Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a surface is described. The cleaning device includes at least one cleaning element and a wetting system to supply a cleaning liquid to the at least one cleaning element. The wetting system is operable in one of at least one normal operation mode and a boost operation mode involving an increased supply rate of the cleaning liquid with respect to the at least one normal operation mode. During start-up of the cleaning device in a wet cleaning mode thereof, a start-up operation mode of the wetting system is determined to be one of the normal operation mode or the boost operation mode on the basis of assessment of an actual value of at least one parameter that is indicative of whether or not the at least one cleaning element is in a wet cleaning condition.

Abstract: A cleaning head for a wet vacuum cleaner has first and second rotary brushes, each extending across a width of a housing. The housing includes a first projection extending inwardly into a space between the brushes and having a first guide channel creating an air cavity over a floor, and a second projection extending inwardly the space. The second projection has a second guide channel creating another cavity over the floor. These cavities promote lateral air flow into the space between the brushes and thereby reduce pooling of water.

Abstract: A brush, rotatably arranged in a cleaning device for cleaning surfaces, is described. The brush includes a core element and brush elements arranged on the core element. The brush elements are arranged in a bristle field extending in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the brush and in a peripheral direction about the longitudinal axis. Further, the brush elements include fiber hairs. Furthermore, a linear mass density of at least tip portions of the brush elements is lower than 15 g per 10 km. In addition, an average of a packing density of the brush elements in the bristle field is lower than 15,000 brush elements per 1 cm2 so as to ensure that for the purpose of moving the brush during a cleaning action, only a relatively small amount of energy is needed.

Abstract: A cleaning device designed to clean a surface includes a cleaner nozzle to face the surface to be cleaned and to perform a cleaning action on the surface, where the cleaner nozzle accommodates at least one rotatably arranged brush including flexible brush elements having tip portions which are intended to contact the surface. The cleaning device includes a force-actuable mechanism that is responsive to a change of a user force on the cleaning device acting to press the cleaner nozzle against the surface when the cleaner nozzle is in an operational position on the surface, and that is functional to cause a change of a value of at least one parameter of operation of the cleaning device, thereby enabling more intuitive handling of the cleaning device by a user.

Abstract: The invention relates to a portable device (1100) comprising a bottom surface (BS) intended to be in contact with a textile (TXT). The portable device comprises an image sensor (5) for taking an image of a textile, and an illumination system (6) for illuminating a portion of the textile when said image is being taken. The portable device also comprises a control unit (8a) for executing an algorithm stored in the portable device, using the taken image as an input of said algorithm, to obtain a classification of the textile. The image sensor and the control unit are integrated within the portable device. The image sensor has an active surface sensitive to light, which is oriented compared to said bottom surface (BS), with an absolute value of the orientation angle being in the range 15-70 degrees; and/or the illumination system (6) has a light source oriented compared to the said bottom surface (BS), with an absolute value of the orientation angle being in the range 15-70 degrees.

Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning a surface is described. The cleaning device includes at least one cleaning element and a wetting system to supply a cleaning liquid to the at least one cleaning element. The wetting system is operable in one of at least one normal operation mode and a boost operation mode involving an increased supply rate of the cleaning liquid with respect to the at least one normal operation mode. During start-up of the cleaning device in a wet cleaning mode thereof, a start-up operation mode of the wetting system is determined to be one of the normal operation mode or the boost operation mode on the basis of assessment of an actual value of at least one parameter that is indicative of whether or not the at least one cleaning element is in a wet cleaning condition.

Abstract: A portable textile treatment device includes a heatable soleplate for contacting and treating the textile, an image sensor and an illumination system. The image sensor has an active surface sensitive and takes an image of the textile, and the illumination system has a light source that illuminates a portion of the textile when the image is being taken. The portable device also includes a control unit configured to execute an algorithm stored in the portable device for obtaining a classification of the textile based on taken image, and based on the classification for controlling at least one operating parameter of the portable textile treatment device. The image sensor and/or light source are oriented with respect to the surface of the heatable soleplate, with an absolute value of an orientation angle being in the range from 15 to 70° C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of operating a textile treatment device comprising a heatable soleplate intended to be in contact with a textile for treating the textile. The method comprises a first step (1001) of setting a first temperature target for the heatable soleplate, and a step (1002) of detecting movement of said textile treatment device. If the step (1002) of 5 detecting movement did not detect any movement of said textile treatment device during more than a given first time duration, a step (1004) of actively decreasing the temperature of the heatable soleplate (4) up to reaching a first given temperature having a value below said first temperature target.

Abstract: The invention relates to a portable textile treatment device (1) comprising a heatable sole plate (4) intended to be in contact with a textile (TXT) for treating the textile. The portable textile treatment device also comprises an image sensor (5) for taking an image of the textile to be treated, an illumination system (6) for illuminating a portion of the textile when said image is being taken. The portable device also comprises a control unit (8) configured for executing an algorithm stored in said portable textile treatment device, using the taken image as an input of said algorithm, to obtain a classification of the textile; and controlling, based on said classification, at least one operating parameter of the portable textile treatment device. The image sensor and the control unit are integrated within the portable textile treatment device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of operating a textile treatment device comprising a heatable soleplate intended to be in contact with a textile for treating the textile. The method comprises a first step (1001) of setting a first temperature target for the heatable soleplate, and a step (1002) of detecting movement of said textile treatment device. If the step (1002) of 5 detecting movement did not detect any movement of said textile treatment device during more than a given first time duration, a step (1004) of actively decreasing the temperature of the heatable soleplate (4) up to reaching a first given temperature having a value below said first temperature target.

