CN112955058A

CN112955058A - Hand-held vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN112955058A
Application number: CN201980073670.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S.科尔; S.苏加哈拉; K.金; T.里德利
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-09
Filing date: 2019-11-06
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Also published as: GB201818297D0; GB2578874A; WO2020099833A1; GB2578874B

Abstract

A hand-held vacuum cleaner comprising: a vacuum motor for drawing an air flow through the hand-held vacuum cleaner; a pistol grip positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the vacuum cleaner; and an air inlet positioned forward of the pistol grip. A filter assembly is located at the rear of the vacuum cleaner, the filter assembly including a filter and a housing enclosing at least a portion of the filter. At least a portion of the housing is transparent or translucent.

Description

Hand-held vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a filter assembly.

Background

The filter is a key component of the vacuum cleaner. Without the filter, dust and debris can enter the motor, thereby reducing its efficiency and performance over time. Additionally, the electric machine itself may generate emissions in the form of particulates that may be undesirably released into the atmosphere.

However, the filter may be relatively fragile and prone to damage, which may allow unsatisfactory dirt to enter the motor or atmosphere. Furthermore, vacuum cleaner filters often require intermittent cleaning or replacement throughout the life of the vacuum cleaner, as dust may otherwise clog the filter, thereby creating greater restriction to airflow and thereby reducing the performance of the vacuum cleaner.

Disclosure of Invention

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

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a hand-held vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum motor for drawing an air flow through the hand-held vacuum cleaner;

a pistol grip positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the vacuum cleaner;

an air inlet located forward of the pistol grip; and

a filter assembly located at the rear of the vacuum cleaner, the filter assembly comprising a filter and a housing enclosing at least a portion of the filter,

wherein at least a portion of the housing is transparent or translucent.

The at least partially transparent/translucent housing may allow a user to view the second filter through the housing. Thus, the user can check the condition of the filter (e.g., check for damage or check for how dirty the filter) by simply looking at the housing. Furthermore, filters that are visible to the user during use may reminiscent of the need to intermittently clean the filter, whereas if the filter is completely hidden, the user may more easily forget the need to service the filter.

The housing may enclose substantially all of the filter. This may allow more or all of the filter to be seen through the transparent portion of the housing.

Substantially the entire housing may be transparent or translucent.

This may allow the filter to be viewed through the housing over a wider range of angles than an arrangement in which the user can only see the filter through a transparent/translucent window in an opaque housing. Thus, the filter can be more easily seen during use.

At least a portion of the housing may define a portion of an exterior surface of the vacuum cleaner.

Accordingly, the user may more easily access the filter assembly, and thus may more easily maintain the filter.

Optionally, at least a portion of the housing that is transparent or translucent forms a portion of an outer surface of the vacuum cleaner. This may allow the filter to be viewed through the housing when the filter assembly is in place on the vacuum cleaner. However, even if the transparent/translucent portion is covered by a portion of the vacuum cleaner, it may still be beneficial for at least a portion of the housing to be transparent/translucent, since the filter may be more easily inspected once the filter assembly is removed (rather than the user having to peek at the filter assembly or remove the outer cover).

At least a portion of the housing may define at least a portion of a rearwardly facing outer surface of the vacuum cleaner.

At least a portion of the transparent/translucent portion forming a rearwardly facing outer surface may allow a user to see through the housing particularly easily, as vacuum cleaners are typically used with the rear of the vacuum cleaner facing the user.

The housing may include one or more vents through which air may be vented from the filter assembly.

This may provide an advantageously compact arrangement, and/or an arrangement with an advantageously simple or low loss flow path (e.g. where the filter is a post-motor filter). The vent may be provided in a transparent/translucent portion of the housing. This may be advantageous because the user may view in the same place, both directly through the vent to obtain a particularly clear image, and through the housing to see a large portion of the filter to better assess the overall condition of the filter.

The filter may axially overlap the vacuum motor.

