BELT GUARD FOR A VACUUM CLEANER
A vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle defining a chamber, a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle, and an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber. The vacuum cleaner further includes a belt, a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt, and a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section. The belt guard includes an aperture extending from the second section to the first section to permit air to flow from the second section to the first section.
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly to vacuum cleaners having a belt-driven agitator.
BACKGROUNDRotary agitators are commonly incorporated into vacuum cleaner nozzles in order to agitate dust and dirt out of a surface to be cleaned. Many of these rotary agitators are driven by a belt that transmits power to the agitator from an electric motor or pneumatic turbine. In order to protect the belt from being unseated or damaged, a belt guard may be provided to cover the interface between the belt and the pulley. However, conventional belt guards may obstruct airflow and interfere with the suction performance of the nozzle.
SUMMARYThe invention provides, in one aspect, a vacuum cleaner including a nozzle defining a chamber, a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle, and an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber. The vacuum cleaner further includes a belt, a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt, and a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section. The belt guard includes an aperture extending from the second section to the first section to permit air to flow from the second section to the first section.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe handle assembly 18 includes a maneuvering handle 22 having a grip 26 for a user to grasp and maneuver the vacuum cleaner 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the maneuvering handle 22 is coupled to a wand 30, and the maneuvering handle 22 and the wand 30 are removable together as a unit. The wand 30 may be used to clean above-floor surfaces (e.g., stairs, drapes, corners, furniture, etc.). An accessory tool 34 (e.g., a crevice tool, an upholstery tool, a pet tool, etc.) may be detachably coupled to the handle assembly 18 for storage and may be selectively coupled to the wand 30 for specialized cleaning
With continued reference to
The vacuum cleaner 10 further includes a motor 50 (
Now referring to
The base assembly 14 further includes a pair of rear wheels 86 and a pair of forward wheels 90 spaced from the rear wheels 86 and located generally adjacent the inlet opening 74. The wheels 86, 90 facilitate movement of the base assembly 14 along the surface to be cleaned. In addition, the forward wheels 90 assist in positioning the inlet 74 of the floor nozzle 58 at a desired height above the surface to be cleaned.
With reference to
The agitator 94 is rotatably driven by a first belt 106 that receives power from a drive member (e.g., the motor 50) via a pulley 110. A second belt 114 transmits power from an output shaft 118 of the motor 50 to the pulley 110 (
With reference to
Referring again to
In the illustrated embodiment, the first section 142 is adjacent to and in direct fluid communication with the suction opening or nozzle outlet 82, whereas the second section 146 is separated from the nozzle outlet 82 by the belt guard 122. Best illustrated in
In operation, the motor 50 drives the fan assembly to generate an airflow through the vacuum cleaner 10. The airflow enters the floor nozzle 58 through the inlet opening 74 and flows into both the first and second sections 142, 146 of the chamber 70. As the airflow is drawn towards the suction opening 82, air passes from the second section 146 into the first section 142 through the aperture 162 in the belt guard 122. The airflow and any debris entrained therein then travels through the suction opening 82 and into the separator 42. After the separator 42 filters or otherwise cleans the airflow, the cleaned airflow is directed out of the canister 38 and into the motor housing 54 (e.g., via an airflow channel extending through the handle assembly 18). The cleaned airflow is ultimately exhausted back into the environment through air outlet openings 166.
Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
- a nozzle defining a chamber;
- a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle;
- an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber;
- a belt;
- a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt;
- a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section,
- wherein the belt guard includes an aperture extending from the first section to the second section to permit air to flow from the first section to the second section.
2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an upper portion and a lower portion coupled to the upper portion.
3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the lower portion includes an elongate opening forming an inlet through which the airflow enters the nozzle.
4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an outlet, and wherein the second section of the chamber is in communication with the outlet through the aperture.
5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the outlet is adjacent the first section of the chamber.
6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an outlet, and wherein the first section of the chamber is in communication with the outlet through the aperture.
7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the belt guard includes a first portion supported by the upper portion of the nozzle and a second portion supported by the lower portion of the nozzle.
8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the first portion of the belt guard is integrally formed as a single piece with the upper portion of the nozzle.
9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the second portion of the belt guard is integrally formed as a single piece with the lower portion of the nozzle.
10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the aperture extends through the second portion of the belt guard.
11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the belt guard includes a first wall and a second wall spaced from the first wall, and wherein the belt is positioned between the first wall and the second wall.
12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the aperture extends through the first wall and the second wall.
13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first section has a width greater than half the width of the nozzle, and the second section has a width less than half the width of the nozzle.
14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the first section has a width greater than or equal to two-thirds the width of the nozzle, and the second section has a width less than or equal to one-third the width of the nozzle.
15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the drive member is an electric motor.
16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction source is a fan assembly driven by the drive member.
17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a pulley coupled to the drive member, wherein the belt extends between the pulley and the agitator.
18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the belt is a first belt, and wherein the vacuum cleaner further comprises a second belt extending between the drive member and the pulley.
19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising
- a base assembly on which the nozzle is located;
- a handle assembly pivotally coupled to the base assembly; and
- a separator supported by the handle assembly.
20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the separator is a multi-stage cyclonic separator.
Type: Application
Filed: May 27, 2014
Publication Date: Dec 3, 2015
Inventor: Douglas M. Rukavina (Masillon, OH)
Application Number: 14/287,454