Abstract: The invention relates to a portable device (1100) comprising a bottom surface (BS) intended to be in contact with a textile (TXT). The portable device comprises an image sensor (5) for taking an image of a textile, and an illumination system (6) for illuminating a portion of the textile when said image is being taken. The portable device also comprises a control unit (8a) for executing an algorithm stored in the portable device, using the taken image as an input of said algorithm, to obtain a classification of the textile. The image sensor and the control unit are integrated within the portable device. The image sensor has an active surface sensitive to light, which is oriented compared to said bottom surface (BS), with an absolute value of the orientation angle being in the range 15-70 degrees; and/or the illumination system (6) has a light source oriented compared to the said bottom surface (BS), with an absolute value of the orientation angle being in the range 15-70 degrees.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system (1) for a garment care device (20, 25) comprising a steam generator (7). The system (1) comprises a pressurization unit (2). The pressurization unit (2) comprises a chamber (3) for receiving water from a water supply system (5) and for delivering the received water towards the steam generator (7), and an actuator (8) cooperating with a retention member (9). The actuator (8) is adapted to displace and load the retention member (9) when water is received in the chamber (3). The retention member (9) is adapted to unload and apply a force to the actuator (8) after water has been received in the chamber (3) to pressurize water received in the chamber (3). The retention member (9) has a stiffness coefficient that varies as a function of displacement of the actuator (8). This invention allows that the flow of pressurized water from the chamber to the steam generator is more purposively controlled so that a given desired steam profile can be generated.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ironing system (20) comprising a steam iron (200) and a base unit (250) adapted to cooperate with each other such that the steam iron (200) can take a first position (P1) in which the steam iron (200) is docked on the base unit (250), and a second position (P2) in which the steam iron (200) is undocked from the base unit (250). The steam iron (200) is cordlessly detached from the base unit (250) in the second position (P2). The steam iron (200) comprises a water reservoir (201) arranged to store water, and a soleplate (202) for generating steam from water in the water reservoir (201) when the steam iron (200) is in the second position (P2). The base unit (250) comprises a water delivery mechanism (251) for supplying water to the water reservoir (201) when the steam iron (200) is in the first position (PI), and a power supply unit (252) for supplying energy to the soleplate (202) when the steam iron (200) is in the first position (P1), for heating the soleplate (202).

Abstract: The invention relates to a system (1) for a garment care device (20, 25) comprising a steam generator (7). The system (1) comprises a pressurization unit (2). The pressurization unit (2) comprises a chamber (3) for receiving water from a water supply system (5) and for delivering the received water towards the steam generator (7), and an actuator (8) cooperating with a retention member (9). The actuator (8) is adapted to displace and load the retention member (9) when water is received in the chamber (3). The retention member (9) is adapted to unload and apply a force to the actuator (8) after water has been received in the chamber (3) to pressurise water received in the chamber (3). The retention member (9) has a stiffness coefficient that varies as a function of displacement of the actuator (8). This invention allows that the flow of pressurized water from the chamber to the steam generator is more purposively controlled so that a given desired steam profile can be generated.

Abstract: The invention relates to three-dimensional crystalline foams with high surface areas, high lithium capacity, and high conductivity for use as electrode materials and methods for their fabrication. In additional embodiments, the invention also relates to the use of three-dimensional crystalline foams as supercapacitors for improved charge and energy storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to three-dimensional crystalline foams with high surface areas, high lithium capacity, and high conductivity for use as electrode materials and methods for their fabrication. In additional embodiments, the invention also relates to the use of three-dimensional crystalline foams as supercapacitors for improved charge and energy storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to three-dimensional crystalline foams with high surface areas, high lithium capacity, and high conductivity for use as electrode materials and methods for their fabrication. In additional embodiments, the invention also relates to the use of three-dimensional crystalline foams as supercapacitors for improved charge and energy storage.

Abstract: The application discloses methods of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) graphene crystalline foam, based on mixing a carbon source with a skelet (scaffold) powder. In one embodiment heat and pressure are used to compact the carbon and a metal powder into a close packed structure. In another embodiment a 3D crystalline graphene foam is fabricated with a large surface area (550 m2/g) from a 3D metal foam, depositing a layer of graphene using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), depositing a polymer support and removing the metal via wet chemical etching, such that the graphene retains the configuration, and then finally removing the polymer. A method of fabricating the metal foam framework and coating the metal with graphene are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to layered graphene-ferroelectric structures for use as transparent electrodes in touch panels and display screen applications.

Abstract: The application disloses methods of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) graphene crystalline foam, based on mixing a carbon source with a skelet (scaffold) powder. In one embodiment heat and pressure are used to compact the carbon and a metal powder into a close packed structure. In another embodiment a 3D crystalline graphene foam is fabricated with a large surface area (550 m2/g) from a 3D metal foam, depositing a layer of graphene using chemical vapour deposition (CVD), depositing a polymer support and removing the metal via wet chemical etching, such that the graphene retains the configuration, and then finally removing the polymer. A method of fabricating the metal foam framework and coating the metal with graphene are also disclosed.