This may allow the duct between the vacuum motor and the filter to be advantageously compact, simple or efficient, whereas in arrangements where the air from the motor has to be directed to a greater extent in the axial direction, more space may be occupied and/or greater flow losses may be introduced due to the length or complexity of the duct.

The filter assembly may include additional filters.

By combining the two filters into a single assembly, a more compact and convenient electrically powered filter assembly may be achieved than an arrangement in which the two filters are provided in separate assemblies. In addition, the user is able to process and interact with both filters simultaneously. For example, disassembling, replacing, washing, or cleaning two filters may be accomplished in a single action without the user having to perform for each filter individually.

The filter may be permanently mounted within the filter assembly. In other words, the filter may be configured to remain in place on the filter assembly during normal use, rather than being configured to be intermittently removed therefrom. Thus, the filter assembly may be kept as a single unit, thereby mitigating the risk of parts thereof becoming loose or lost.

The filter housing may include an annular seal between the filters. Thus, the seal may ensure that no fluid leaks around the housing between the filter and the additional filter. Any such fluid leakage around the housing can degrade the performance of the motor located within the filter assembly.

The flow direction of the filter may be opposite to the flow direction of the additional filter. Thus, there is efficient fluid flow through the filter assembly, minimizing any change in fluid flow direction that may negatively impact the efficiency and performance of the machine.

The flow direction of the filter may be radially outward away from the longitudinal axis and the flow direction of the additional filter may be radially inward toward the longitudinal axis. Thus, the filter assembly may be conveniently positioned around the motor to maximize space utilization while providing efficient filtration of fluid flowing into and out of the motor.

The filter assembly may be positioned around the motor such that the filter is positioned around an outlet of the motor and the additional filter is positioned around an inlet of the motor. Thus, the fluid enters the inlet of the motor directly through the extra filter, while the air leaving the motor passes directly through the filter.

The filter assembly may define a longitudinal axis, and the filter and the additional filter may not overlap in the axial direction.

This may provide for easier or lower loss ducts to and from the two filters, and/or improved radial compactness, for example, compared to arrangements in which the filters are nested within one another, where the filters must be spaced sufficiently radially to provide space for the ducts of the inner filters (such ducts may cause significant losses due to narrow radii).

The filters may be axially adjacent to each other. This may reduce the axial length of the filter assembly compared to an arrangement in which the filters are spaced apart in the axial direction.

The handheld vacuum cleaner may be configured to direct the air flow through the filter and the additional filter in substantially opposite directions.

This may provide a more efficient fluid flow through the filter assembly, which minimizes any change in direction of the fluid flow (e.g., when the filter is located around the vacuum motor), which generally negatively impacts the efficiency and performance of the vacuum cleaner.

The filter may be generally annular.

For example, the filter (and/or additional filter, if present) may be substantially circular, oval, octagonal, or obliquely circular when viewed along the longitudinal axis. One or both filters may be positioned circumferentially about the longitudinal axis.

Motors tend to have a generally cylindrical shape and by providing the filter with a cross-sectional shape that substantially matches the cross-sectional shape of the motor exterior or motor housing, a particularly space-saving filter can be achieved.

Alternatively, the filter may take other shapes. For example, each filter may be arcuate and extend through an angle substantially less than 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis.

The filter assembly may surround the electronic visual display.

This may allow the filter assembly and the electronic visual display to be located in the same region of the vacuum cleaner (e.g. a region that is particularly clearly visible and/or easily accessible) without the need to mount the electronic visual display on a user-movable part (which may complicate the power supply and/or data provided to the electronic visual display). Alternatively or likewise, a filter assembly surrounding the electronic visual display may protect the display from impact.

The electronic visual display is preferably a screen, for example 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 "electronic paper" screen.

The filter assembly may surround the electronic visual display through an angle of at least 270 degrees, such as through an angle of at least 310 degrees or through a full 360 degrees. By surrounding the filter assembly of the electronic visual display at such a large angle, the electronic visual display may be protected from impacts from a larger range of angles.

