MULTI-FUNCTION CLEANING APPLIANCE

Abstract

A multi-purpose cleaning appliance avoids the need for separate appliances for vacuuming and mopping, and includes a floor tool body including a base and wheels for supporting the floor tool body on a floor with the base above the floor; and a mopping module and a vacuum cleaner module that are interchangeably mountable to the floor tool body for mopping or vacuuming the floor respectively, with the mopping module configured to perform wet mopping.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to cleaning appliances having two or more cleaning functions, and more specifically to cleaning appliances which perform both vacuuming and mopping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wet mopping of a floor is a common household task that requires, in addition to the mop, a tool such as a vacuum cleaner for initially preparing the surface, since a mop does not very satisfactorily pick up solid debris or larger dust accumulations. Wet mopping involves applying a cleaning liquid and rubbing the surface to loosen contamination, and includes retrieving dirty cleaning liquid, to avoid the spread of dirt to other parts of the floor.

Appliances for wet mopping include an applicator for cleaning liquid and are distinguished by their ability to retrieve dirty cleaning liquid from the floor and capacity to store this dirty liquid. A wet vacuum can be used to retrieve dirty cleaning liquid but appliances with a capacity to draw in reasonable liquid volumes have a high energy demand, which tends to make them unsuitable for self-contained battery powered tools. Household appliances with a compromised wet suction capacity may be suitable for light wet mopping, but have the drawback in that, due the small size of suction paths, they are vulnerable to becoming clogged, unless the tool itself is regularly cleaned and the environment in which it is used is relatively clean,

An absorbent element such as a sponge, or mop, is used to mop the floor in wet mopping appliances of another class in which this absorbent element is regularly wrung out to retrieve spent cleaning liquid. The appliance of U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,105, for instance, uses a mop comprising an endless belt of absorbent material, the belt being motor-driven and continuously wrung out, with the wrung out dirty liquid being collected in an on-board tank, The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,105 is herein incorporated by reference.

A lighter duty type of floor cleaning using a cleaning liquid, referred to as damp mopping, is performed using appliances that may also include an applicator for cleaning liquid and, for example, a detachable cloth, with the cloth intended to be discarded once it is soiled. Appliances for damp mopping, in contrast to those for wet mopping, have no ability to hold the retrieved dirty liquid beyond the amount that can be absorbed by the cloth.

In the place of separate appliances for vacuuming and mopping, a single multi-purpose vacuuming and (wet or damp) mopping appliance that offers greater flexibility of use, as well as cost saving, would be a boon for many households. It is an object of the present invention to address the need for such a multi-purpose appliance or, more generally, to provide an improved multi-function cleaning appliance.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cleaning appliance comprising:

• • a floor tool body including a base and wheels for supporting the floor tool body on a floor with the base above the floor; and
  • a mopping module and a vacuum cleaner module that are interchangeably mountable to the floor tool body for mopping or vacuuming the floor respectively.

Preferably the vacuum cleaner module is a sub-assembly that includes:

• • an electrical circuit;
  • a vacuum motor connected to the electrical circuit;
  • one of first and second electrical couplers complementary to one another and electrically coupled to the electrical circuit;
  • a fan driven by the vacuum motor;
  • an inlet nozzle through which ambient air, drawn in by the fan, enters;
  • a separator downstream of the inlet nozzle for removing dirt from an air stream;
  • an exhaust for expelling air from the vacuum cleaner module, and
  • a vacuum cleaner module battery pack;the mopping module is a sub-assembly that includes:
  • a frame;
  • generally parallel frame-supported rollers supported on the frame;
  • an endless belt that extends around the rollers and comprises absorbent material, a floor-engaging section thereof extending across the width of the belt for contacting the floor;the floor tool body includes:
  • a power source;
  • a module-receiving recess that extends to an opening in the base such that:
  • with the vacuum cleaner module in the module-receiving recess in a mounted position the inlet nozzle is disposed in the opening, and
  • with the mopping module hi the module-receiving recess in a mounted position, the floor-engaging belt section projects through the opening to engage the floor; and
  • the other of the first and second electrical couplers that connects to the first electrical coupler when the cordless vacuum cleaner module is placed in the module-receiving recess to provide power from the power source to the electrical supply circuit, and wherein
  • the vacuum cleaner battery pack comprises a third electrical coupler of like form to the other of the first and second electrical couplers, allowing electrical connection to the electrical circuit for use of the vacuum cleaner module independently of the floor tool body.

