a cleaning device in such a way that a comfortable and stable guidance of the cleaning device is optimized during cleaning above the floor, for example. This should also be possible in particular with relatively large and heavy cleaning devices, which are usually held in two hands for above-floor cleaning in order to prevent the cleaning device from oscillating or tipping over on one side.

In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the invention proposes that a handle base of the handle is arranged on the accessory connection and/or a connection piece of a cleaning accessory and is clamped between the accessory connection and the connection piece.

It is proposed that a handle base of the handle is arranged on the accessory connector and/or a connector of a cleaning accessory and is clamped between the accessory connector and the connector. The handle has a handle base which connects to a handle portion of the handle. The handle base is used to attach the handle to the cleaning device, while the handle portion is used for a user to grasp the handle. The handle base may be placed on either the accessory port for attachment to the cleaning implement and/or a cleaning accessory, which in turn may be connected to the accessory port. The handle base of the handle is between the accessory connector and the connector of the Clamped cleaning accessories, in which case the definition of the handle base of the handle on the cleaning device is carried out simultaneously with the attachment of the connecting piece of the cleaning accessories to the accessory connection. In the case of an intermediate arrangement of the handle base between the accessory connection of the housing and the connection piece of the cleaning accessory, the material thickness of the handle base is advantageously selected such that the base device is not excessively spaced from the cleaning accessory, but rather the user can preferably proceed in the usual way during the connection process and while also essentially the same haptic impression when reaching an end position of the accessory on the cleaning device. Depending on the material selected for the grip base of the handle, damping and/or play can be minimized between the cleaning accessory and the accessory connection, ie for example an attachment and a base unit of the cleaning device.

The cleaning device has a handle on an end housing area, on which a cleaning accessory is usually arranged. This end area faces the surface to be cleaned during normal floor cleaning using the cleaning device. The user of the cleaning device no longer has to grip the housing directly with his hand, which is often difficult due to the size of the cleaning device, but has an additional handle by means of which he can guide the cleaning device safely and accurately. This effectively prevents a pendulum movement of the cleaning device and thus, for example, accidental bumping into objects in the vicinity. The handle is detachably arranged on the cleaning device, in particular the accessory connection, so that the handle can optionally also be detached from the cleaning device, for example if it is not needed for a longer period of time. Unless that If the cleaning device is used, for example, only for normal floor cleaning, in which the cleaning device stands on the surface to be cleaned and is thus supported by the surface, if necessary with the interposition of a cleaning accessory arranged on the accessory connection, the handle can be easily detached from the cleaning device, i.e. from removed from the accessory port. If required, it is also possible to reattach the handle to the cleaning device. The term "in the area of the accessory connection" means here, for example, that the handle makes contact with the accessory connection of the cleaning device at least over a partial area, for example resting flat on it, or touching it only tangentially, or arranged adjacent to it or also attached to a cleaning accessory , which in turn is connected to the accessory connector, so that when the cleaning accessory is connected, the handle also comes into contact with the cleaning device.

According to one embodiment, it is proposed that the cleaning device is a vacuum cleaner with a dust chamber, a fan and an accessory connection, with a suction channel being formed between the accessory connection and the fan, through which suction material can be conveyed into the dust chamber during suction operation of the cleaning device. The accessory connection of the cleaning device, to which the cleaning accessory can be connected, also has a suction opening or a suction channel connection through which a flow connection can be established between the accessory and the fan of the cleaning device. The accessory connection can thus optionally have direct contact with surfaces or objects to be cleaned when using the cleaning device without a connected accessory, for example to clean room corners, skirting boards, upholstered furniture or the like. Alternatively, the cleaning device for these or others Tasks are used in combination with a cleaning accessory connected to the accessory port. The cleaning accessory can be, for example, an upholstery brush or another cleaning attachment.

As an alternative to being designed as a vacuum cleaner, the cleaning device can also be a wiping device, a combined suction-wiping device, a polishing or polishing device or something else. In particular, the invention is suitable for all cleaning devices that are also designed for above-floor cleaning, in which the cleaning device is not supported by the surface to be cleaned, i. H. does not rest on it with its entire weight.