The filter assembly may define a longitudinal axis and define a through-bore extending through the filter assembly along the longitudinal axis.

The through-hole allows the filter assembly to fit around another component, such as a vacuum motor, thereby reducing the overall axial length of the vacuum cleaner. Indeed, for reasons of compactness, the components of the vacuum cleaner may extend all the way through the filter assembly, although the ends of the components may still be visually accessible or operatively accessible, or may extend partially into the throughbore, with the remainder of the throughbore providing visual/manual access. Still further, the through-holes may facilitate faster and/or easier cleaning of one or both filters, as described in more detail below.

It is counterintuitive to provide through-holes in the mind of those skilled in the art, who will generally appreciate that it is desirable to close the filter assembly as close as possible to minimize the possibility of leakage.

The through-hole of the filter assembly preferably extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, e.g. substantially collinear with the longitudinal axis.

Where the filter assembly defines a through-hole and surrounds the electronic visual display, the electronic visual display may protrude through the through-hole or be visible through the through-hole.

This may provide a particularly space-saving arrangement.

The filter may be a post-motor filter.

This may be particularly beneficial because the post-motor filter is often the "last line of defense" against dust entering the atmosphere, and so inspection and/or servicing of the filter is particularly important. If the filter is a post-motor filter, the additional filter may be a pre-motor filter.

Alternatively, the filter may be a pre-motor filter. In some cases it is particularly important to protect the vacuum motor from dust, in which case it may be particularly important to inspect and/or repair the filter.

Where the filter assembly includes an additional filter, the housing may enclose at least a portion of the additional filter. This may be beneficial because it may also allow visual inspection of additional filters.

The filter assembly may be removably mounted to the main body of the vacuum cleaner.

This allows the filter to be cleaned or replaced intermittently, thereby improving its performance (by removing fouling plugs to reduce flow restriction).

The filter assembly may be removed by moving it in an axial direction, e.g., axially rearward.

The motor may be housed in a cylindrical motor bucket having a motor bucket inlet and a motor bucket outlet, the filter assembly being positioned around the motor bucket, and the filter assembly may be removed from the product by sliding the filter assembly over the motor bucket in the direction of the common axis. Accordingly, the filter assembly can be quickly and easily removed from the motor bucket, and maintenance of the filter is more convenient for a user.

The motor bucket inlet may include a plurality of through holes aligned with the inlet of the motor, and the motor bucket outlet may include a plurality of through holes aligned with the outlet of the motor. Thus, the through-holes allow fluid to flow easily through the motor bucket without unnecessarily compromising the structural integrity of the motor bucket.

The filter housing may include an annular seal between the first filter and the second filter in sealing contact with the solid center portion of the motor bucket between the motor bucket inlet and the motor bucket outlet. Thus, the seal may ensure that there is no fluid leakage around the housing between the motor bucket inlet and the motor bucket outlet. Any such fluid leakage around the housing may degrade the performance of the motor and thus the product.

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

a hand-held vacuum cleaner according to the first aspect of the invention;

a cleaner head defining a suction opening; and

an elongate wand defining a suction path extending from the cleaner head to an air inlet of the handheld vacuum cleaner, the wand being positioned substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the handheld vacuum cleaner.

The wand and cleaner head may allow a handheld vacuum cleaner providing the advantages described above to be used more effectively for floor cleaning.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a filter assembly for a hand-held vacuum cleaner or wand vacuum cleaner according to the first or second aspects of the present invention.

The filter assembly may be retrofitted to a hand-held vacuum cleaner in order to provide one or more of the advantages described above.

The filter and/or additional filter (if present) may be arranged to pass the air flow in a generally radial direction. This may allow providing a sufficient cross-sectional area of the filter in a relatively small radial space compared to an arrangement in which the fluid flows in the axial direction.

The filter housing may include an exposed portion and a closed portion. The exposed portion of the filter housing may include a frame extending from the enclosed portion. Additional filters (if present) may be positioned around the frame.