The term “battery pack” as used here refers n enclosure holding one or more battery cells.

The cleaning appliance thus provides a single floor tool body, such as may be moved manually, or autonomously, around a floor, that is able to perform vacuuming with the vacuum module installed, or to perform mopping with the mopping module installed. For even greater flexibility of use, at the same time as mopping is being performed, vacuuming can be performed elsewhere, as the vacuum cleaner module can be assembled into a self-contained hand-held vacuum.

Preferably the mopping module and a vacuum cleaner module are, in use, lowered into the module-receiving recess and urged by their own weight to their respective mounting positions. Preferably complementary tongue and groove parts disposed respectively on the floor tool body and each module abut to guide the modules on a linear path when lowered into their respective mounting positions. Preferably one of the tongue and groove parts is disposed on the first electrical coupler and the other of the tongue and groove parts is disposed on the second electrical coupler, whereby the first and second electrical couplers are connected by relative linear sliding movement Preferably electrical contacts disposed respectively on the first and second electrical couplers abut at the end of the relative linear sliding movement.

Preferably the appliance further comprises a body-mounted roller and a dirty liquid reservoir mounted to the floor tool body, whereby in an operating position the belt is pinched between the body-mounted roller and a first of the frame-supported rollers to squeeze liquid from the belt, which then drains into the dirty liquid reservoir, and the mopping module is movable relative to the floor tool body from the operating position to a released position in which the belt is released from between the body-mounted roller and the one of the frame-supported rollers.

Preferably the body-mounted roller deflects the belt from a line that is tangent to two adjacent ones of the frame-supported rollers, thereby tensioning the belt.

Preferably the floor tool body further includes: a motor electrically connectable to the power source, and

• • a transmission coupled to the motor for providing torque to the first of the frame-supported rollers when the mopping module is placed into the module-receiving recess

Preferably the each of the frame-supported rollers engages an inner face of the belt.

• • cooperating manually releasable connectors on the floor tool body and mopping module may secure these two parts together in the mounted position.

Preferably synchronising means are provided for synchronising peripheral speeds of the housing-mounted roller and the first frame-supported roller between which the belt is pinched in the operating position of the belt.

Preferably the synchronising means comprises a pair of meshed gears, each gear of the pair of gears being rotationally fixed to a respective one of the housing-mounted roller and the first frame-supported roller.

Preferably the frame-supported rollers further include second and third frame-supported rollers so that a lower run of the belt for engaging the floor is supported between the second and third frame-supported rollers.

Preferably an upper run of the belt extends to the lower run and is supported between the first frame-supported roller and a forwardmost one of the second and third frame-supported rollers.

Preferably the inlet nozzle is elongated to extend across the floor tool body and further comprises a brush roll for engaging the floor and the floor tool body holds a demountable bin assembly including a dust bin with a mouth elongated substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the brush roll for receiving dirt swept into the mouth.

Preferably the cleaning liquid reservoir includes a liquid applicator configured to apply a cleaning liquid to the belt from an onboard cleaning liquid reservoir. Alternatively the liquid applicator may apply liquid to the floor, or to a brush or other scrubbing device, rather than applying the liquid directly to the belt.

The liquid applicator is preferably disposed on the floor tool to dispense the cleaning liquid evenly on the belt surface. In some embodiments, the cleaning liquid comprises water and/or water nixed with an active agent such as detergent, fragrance, disinfectant, and abrasive particles.

The cleaning liquid reservoir may be removable from the floor tool for filling. Otherwise, if the cleaning liquid reservoir is integrated in the appliance, the appliance may be configured to release the contents of a cartridge of active agent into the cleaning liquid reservoir to ensure the proper ratio of water to active agent. For instance, a piercing device in a cartridge-receiving cavity may be configured to pen the cartridge and allow its contents to drop into the cleaning liquid reservoir,

Preferably the liquid applicator comprises a powered actuator that actuates a pump for drawing liquid from the reservoir and ejecting it from a spray nozzle.

Preferably the vacuum cleaner module comprises:

• • a cyclone chamber disposed alongside a dirt bin, such that the cyclone chamber and dirt bin are substantially coextensive in an axial direction of the cyclone chamber;
  • an inlet duct with one end adapted for connection to the inlet nozzle, and an opposing end following a helical path to direct circulating air near a perimeter of an inner axial end of the cyclone chamber;
  • a vortex finder disposed centrally in the cyclone chamber, through which air leaves the cyclone chamber;
  • a dirt outlet adjacent an outer axial end of the cyclone chamber and communicating with the dirt bin, wherein with the vacuum mounted on the floor head the dirt bin is below the cyclone chamber.