In particular, it is proposed that the handle base has a through-opening through which a partial area of the housing of the cleaning device and/or the cleaning accessory is guided. In particular, the accessory connection and/or the connection piece of the cleaning accessory can be passed through the through-opening of the handle base. According to this embodiment, the handle base thus has a through hole for pushing through a portion of the housing or the accessory. For example, the handle base can be ring-shaped and placed against a cylindrical portion of the housing and/or the cleaning accessory from the outside. A handle part of the handle, which is used for the user to grasp the handle, protrudes beyond the contour of the cleaning device in the relevant area, so that the user can grasp the cleaning device by the handle part.

According to one possible embodiment, it is proposed that the handle be formed from a flexible material at least in an intermediate area between a handle base attached to the cleaning appliance and a handle part designed to grip a user's hand and/or the handle portion is displaceable relative to the handle base. For example, the handle can be made of an elastomer or rubber part as a whole, or only in the intermediate area mentioned. The material should be tear-resistant and, if necessary, be as thin or deformable as possible in the area of the handle base in order to allow the handle to be arranged on the cleaning device without significantly changing the geometric dimensions of the accessory connection or the connecting piece, in particular an arrangement of the handle base between the accessory connection and the to allow connector. When using an elastic material as the handle base, there is also the advantage that any play that may be present in the fastening area of the connection piece and the accessory connection is taken out of the system and the two parts are connected to one another without wobbling. The entire handle, but in particular the intermediate area, can be made at least partially of rubber or an elastomer. Alternatively, it is possible to use a plastic film, for example PET film, to produce the handle. A two-component solution can also be provided in which the handle base is formed from a thin PET film, which merges into an elastic material in the intermediate area between the handle base and the handle part, from which the handle part then consists. The elastic material can also ensure that the handle part is displaced in a preferred direction when a user is no longer gripping the handle part. Furthermore, the handle can also be made of an elastic material, at least in the intermediate area.

In particular, it is proposed that a shape of a contact surface of the handle that can be placed against the cleaning device corresponds to a shape of a surface area of the cleaning device intended for contact with the contact surface. The handle or at least the handle part of the handle is formed according to this embodiment as a molded part, the shape of which external shape of the cleaning device, to which the handle part is applied, corresponds.

In particular, it is proposed that the handle part can be placed flat against the cleaning device in a non-use position. As a result of this configuration, the handle part does not protrude from the housing when it is not in use.

In particular, the handle can be formed entirely from an elastic material, in particular rubber or an elastomer as a molded body. When the handle is not in use, the restoring force applied to the molded part causes the grip part to lie flat against the corresponding surface area of the cleaning device and, if necessary, can be gripped by a user and, due to the flexibility of the material, moved from the non-use position into a handling position that can be moved due to the geometries of the handle base, handle part and, if necessary, an intermediate area between these and due to the weight forces acting on it. Because of the flexibility, the handle part can preferably also be adapted to the shape and size of a hand of the user.

Furthermore, it is proposed that a handle part of the handle is pivotably mounted on a pivot axis assigned to a handle base of the handle, so that the handle part can be swiveled away from the cleaning device and towards the cleaning device. According to this embodiment, both the handle base and the handle part of the handle can be rigid and can be pivoted relative to one another by rotation about the pivot axis. In this case, too, the handle base can be arranged either on the accessory connection of the housing of the cleaning device, the connection piece of a cleaning accessory or between them will. In particular, the handle base can in turn be a ring-shaped element which is pushed from the outside onto a preferably conical partial area of the accessory connection or the connection piece. The grip base can be formed from a rigid material, for example a hard plastic, or again from an elastic material, which at the same time serves to reduce or eliminate play, as a damping element or as a sealing element.

In particular, it is proposed that when the handle is not in use it can be placed against the cleaning device by a restoring force inherent in the material of the handle and/or by a restoring element assigned to the handle. For example, the handle can be a molded part made of elastic material, which has an intrinsic restoring force due to the material properties, which means that the preformed handle returns to its preferred position if a force applied by a user is removed, which here, for example, is flat against the housing corresponds to the non-use position created by the cleaning device. Furthermore, the handle can alternatively or additionally be assigned a separate restoring element, which is arranged, for example, between the accessory connection and the grip part or the connection piece and the grip part. The restoring element can be a spring element, for example. Alternatively, it is also possible for the reset element to be corresponding magnetic elements which are assigned to the handle part on the one hand and to the cleaning device on the other hand. The user can move the grip part away from the cleaning device by overcoming the restoring force, with the grip part being automatically placed back on the cleaning device following the restoring force when the user's force is no longer applied. The provision of the handle when not in use of the cleaning device prevents the unused handle of the Cleaning device protrudes and, for example, accidentally bumps into objects in the area.