The exposed portion may allow efficient fluid flow to and around the additional filter, which may provide a more uniform loading of flow around the filter. The closure portion may allow a portion of the filter assembly to remain closed so that a user may hygienically manipulate the filter assembly through the closure portion without rubbing filtered dirt or dust onto the hand.

The filter may be a pleated filter and/or the additional filter (if present) may comprise a layered filter media.

Drawings

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a filter assembly useful for understanding the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the filter assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a partially exploded view of the filter assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates the motor assembly and filter assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of the motor and filter assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows the assembly of FIG. 5 with the filter assembly assembled in place around the motor assembly;

figure 7 shows a hand-held vacuum cleaner incorporating the filter assembly of the previous figures;

figure 8 shows a portion of the vacuum cleaner of figure 7 during removal and re-installation of the filter assembly;

figure 9 shows a stick vacuum cleaner for understanding the invention;

figure 10 shows a hand-held vacuum cleaner forming part of the wand vacuum cleaner of figure 9;

FIG. 11 shows the hand-held vacuum cleaner of FIG. 10 with the filter assembly removed therefrom;

FIG. 12 illustrates a filter assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 13 shows the filter assembly of fig. 12 at a different angle.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a filter assembly 1 and fig. 2 shows a cross-section of the same filter assembly 1. Fig. 3 shows a part of the filter assembly 1, wherein some components are not shown. With reference to these figures, the filter assembly 1 comprises a filter housing 2, to which filter housing 2 two filters are fixed: a filter 4 in the form of a post-motor filter and an additional filter 3 in the form of a pre-motor filter 4. The filter housing 2 defines a longitudinal axis a of the filter assembly 1. The pre-motor filter 3 and the post-motor filter 4 are both annular in cross-section when viewed along the longitudinal axis a and are both positioned concentrically about the longitudinal axis a. The longitudinal axis a thus forms the common axis of the

filters

3, 4. The pre-motor filter 3 is positioned axially adjacent the post-motor filter 4 with little space therebetween to minimize the overall size of the filter assembly 1. However, the two

filters

3, 4 do not overlap in the axial direction.

The pre-motor filter 3 may be formed of any suitable filter material or combination of materials typically found in pre-motor filters. In this case, the pre-motor filter 3 comprises a layer of filter media comprising a scrim or web material layer, a nonwoven filter media such as wool, followed by another scrim or web material layer. An electrostatic filter media may also be included if desired. Similarly, the post-motor filter 4 may be formed from any suitable filter material or combination of materials typically found in post-motor filters. In the present case, the post-motor filter 4 is formed by a pleated HEPA standard (high efficiency particulate air) filter medium.

The filter housing is made up of two distinct regions, an exposed portion and a closed portion. The exposed part of the filter housing 2 has a frame 5, which frame 5 extends from the closed part of the filter housing 2. The pre-motor filter 3 is positioned around the frame 5 of the exposed portion of the frame 5. The frame 5 serves to support the pre-motor filter 3 so as to maintain its annular form when the filter assembly 1 is in use. The closed part of the filter housing 2 has a housing 6 (not shown in fig. 3), which housing 6 encloses the post-motor filter 4. The housing 6 has a plurality of vent holes 7 or apertures through which fluid, such as air, can flow out of the filter assembly 1. The vent 7 thus serves as an outlet for the filter assembly 1. In fig. 1, the post-motor filter 4 can be seen partially through a vent opening 7 in the housing 6 of the filter housing 2.

The filter housing 2 also includes an annular seal 8, which is generally located inside the filter assembly 1, between the pre-motor filter 3 and the post-motor filter 4. A further annular seal 9 is provided at one axial end of the filter housing at the end of the pre-motor filter 3 opposite the post-motor filter 4. The annular seals 8 and 9 function to seal with the motor assembly when the filter assembly 1 is in use, as will be described in more detail below.