Preferably the dirt bin is integral with walls of the cyclone chamber.

Preferably a hinged closure on the outer axial end opens both the dirt bin and the cyclone chamber.

Preferably the axis of the cyclone chamber is substantially perpendicular o an elongate axis of the inlet duct.

Preferably the fan/motor assembly is disposed in a fan/motor housing with an axis substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the inlet duct.

Preferably the inlet duct is disposed centrally and the fan/moor housing and cyclone chamber walls are elongated substantially parallel to one another in a transverse direction on opposite sides of the inlet duct.

Preferably the exhaust is disposed in an outer axial end of the fan/motor housing. The outer axial end of the fan/motor housing may be disposed opposite vent openings in a wall of the floor tool body.

Preferably the one of the first and second electrical couplers is disposed centrally in a projecting part that projects from the walls of the cyclone chamber and the fan/motor housing.

Preferably the third electrical coupler mechanically couples the vacuum cleaner battery pack to extend in a cantilevered manner from the one of first and second electrical couplers in a deployed position for use as a handle.

Preferably the vacuum cleaner module comprises a fourth electrical coupler of like form to the one of the first and second electrical couplers, whereby connection of the third and fourth couplers mechanically couples the vacuum cleaner battery pack in a recessed storage position, wherein the fourth electrical coupler is electrically connected to the electrical supply circuit.

In one embodiment the appliance is a cleaning robot comprising a drive sub-system controlled by a main control module and powered by a built-in power module to autonomously move the floor tool body over a cleaning surface normally in a forward direction defined by a fore-and-aft axis and where the nozzle and inlet floor-engaging belt section are elongated in a transverse to the fore-and-aft axis.

With the vacuum cleaner module in place the surface cleaning robot is configured to collect a particulate matter from the surface and, after replacing the vacuum cleaner module with the mopping module, to clean the surface by applying a cleaning liquid to the surface and then recovering the waste liquid from the surface, with two containers or compartments that are carried and store cleaning fluid and waste respectively.

The robot preferably has a mass and dimensions that make it suitable for household use. Its gross weight (fully filled with liquid) may preferably be about 4 to 6 kg, and a tare weight of about 3 to 5 kg. The gross weight should be no more than about 10 kg. The cleaning width, and the overall width of the body, are in the range of about 20 to 50 cm, the height is in the range of 7.5 to 20 cm, and the length in the range of 20 to 70 cm. In some embodiments, the ground clearance is 3-7 mm, and the wheels 30 to 60 mm.

To effectively rub the surface during mopping requires drag and relative sliding of the belt across the floor and, depending on the direction of belt movement, the belt can create drag or thrust. In the invention, both may be employed, for instance in one mopping mode with the belt drive driven to oppose the motive force of the drive wheels, or in another mopping mode with the drive wheels driven to oppose the motive force of the belt. To this end, the appliance may determine wheel rotation data as determined by a rotary wheel encoder, to determine how the corresponding movement correlates with the output of other distance sensors, such as a LIDAR, camera or ultrasonic sensor,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a first embodiment of a cleaning appliance of the invention, from above;

FIG. 2 is a view from below of the appliance of FIG. 1 with the vacuum cleaner module installed;

FIG. 2a is a control schematic of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded pictorial view showing the main demountable component parts of the appliance of FIG. 1 disassembled;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the vacuum cleaner module of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view, from the rear, of the vacuum cleaner module of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the electrical coupling of the vacuum cleaner module of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of the battery pack of the vacuum cleaner module of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view of the electrical coupling of the floor tool body of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an electrical schematic of the vacuum leaner module and floor tool body of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a section in a longitudinal plane through the vacuum cleaner module of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a cross section through the waste tank of the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are schematic sections (in a longitudinal plane) showing, respectively, insertion of the vacuum cleaner module, and final location of the vacuum cleaner module in to the appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a pictorial view of the mopping module with the belt removed;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic sections showing the location of the mopping module in to the appliance of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 17 is a pictorial view, from above, of a second embodiment of a cleaning appliance of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the cleaning appliance 10 is of the robotic type, and may comprise a drive sub-system 34 controlled by a main control unit 30 and powered by a built-in power source 32 to autonomously move over a cleaning surface, normally in a forward direction defined by a fore-and-aft axis 11. The cleaning appliance 10 has a floor tool body 14 with a base 15 supported upon two independently driven wheels 12, 13 which may be coaxial, disposed toward a rear of the appliance 10, and which are driven by the drive sub-system 34.