Finally, it can be provided that the cleaning device has a second handle on a housing area facing away from the accessory connection, the distance between the two handles being at least 20 cm. According to this embodiment, the detachably arranged handle is not the only handle of the cleaning device, but advantageously supplements a further handle which is arranged on another, remote partial area of the housing of the cleaning device. Depending on the size and weight of the cleaning device and also the size and weight of a cleaning accessory arranged on it, in particular an attachment, a distance can be selected which is significantly greater than 20 cm, for example 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm or even greater . A distance of at least 20 cm between the handles prevents the cleaning device from tilting or swinging back and forth unintentionally. In this configuration, the user grips two partial areas of the cleaning device that are distant from one another, so that stable and advantageous guidance of the cleaning device is possible.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

ein Reinigungsgerät mit einem lösbar angeordneten Handgriff,

Fig. 2

ein Anschlussstück eines Reinigungszubehörs mit daran lösbar angeordnetem Handgriff,

Fig. 3

ein zwischen einen Zubehöranschluss eines Reinigungsgerätes und ein Anschlussstück eines Reinigungszubehörs geklemmter Handgriff,

Fig. 4

einen Teilbereich eines Reinigungsgerätes mit einem lösbar daran angeordneten Handgriff in einer Benutzungsstellung,

Fig. 5

einen Teilbereich eines Reinigungsgerätes mit einem lösbar daran angeordneten Handgriff gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform in einer Nichtbenutzungsstellung,

Fig. 6

den Handgriff gemäß Figur 5 in einer Benutzungsstellung.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. Show it:

1

a cleaning device with a detachable handle,

2

a connecting piece of a cleaning accessory with a handle detachably arranged thereon,

3

a handle clamped between an accessory connection of a cleaning device and a connection piece of a cleaning accessory,

4

a portion of a cleaning device with a handle detachably arranged thereon in a use position,

figure 5

a portion of a cleaning device with a handle detachably arranged thereon according to a further embodiment in a non-use position,

6

according to the handle figure 5 in a position of use.

Description of the embodiments

This in figure 1 The cleaning device 1 shown is designed as a hand-held household vacuum cleaner, which can be used both for cleaning floor surfaces and for cleaning above-floor surfaces. The cleaning device 1 has a housing 2 with an accessory connection 3, to which an accessory 5 designed as an attachment is connected here. For its part, the accessory 5 has a connection piece 4 which is used for arrangement on the accessory connection 3 .

The cleaning device 1 has a dust chamber 7 , a fan 8 and a suction channel 9 in the usual way, which is guided from the accessory connection 3 via the dust chamber 7 to the fan 8 . At the accessory connection 3 the suction channel 9 transitions into a corresponding suction channel (not shown) of the accessory 5 .

The cleaning device 1 has a handle 21 on which a handle 22 is arranged, which is used to guide the cleaning device 1 while cleaning a floor surface. A switch 23 is also formed on the handle 22 and is used, for example, to switch the blower 8 on and off. The accessory 5 of the cleaning device 1 serving as an attachment has wheels 20 which serve to move the cleaning device 1 over a surface to be cleaned with little friction.

To carry the cleaning device 1, for example to stow the cleaning device 1 in a chamber or also during cleaning above the floor, the cleaning device 1 has a further handle 19 which - like the handle 22 - is in the figure 1 shown position of use is arranged in an upper area of the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1, here for example on a housing area 18 at a height between the dust chamber 7 and the fan 8.