The housing 6 has a solid end wall 10 and the post-motor filter 4 is secured in position within the housing 6 such that an annular chamber 11 is defined between the post-motor filter 4 and the housing 6. The annular cavity may simply be a void, as shown in figure 2, or the annular cavity may be used to house another material, such as an acoustic foam.

In the case where the pre-motor filter 3, the post-motor filter 4, the frame 5 and the housing 6 are annular over most of their axial length, the filter assembly 1 defines a blind bore 12 extending along the longitudinal axis a and terminating in the end wall 10. More specifically, since the pre-motor filter 3, the post-motor filter 4, the frame 5 and most of the housing 6 are positioned concentrically about the longitudinal axis a, the blind holes 12 extend collinearly with respect to the longitudinal axis a.

Fig. 4 shows the filter assembly 1 and a motor assembly comprising a cylindrical motor bucket 20, and fig. 5 shows a cross-section through the filter assembly 1 and the motor assembly of fig. 4. Figure 6 shows the assembly of figure 5 with the filter assembly in place around the motor assembly.

The motor assembly includes a motor bucket 20 having a motor bucket inlet 21 and a motor bucket outlet 23, the motor bucket inlet 21 including a plurality of through holes 22 that serve as inlets to a vacuum motor, and the motor bucket outlet 23 including a plurality of similar through holes 24 that serve as outlets from the vacuum motor. A central portion 25 of the motor bucket separates the motor bucket inlet 21 and the motor bucket outlet 23.

A vacuum motor 26 is located inside the motor bucket 20. The motor inlet 27 is aligned with the motor bucket inlet 21 and the motor outlet 28 is aligned with the motor bucket outlet 23. The cavity 29 between the motor outlet 28 and the motor bucket outlet 23 may contain, for example, open-cell acoustic foam to provide further sound attenuation benefits.

Although fig. 5 and 6 show the filter assembly 1 separated from the motor assembly, fig. 6 shows the filter assembly in place around the motor assembly. The blind bore 12 of the filter assembly 1 is fitted on the motor bucket 20 such that it overlaps the motor 26 in a direction along the longitudinal axis a. Thus, the filter assembly 1 is positioned around the motor 26, the pre-motor filter 3 is positioned around the motor bucket inlet 21, and the post-motor filter 4 is positioned around the motor bucket outlet 23. Both the pre-motor filter 3 and the post-motor filter 4 axially overlap the vacuum motor 26-the entire axial length of the pre-motor filter 3 axially overlaps the vacuum motor, and about 15% of the axial length of the post-motor filter axially overlaps the vacuum motor. The filter assembly 1 can be removed and replaced on the motor assembly by sliding the filter assembly 1 rearwardly on the motor bucket 20 in the direction of the longitudinal axis a.

During operation, the vacuum motor 26 draws air through the pre-motor filter 3, as indicated by arrow B. Air then flows into the motor bucket 20 through the through holes 22 in the motor bucket inlet 21 and through the vacuum motor 26. After the fluid exits the motor outlet 28, it flows out of the motor bucket 20 via the through-hole 24 in the motor bucket outlet 23, through the post-motor filter 4 and exits the filter assembly 1 via the vent hole 7 in the housing 6, as indicated by arrow C. As shown in fig. 6, the direction of fluid flow into and out of the filter assembly 1 is indicated by arrows B and C, respectively, which are opposite. The flow direction of the pre-motor filter 3 is radially inward in a direction towards the longitudinal axis a and the flow direction of the post-motor filter 4 is radially outward in a direction away from the longitudinal axis a.

The annular seal 8 seals against the central portion 25 of the motor bucket 20 such that any fluid flow between the inlet and outlet within the filter assembly 1 is inhibited. The other annular seal 9 seals with another portion of the motor bucket 20 on the opposite side of the motor bucket inlet 21 from the annular seal 8. Thus, the annular seals 8 and 9 seal the filter assembly 1 on each side of the motor bucket inlet 21 to ensure that no fluid can leak around the filter assembly 1, which could reduce the performance and efficiency of the motor 26 (and thus the performance and efficiency of any product containing the vacuum motor 26).