A pair of rollers 16a, 16b may be disposed, forward of the centre of the appliance and on opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis 11 to cooperate with the driven wheels 12, 13 for supporting the appliance, particularly when used for vacuuming The rollers 16a, 16b may be mounted to rotate about a common transverse axis.

A hatch 16 may be mounted to the body 14 over a module-receiving recess 17 that extends from a mouth 19 closed by the hatch 16 at its upper end to an opening 18 in the base 14 at its lower end. The opening 18 is generally elongated transversely and effectively defines the cleaning width. The appliance 10 includes a vacuum cleaner module 20 and a mopping module 21, either one of which may be placed in the module-receiving recess 17 so as to be interchangeably mountable to the floor tool body 14 for mopping or vacuuming of the floor respectively.

The robot cleaning appliance 10 further includes a sensor unit 29 that includes a plurality of sensors attached to the housing and/or integrated with the robot to sense internal and external states, in response to sensing various states, the sensor unit 29 may send an electrical signal to the control module 30. Individual sensors detect obstacles, steep drops, dirt floor, low battery levels, liquid levels, wheel speed, wheel slip, vacuum suction levels, accelerations, magnetic bearings, ultrasonic or laser rangefinder data, etc. The sensor unit 29 may comprise positions sensors, such as microswitches, that sense whether the vacuum cleaner module 20 or the mopping module 21 is present, and positioned for operation.

Depending upon whether the appliance 10 has the vacuum cleaner module 20 or the mopping module 21 in place, operation of the vacuum cleaner module 20 is controlled by a vacuum control unit 26 or the mopping module 21 is controlled by mopping control unit 27, with the main control unit 30 coordinating driving of the robot with module operation to complete the cleaning task When mopping, a liquid applicator control unit 28 controls the application of cleaning liquid to the floor.

The robot cleaning appliance 10 may also include a user control unit 25 that provides one or more input interfaces that generate electrical signals in response to user inputs and communicate the signals to the main control module 30, as from a touch or voice input.

The robot cleaning appliance 10 may also include one or more interface units 33 mounted to the housing for connection to one or more external devices, as for exchanging operational commands, digital data and other electrical signals, or for charging the rechargeable battery power source of the robot from an external power source. Interface units 33 can be configured for communication over a wireless network, handheld remote control devices, local or remote computers, etc.

Other demountable components of the appliance 10 (shown in FIG. 3) include a cleaning liquid reservoir 22, used together with the mopping module 21 for supplying cleaning liquid, and a waste tank 23. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22 nests in the module-receiving recess 17 above the mopping module 21. The waste tank 23 may be elongate and slidingly received in an aperture 24 in the body 14 to extend transversely.

FIGS. 1-3 also show two rotary brushes 35, 36 mounted to the base 15 for engagement with the floor as they rotate about respective generally upright axes. The brushes 35, 36 are mounted forward and outboard of the opening 18, with their swept diameter projecting transversely inward of the transverse ends of the opening 18 and transversely outward of the sides of the body 14. In this way, the brushes 35, 36 serve to extend the effective swept width beyond the two ends of the opening 18 to the full width of the appliance 10.

Referring to FIGS. 4-13, the vacuum cleaner module 20 is a sub-assembly that includes a vacuum unit 41 from which an inlet nozzle 39 and a vacuum cleaner module battery pack 40 are demountable. The inlet nozzle 39, through which ambient air is first drawn in, is elongated to extend across the floor tool body 14 and comprises a brush roll 42 for engaging the floor, performing a sweeping and agitating function as it rotates about a generally horizontal axis. The brush roll 42 is driven via a belt 44 by a brush roll motor 43 mounted in the nozzle body 45. Power is supplied to the brush roll motor 43 from an electrical circuit 37 of the vacuum unit 41 via mating connectors 47 that are joined when the vacuum unit 41 is connected to the inlet nozzle 39 at the port 46.