In order to hold the cleaning device 1 , in particular when cleaning above the floor, the cleaning device 1 also has a handle 6 which is arranged in the area of the accessory connection 3 of the housing 2 . A portion of this handle 6 is clamped here between the accessory connection 3 of the housing 2 and the connection piece 4 of the accessory 5, so that when the accessory connection 3 and connection piece 4 are connected, the handle 6 is also fixed at the same time. For this purpose, the handle 6 has a handle base 10 (see Fig figure 2 ) and a handle part 13, in the representation according to figure 1 only the outwardly projecting handle part 13 is visible. The handle 6 is made here, for example, entirely from an elastic material, for example rubber, and is designed as an elastic molded part, which is in the figure 1 illustrated non-use position of the handle 6 corresponding to a surface area 15 (see figure 3 ) of the housing 2 applies. For this purpose, the handle part 13 has a contact surface 14 (see figure 2 ), which lies flat against the surface area 15 in the non-use position.

figure 2 shows the handle 6 arranged on the cleaning accessory 5. The handle base 10 of the handle 6 is pushed over a portion 11 of the connecting piece 4 for attachment to the cleaning accessory 5. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a through-opening whose inner contour corresponds to an outer contour of the partial area 11 . To fix the handle 6 on the cleaning device 1, the cleaning accessory 5 with the in figure 2 illustrated position and orientation of the handle 6 attached to the accessory port 3 of the cleaning device 1. To do this, the accessory connection 3 of the cleaning device 1 is pushed onto the connection piece 4 of the accessory 5. At the same time, this also connects the suction channel 9 of the cleaning device 1 to the partial area 11 of the connection piece 4. The handle part 13 of the handle 6 remains on the outside when the cleaning accessory 5 is attached to the cleaning device 1, so that the handle part 13 can be gripped by a user. The handle part 13 has a handle opening 24 into which a user can reach with his hand.

In the in the Figures 2 to 4 In the illustrated embodiment of the handle 6, the handle 6 is made, for example, in one piece from the same material, here for example rubber or an elastomer. The handle base 10 and the handle part 13 are connected via an intermediate area 12, which intermediate area 12 represents a pivoting area over which the handle part 13 can be pivoted relative to the handle base 10 and thus also to the cleaning device 1 or the cleaning accessory 5.

the Figures 3 and 4 show the handle part 13 in different pivot positions, namely on the one hand in a non-use position ( figure 3 ) and on the other hand in a position of use ( figure 4 ). In the non-use position, the handle part 13 is not exposed to the user or the weight of the cleaning device 1 . Therefore, the handle part 13 is located there in the preferred position applied to the surface area 15 of the housing 2, which corresponds to the unloaded shape of the handle 6. In contrast, shows figure 4 the usage position of the handle 6, in which the handle part 13 is shifted away from the surface area 15, since a user reaches into the handle opening 24 of the handle part 13 with his hand and lifts the cleaning device 1 at least partially over the handle 6. The handle part 13 deforms due to the elastic material, so that the shape of the handle opening 24 may also be adapted to the user's hand, depending on the rigidity of the material.

Since the handle base 10 as in the Figures 2 and 3 recognizable is clamped between the connection piece 4 of the cleaning accessory 5 and the accessory connection 3 of the housing 2, the handle base 10 can also serve as a damping element or sealing element. Furthermore, the handle base 10 can also eliminate or minimize play existing between the housing 2 and the cleaning accessory 5 . For this purpose, the handle base 10 preferably has a ductile material. However, in order to keep a distance formed between the accessory connection 3 and the connection piece 4 as small as possible, in particular for applications without an intermediate handle, the handle base 10 should have the smallest possible material thickness. In particular, a thickness of the handle base 10 of less than 2 mm, in particular less than 1 mm, is recommended. According to an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to form the handle 6 from two different components, namely, on the one hand, from a particularly thin handle base 10, which can be formed from a thin film, for example, and on the other hand from a handle part 13, which consists of a thicker rubber material. The intermediate portion 12 formed between the handle base 10 and the handle portion 13 may also be formed of rubber to withstand pivotal stress of the handle 6. The film material of the grip base 10 can be PET (polyethylene terephthalate), for example.

the Figures 5 and 6 Figure 1 shows a further embodiment of the invention, in which the handle 6 is made up of a handle part 13 and a handle base 10 which are pivotably arranged relative to one another. For this purpose, the handle base 10 has a pivot axis 16 on which the handle part 13 is pivotably mounted. The handle part 13 and the handle base 10 are both made of a hard plastic here, for example. The handle base 10 is designed here in the manner of a ring, which can be pushed onto the accessory connection 3 of the housing 2 of the cleaning device 1 from the outside. The accessory connection 3 is conical and widens in a direction opposite to the connection piece 4 of the cleaning accessory 5 . Therefore, the grip base 10 is automatically clamped in the end position shown when pushed onto the accessory connection 3 . The connecting piece 4 of the accessory 5 is then pushed and locked in front of the handle base 10 to secure this position.