Figure 7 shows a vacuum cleaner 30 comprising the filter assembly 1 and motor assembly of the previous figures. The vacuum cleaner 30 is handheld, but the filter assembly is not limited to use with handheld vacuum cleaners. The vacuum cleaner 30 has a dirt separator 31, a handle in the form of a pistol grip 32, a power source in the form of a battery pack 33, a main body 34 including the motor assembly described above, and an inlet 36 through which air is drawn into the vacuum cleaner 30. The dirt separator 31 separates dirt from dirt-laden air drawn into the vacuum cleaner through the inlet 36 by means of a motor housed within the main body 34 and powered by the battery pack 33. After passing through the motor, the cleaned air is exhausted from the vacuum cleaner 30 through an exhaust aperture 7 in the housing 6 of the filter assembly 1.

The vacuum cleaner 30, and in particular the combination of its main body 34, dirt separator 31, motor assembly and inlet 36 in this case, defines a longitudinal axis E of the vacuum cleaner. The longitudinal axis extends from the front to the rear of the vacuum cleaner 30, with the inlet 36 at the front and the filter assembly 1 at the rear. With the filter assembly 1 in place on the motor bucket 20, the longitudinal axis a of the filter assembly 1 is co-linear with the longitudinal axis E of the vacuum cleaner 30.

The housing 6 of the filter assembly 1 forms part of the outer surface of the product (more particularly, in this case, the end wall 10 forms the rearwardly facing outer surface of the vacuum cleaner, the remainder of the housing 6 forming part of the peripheral outer surface of the vacuum cleaner 30). This makes it easy for a user to handle the filter assembly, for example during maintenance of the filter assembly, when the user may be required to remove the filter assembly from the vacuum cleaner. In addition, the air leaving the filter assembly is vented directly to the atmosphere without the need for additional ducting.

Figure 8 shows the removal and/or replacement of the filter assembly 1 from the vacuum cleaner 30 of figure 7. The filter housing 1 is removed from the vacuum cleaner by sliding the filter assembly over the motor bucket 20 in the direction of the longitudinal axis A, E, as indicated by double arrow D, and then reassembled to the vacuum cleaner. The motor bucket outlet 23 can be seen in fig. 8, but the motor bucket inlet is located inside the main body 34. The main body 34 has an annular recess around the motor bucket 20 so that the exposed part of the filter assembly 1 including the pre-motor filter 3 can slide within the main body 34 to a position around the motor bucket entrance.

Lugs 35 or catches or other temporary fixing means are provided on the main body 34 of the vacuum cleaner 30 to lock the filter assembly 1 in position to prevent it from sliding off when the vacuum cleaner 30 is in use. There are corresponding lugs or engagement members on the filter housing of the filter assembly (not shown) which engage with catches 35 on the body 34. It is necessary to rotate the filter assembly 1 to engage the engagement member with the catch. Alternative temporary fixing means may be used instead of the clips 35. For example, the filter assembly 1 may be held in place on the vacuum cleaner 30 by magnetic engagement.

The filter assembly 1 of this arrangement is intended to be cleaned intermittently during its useful life to remove dirt accumulated on the pre-motor filter 3 and/or the post-motor filter 4. In this case, cleaning is performed by placing the filter assembly 1 under a faucet-holding and rotating the filter assembly 1 horizontally under water flow while massaging the pre-motor filter 3 to release dirt, thereby cleaning the pre-motor filter 3; the post-motor filter 4 is cleaned by repeatedly filling the space within the housing 6 with water (holding the filter assembly under the faucet with the end wall facing down) and inverting the filter assembly to pour the water.

Figure 9 shows another vacuum cleaner 30A useful for understanding the present invention. The vacuum cleaner 30A of this arrangement is a stick vacuum cleaner comprising a hand-held vacuum cleaner 30, a cleaner head 38 and an elongate wand 40 connecting the cleaner head 38 to the hand-held vacuum cleaner 30. The hand-held vacuum cleaner 30 of this arrangement is generally the same as that of the previous figures and therefore only the differences will be described here.