For generating the air flow, the vacuum unit 41 includes a vacuum motor 38 that drives a fan 48 and is powered by the electrical circuit 37. In turn, power may be provided to the electrical circuit 37 from the power source 32 when the vacuum module 20 is mounted in the floor tool body 14 when a first electrical coupler 51 electrically connected the power source 32, is joined to a complementary second electrical coupler 52 electrically coupled to the electrical circuit 37, as shown in FIG. 13. In a stand-alone operation, when the vacuum module 20 is used separately of the floor tool body 14, power is provided to the electrical circuit 37 from the battery pack 40 when a third electrical coupler 51a, of like form to coupler 51 and electrically connected to cells 50 of the battery pack 40, engages the second electrical coupler 52, as shown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10. In this position the second electrical coupler 52 the third electrical coupler 51a mechanically couple the vacuum cleaner battery pack 40 to extend in a cantilevered manner for use as a handle that is centrally disposed in the vacuum module 20.

The vacuum unit 41 includes an inlet duct 53 with one end adapted for connection the port 46 of the inlet nozzle 39. The inlet duct 53 is generally centrally positioned, with the assembly of the vacuum motor 38 and fan 48 in a housing 49 on one transverse side and an assembly of a separator 54 and dirt bin 55 on the other transverse side. The mass of these two assemblies advantageously generally balance one another about the central, longitudinally-aligned handle.

The separator 54 for removing dirt from an air stream is downstream of the inlet nozzle and may include a cylindrical cyclone chamber 56 disposed alongside the dirt bin 55 with air introduced near a perimeter of an inner axial end of the cyclone chamber 56. Opposite the inlet nozzle end, the end of inlet duct 53 defines a helical 25 path 57 imparting circulating flow with an axial component. A dirt outlet 58 adjacent an outer axial end of the cyclone chamber 56 communicates with the dirt bin 55. In use, with the vacuum unit 41 mounted on the floor head, the dirt bin 55 is below the cyclone chamber 56. In this embodiment, the dirt bin 55 is integral with wails of the cyclone chamber 56 and the cyclone chamber 56 and dirt bin 55 are substantially coextensive in an axial direction of the cyclone chamber. A vortex finder 59 through which air leaves the cyclone chamber 56, is disposed centrally in the cyclone chamber 56 and may be foraminous or include a mesh for further filtering of the air. The air then travels transversely to the opposite side of the vacuum unit 41 where it is expelled through an exhaust 59 in an outer axial end of the fan/motor housing 49. The outer axial end of the fan/motor housing 49 may be disposed opposite vent openings 160 in a wall of the floor tool body 14. A hinged closure 76 on the outer axial end opens both the dirt bin 55 and the cyclone chamber 54 for emptying and cleaning.

The fan/moor housing 49 and cyclone chamber 56 may be elongated substantially parallel to one another in a transverse direction and on opposite sides of the inlet duct 53. On the opposite side of the inlet duct 53 to the dirt bin 55 may be a cavity 60 in the fan/motor housing 49 for storing the battery pack 40. For securing and charging the battery pack 40 a fourth electrical coupler 52a, of like form to the second electrical coupler 52, is disposed at the inner end of the cavity 60. Connection of the third and fourth couplers 51a, 52a mechanically couples the vacuum cleaner battery pack 40 in this recessed storage position, in which the fourth electrical coupler 52a is electrically connected to the electrical circuit 37 for charging.

The electrical couplers 51. 51a, 52, 52a may be sliding type couplers of a known type that provide both mechanical and electrical connection. The couplers 51, 51a may be a female element comprising a concavity 61 with opposing edges from each of which a like tongue 62, 63 projects. The mating couplers 52, 52a is a male element comprising a projection 64 with generally parallel opposing edges in each of which a like groove 65, 66 is formed. With the tongues 62, 63 received in the grooves 65, 66 the couplers slide linearly relative to one until mating electrical contacts 67, 68 disposed respectively on the first and second electrical couplers abut at the end of the relative linear sliding movement. The cooperating tongues 62, 63 and grooves 65, 66 may be generally parallel or they may taper a small amount to converge at the mounting position to avoid any clearance or “play” between the connected couplers. A detent 69 on one cooperates with a shoulder 70 on the other to hold the couplers in their connected state.