The handle part 13 is designed to correspond in shape to a surface area 15 of the housing 2 . The surface area 15 is provided here with a material recess, for example, into which the handle part 13 in figure 5 shown non-use position can be sunk. In this position, the handle part 13 is secured with the aid of a restoring element 17 which, for example, has corresponding magnets here, which are arranged in the handle part 13 and the surface area 15 of the housing 2 are. Alternatively or additionally, a spring element can also be used as a restoring element 17, for example, which pulls the handle part 13 back to the surface area 15 when a user lets go of the handle 6.

Also in the design according to Figures 5 and 6 the handle 6 is arranged detachably on the accessory connection 3 . However, since the grip base 10 does not protrude between the connection piece 4 and the accessory connection 3, but is attached to the accessory connection 3 from the outside, it is not absolutely necessary for the material thickness of the grip base 10 to be as small as possible.

Furthermore, mixed forms between the two variants according to the Figures 1 to 4 and 5 to 6 possible. For example, as in the Figures 5 and 6 arranged handle 6 also consist of an elastic material, so that the pivot axis 16 can be omitted and the pivoting mobility of the handle part 13 is realized relative to the handle base 10 via an elastic intermediate area 12.

List of References

1

cleaning device

2

Housing

3

accessory port

4

fitting

5

cleaning accessories

6

handle

7

dust chamber

8th

fan

9

suction channel

10

handle base

11

subarea

12

intermediate area

13

handle part

14

contact surface

15

surface area

16

pivot axis

17

return element

18

housing area

19

handle

20

wheel

21

stalk

22

Handle

23

Switch

24

handle opening

Claims (9)

1. A cleaning device (1) with a housing (2), a cleaning accessory (5) having a connection piece (4) and an accessory connection (3), which is formed on the housing (2) and serves for producing a separable connection with the connection piece (4) of the cleaning accessory (5), wherein the accessory connection (3) faces a surface to be cleaned referred to a normal usage position of the cleaning device (1), and wherein the cleaning device (1) has a handle (6), which is separably arranged in the region of the accessory connection (3), characterized in that a handle base (10) of the handle (6) is arranged on the accessory connection (3) and/or the connection piece (4) of the cleaning accessory (5) and clamped between the accessory connection (3) and the connection piece (4) .
2. The cleaning device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device (1) is a vacuum cleaner with a dust chamber (7), a fan (8) and an accessory connection (3), wherein a suction channel (9) is formed between the accessory connection (3) and the fan (8), and wherein vacuumed material can be conveyed into the dust chamber (7) through said suction channel during a vacuuming operation of the cleaning device (1).
3. The cleaning device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the handle base (10) has a through-opening, wherein a section (11) of the housing (2) and/or the cleaning accessory (5), particularly the accessory connection (3) and/or the connection piece (4), extends through said through-opening.
4. The cleaning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle (6) is formed at least in an intermediate region (12) between a handle base (10) fastened on the cleaning device (1) and a handle part (13) of a flexible material, which is designed for being taken hold of by a hand of a user, and/or in that the handle part (13) can be displaced relative to the handle base (10).
5. The cleaning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a shape of a contact surface (14) of the handle (6), which can be placed against the cleaning device (1), corresponds to a shape of a surface region (15) of the cleaning device (1), which is intended for contacting the contact surface (14).
6. The cleaning device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the handle part (13) can be flatly placed against the cleaning device (1) in a non-usage position.
7. The cleaning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a handle part (13) of the handle (6) is pivotably mounted on a pivoting axis (16) associated with a handle base (10) of the handle (6) such that the handle part (13) can be pivoted away from the cleaning device (1) and pivoted toward the cleaning device (1).
8. The cleaning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle (6) can be placed against the cleaning device (1) due to an inherent restoring force of the material of the handle (6) and/or by a return element (17) associated with the handle (6) when the cleaning device is not in use.
9. The cleaning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning device (1) has a second handle (19) on a housing region (18) facing away from the accessory connection (3), wherein a distance between the two handles (6, 19) amounts to at least 20 cm.

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