The cleaner head 36 has a floor-engaging suction opening (not visible) through which air can enter the cleaner head in a known manner. The wand 40 is hollow and provides fluid communication between the cleaner head 38 and the inlet 36 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 30. The wand 40 extends along (in this case co-linear with) the longitudinal axis E of the handheld vacuum cleaner 30. The cleaner head 38 has a housing 42 and an outlet conduit 44 which is rotatable relative to the housing 42 about a horizontal axis. The outlet duct 44 has a hinged joint 46 and a pair of dome wheels 48.

In operation, a user holds the pistol grip 32 of the handheld vacuum cleaner 30 with the rear of the handheld vacuum cleaner facing the user and the front facing away from the user and generally downward. The wand 40 extends towards the floor and the cleaner head 38 rests on the floor, taking up some of the weight of the wand vacuum cleaner 30A. The user "points" the front of the hand-held vacuum cleaner 30 towards the floor area they are to clean and, by virtue of the rigid connection provided by the wand 40, the cleaner head is moved towards that floor area. In this case, the user can also "manoeuvre" the cleaner head by rotating the hand-held vacuum cleaner 30A about its longitudinal axis E. The rod 40 transmits this rotation to the outlet duct 40, so that it also rotates about the longitudinal axis E. Thus, the outlet conduit 40 rotates relative to the housing 42, causing the wheel 48 to tilt and bend at the hinge joint 46. This causes the housing 42 of the cleaner head 38 to be redirected, rotating it in a horizontal plane while maintaining contact with the floor.

A hand-held vacuum cleaner 30A of this arrangement is shown in figures 10 and 11. These figures show the handheld vacuum cleaner 30A in a different manner than described above.

The filter assembly 1 of this arrangement differs from the filter assembly described above in that it has through holes 12A rather than blind holes. The through-hole extends co-linearly with the longitudinal axis of the filter assembly 1, as in the filter assembly described above, but in this case the through-hole extends all the way through the filter assembly 1, instead of terminating in an end wall. The filter assembly 1 of this arrangement also differs in that it has an inclined surface 50 which intersects a circumferential wall 52 and an annular end wall 54. The annular end wall 54 still forms part of the rearwardly facing outer surface of the vacuum cleaner, as with the previously arranged end wall 10. The end wall 54 surrounds the through hole 12A and forms a rim 56. The rim 56 includes another annular seal 58.

The handheld vacuum cleaner 30 of the present arrangement also differs in that the motor bucket 20 has a non-perforated axial end portion having a circumferential wall 60 and an end wall 62. The end wall 62 supports a screen 64, more particularly a flat full color backlight TFT screen. The end wall 62 also supports a pair of control members in the form of buttons 66. The screen 64 and the button 66 face rearwardly, the screen being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis E, and the line of action of the button being parallel to the longitudinal axis E so as to be visible and accessible during use.

In this arrangement, the entire axial length of the through bore 12A receives the motor bucket. Thus, the screen 64 and the button 66 are surrounded by the filter assembly 1 (in this case a full 360 degree surround), but protrude through the through bore 12A such that they protrude slightly from the end wall 54. However, in other embodiments, the motor bucket 20 may extend only partially into the through-hole 12A such that the screen is recessed behind the end wall 54 and visible through the through-hole 12A (and such that the button 66 is visible through the through-hole 12A and operable through the through-hole 12A).

With the filter assembly 1 in place around the motor bucket 20, the annular seal 58 engages a circumferential wall 60 of the non-perforated axial end of the motor bucket 20. Thus, air exiting the motor bucket 20 through the motor bucket outlet 23 cannot leak between the motor bucket 20 and the rim 56, but must pass through the post-motor filter 4 and exit the exhaust vent 7.