With the sliding axes of the couplers 51, 51a, 52, 52a generally upright, as shown in FIG. 12, the vacuum module 20 is lowered into the module-receiving recess 17. The brush roll 42 is disposed at the front of the nozzle body 45 opposite a ramp part 71 that terminates at an aperture 72 having a closure 73. The closure 73 is removed or opened before the vacuum module 20 is lowered into its mounting position (FIG. 13) where the aperture 72 is in registration with a mouth 173 of a bin part 74 formed in a lower forward end of the waste tank 23. The brush roll 42 is rotated (anti-clockwise with respect to FIG. 12) so as to drive debris up the ramp part 71, through the aperture 72 and into the bin part 74. In this mounted position the inlet nozzle is disposed in the opening 18 with its lowermost surface generally above the floor. A resilient blade 77 for engagement with the floor may be disposed rearward of the inlet to the floor nozzle and span the width of the floor nozzle.

The general configuration of the mopping module 21 is like that of U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,105, comprising three generally parallel rollers 80, 81, 82 supported for rotation at opposing ends in journals (not shown) mounted to a frame 84 with the belt 85 extending about all of them such that each engages an inner face of the belt 85. The belt 85 comprises absorbent material, and may have a circumferential internal rib 86 received in a circumferential channel 87 in the rollers to prevent wandering. A lower run 88, supported between the lowermost frame-supported idler rollers 81 and 82, defines a floor-engaging section of the belt 85 for engaging and mopping the floor and which extends through the opening 18. An upper run 89 of the belt extends to the lower run 88 and is supported between the (first) uppermost frame-supported roller 80 and the forwardmost roller 81.

Cooperating with the mopping module 21, and mounted on the body 14 at an edge of the module-receiving recess 17, is a body-mounted roller 83. In an operating position the belt 85 is pinched between the body-mounted roller 83 and the first frame-supported roller 80 to squeeze liquid from the belt 85.

Below the body-mounted roller 83, a channel 100 extends substantially along the width of a top wall 101 of the waste tank 23 and drains, via a central portion 102, to an inlet aperture 103 leading into the waste liquid reservoir 104. An elongate resilient wiper 105 is mounted in the channel 100 and engages the length of the body-mounted roller 83. The dirty liquid reservoir 104 further includes an electrical coupling (not shown) connected to a liquid level sensor (not shown) for actuating a level warning indicator (not shown). A closable outlet 97 is provided for emptying the reservoir 104 when the waste tank 23 is removed from the body 14 at the same time that the bin part 74 is emptied.

A motor 90 in the body 14 is powered from the on-board power source 32 to turn the belt 85. A transmission coupled to the motor 90 includes a drive gear 91 that is meshed with a driven gear 92 fixed to the roller 80, thereby providing torque to the roller 80. The driven gear 92 is also meshed with a gear 93 rotationally fast with the body-mounted roller 83 thus providing synchronising means for synchronising the peripheral speeds of the two rollers 80, 83 between which the belt is pinched and the a drive gear 91a that is meshed with a driven gear 92 fixed to the roller 80.

It will be understood that the body-mounted roller 83 deflects the belt 85 from a line that is tangent the adjacent frame-supported rollers 80, 82 thereby tensioning the belt 85, such that removing the mopping module 21 allows the belt 85 to be removed from the frame 84, if required.

The cleaning liquid reservoir 22 is a separate unit from the mopping module 20 and is installed in the module-receiving recess 17, nested above the mopping module 20. A wall 111 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22 may be planar and disposed opposite the upper run 89 of the belt. A liquid applicator 112 disposed on the floor tool body 114 receives cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid reservoir 22 via a fluid coupling (not shown) connected by insertion of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22, and may include a pump (not shown) controlled by the mopping control unit 27 to expel the cleaning liquid through spray nozzles (not shown) evenly on the surface of the upper run 89.

The invention is equally applicable to other types of cleaning appliance, particularly cordless appliances, such as the cleaning appliance 10a shown in FIG. 17, which has a floor head 75 connected to an elongate handle 78 by which the cleaner is manually moved. The floor head 75 may be supported upon a floor on wheels 79. The lower end of the handle 78 may bifurcate, forming a pair of yoke arms 94, 95 that each connect the handle 78 to the body 75 for pivoting about a generally horizontal axis 96, about which the wheels 79 may also rotate. The floor head 75 is adapted for interchangeably receiving the mopping module 21 and vacuum cleaner module 20, which are lowered into the module-receiving recess and urged by their own weight to their respective mounting positions in the manner described above, in general, the cleaning appliance 10a has the construction of the robotic appliance 10, but with the robotic drive sub-system 34 replaced by the handle 78.