The filter assembly 1 of this arrangement is cleaned in the same manner as the apparatus described above. The pre-motor filter 3 is cleaned in the same manner as described above, but due to the through-hole 12A, there is no need to repeatedly fill and empty the space inside the housing 6 to clean the post-motor filter 4. The filter assembly 1 may simply be held at an angle under the faucet so that water flows into the through bore 12A, impinges on the inside of the post-motor filter, and then flows out the other end of the through bore. In addition, if desired, the user may insert their finger into the rear end of the through-hole 12A to agitate the post-motor filter. Thus, cleaning of the filter assembly 1 of this arrangement may be faster and/or more efficient.

Fig. 12 and 13 show a filter assembly 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The filter assembly 1 of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of figures 9 to 11 and may in fact be used in place of the filter assembly in the handheld vacuum cleaner 30 and therefore only the differences will be described herein.

In this case, the housing 6 of the filter assembly is transparent. This allows post-motor filter 4 to be viewed through housing 6, rather than merely looking through vent hole 7 or removing housing 6 from frame 5. Since the entire housing 6 is transparent in this case, the rearward facing surface and portions of the circumferential surface defined by the housing 6 are both transparent.

The filter assembly 1 of this embodiment also differs from the arrangement of figures 9 to 11 in that it has a chamfered surface 68 between the circumferential wall 52 and the annular end wall 54 rather than an inclined surface. This may improve the aesthetics of the filter assembly 1 (and hence the handheld vacuum cleaner), may make the filter assembly 1 easier to clean or dry when required, and/or may improve the air flow through the filter assembly.

While particular embodiments have been described, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter have a circular cross-sectional shape. However, in alternative embodiments, other cross-sectional shapes may be employed. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter may be oval, obround, square, horseshoe, or rectangular. Further, while the above-described embodiments each show the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter having the same cross-sectional shape, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the pre-motor filter may have a different cross-sectional shape than the post-motor filter. Thus, the shape of the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter, and the shape of the filter assembly housing them, can be adapted to the requirements of the vacuum cleaner in which they are to be used.

Further, while the above arrangements and embodiments have a transparent or opaque housing, it is to be understood that the filter assembly according to the present invention may be translucent or may be opaque with a transparent/translucent window therein.

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

Claims

1. A handheld vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum motor for drawing a flow of air through the hand-held vacuum cleaner;

a pistol handle positioned generally transverse to a longitudinal axis extending from the front end to the rear end of the vacuum cleaner;

an air inlet positioned forward of the pistol handle;

a filter assembly at the rear of the vacuum cleaner, the filter assembly including a filter and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the filter,

Wherein, at least a portion of the housing is transparent or translucent.

2. The hand-held vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing is substantially transparent or translucent.

3. The handheld vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the housing defines a portion of an outer surface of the vacuum cleaner.

4. The handheld vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the housing defines at least a portion of a rearwardly facing outer surface of the vacuum cleaner.

5. A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the housing includes one or more vent holes through which air is expelled from the filter assembly.

6. A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter axially overlaps the vacuum motor.

7. A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter assembly includes an additional filter.

8. The hand-held vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the filter assembly defines a longitudinal axis and the filter and additional filter do not overlap in the axial direction.

9. The hand-held vacuum cleaner of claim 7 or 8, wherein the hand-held vacuum cleaner is configured to direct air flow through the filter and the additional filter in substantially opposite directions.

10. A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter is generally annular in shape.

11. A handheld vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter assembly surrounds an electronic visual display.

12. The hand-held vacuum cleaner of any preceding claim, wherein the filter assembly defines a longitudinal axis and defines a through hole extending through the filter assembly along the longitudinal axis.

13. A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim, wherein the filter assembly is removably mounted to the body of the vacuum cleaner.

14. A stick vacuum cleaner comprising:

A hand-held vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim;

a cleaner head defining a suction opening; and

An elongated rigid stick defining a suction path extending from the cleaner head to the air inlet of the hand-held vacuum cleaner, the stick being positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hand-held vacuum cleaner.

15. A filter assembly for use in a hand-held or stick vacuum cleaner according to any preceding claim.