A power source (not shown) in the floor head 75 is provided for powering the mopping module 21 and vacuum cleaner module 20 via an electrical coupler 151 of the same configuration as coupler 51. A hatch 16a may be mounted to the floor tool body 14a over a module-receiving recess 17a that extends from a mouth 19a closed by the hatch 16a at its upper end to an opening 18a in the base 14a at its lower end. The opening 18a is generally elongated transversely and effectively defines the cleaning width. Either one of vacuum cleaner module 20 and a mopping module 21 may be placed in the module-receiving recess 17a so as to be interchangeably mountable to the floor tool body 14a, or the floor tool body 14, for manual or robotic mopping or vacuuming of the floor respectively.

Depending upon whether the appliance 10a has the vacuum cleaner module 20 or the mopping module 21 in place, operation of the vacuum cleaner module 20 is controlled by a vacuum control unit (not shown) or the mopping module 21 is controlled by mopping control unit (not shown). When mopping, a liquid applicator control unit (not shown) controls the application of cleaning liquid to the floor. The robot cleaning appliance 10a may also include one or more interface units 33a for user control settings.

Cleaning liquid reservoir 22 is also used on appliance 10a together with the mopping module 21 for supplying cleaning liquid, and waste tank 23. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22 nests in the module-receiving recess 17a above the mopping module 21, in the same manner as in the appliance 10. Likewise, the features of the appliance 10 for cooperating with the mopping module 21 are present in this appliance 10a, such as the body-mounted roller 83a that cooperates to pinch the belt 85 to squeeze liquid from the belt 85.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims

1. A cleaning appliance comprising: a floor tool body including a base and wheels for supporting the floor tool body on a floor with the base above the floor; anda mopping module and a vacuum cleaner module that are interchangeably mountable to the floor tool body for mopping or vacuuming the floor respectively.

2. The cleaning appliance of claim 1 wherein the vacuum cleaner module is a sub-assembly that includes: an electrical circuit;a vacuum motor connected to the electrical circuit;one of first and second electrical couplers complementary to one another and electrically coupled to the electrical circuit;a fan driven by the vacuum motor;an inlet nozzle through which ambient air, drawn in by the fan, enters;a separator downstream of the inlet nozzle for removing dirt from an air stream;an exhaust for expelling air from the vacuum cleaner module, anda vacuum cleaner module battery pack;the mopping module is a sub-assembly that includes:a frame;generally parallel frame-supported rollers supported on the frame;an endless belt that extends around the rollers and comprises absorbent material, a floor-engaging section thereof extending across the width of the belt for contacting the floor;the floor tool body includes:a power source;a module-receiving recess that extends to an opening in the base such that:with the vacuum cleaner module in the module-receiving recess in a mounted position the inlet nozzle is disposed in the opening, andwith the mopping module in the module-receiving recess in a mounted position, the floor-engaging belt section projects through the opening to engage the floor; andthe other of the first and second electrical couplers that connects to the first electrical coupler when the cordless vacuum cleaner module is placed in the module-receiving recess to provide power from the power source to the electrical supply circuit, and whereinthe vacuum cleaner battery pack comprises a third electrical coupler of like form to the other of the first and second electrical couplers, allowing electrical connection to the electrical circuit for use of the vacuum cleaner module independently of the floor tool body.

3. The cleaning appliance of claim 1 wherein the mopping module and a vacuum cleaner module are, in use, lowered into the module-receiving recess and urged by their own weight to their respective mounting positions.

4. The cleaning appliance of claim 3 wherein complementary tongue and groove parts disposed respectively on the floor tool body and each module abut to guide the modules on a linear path when lowered into their respective mounting positions.

5. The cleaning appliance of claim 4 wherein one of the tongue and groove parts is disposed on the first electrical coupler and the other of the tongue and groove parts is disposed on the second electrical coupler, whereby the first and second electrical couplers are connected by relative linear sliding movement.

6. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, further comprising a body-mounted roller and a dirty liquid reservoir mounted to the floor tool body, whereby in an operating position the belt is pinched between the body-mounted roller and a first of the frame-supported rollers to squeeze liquid from the belt, which then drains into the dirty liquid reservoir, and the mopping module is movable relative to the floor tool body from the operating position to a released position in which the belt is released from between the body-mounted roller and the one of the frame-supported rollers.

7. The cleaning appliance of claim 6 wherein the body-mounted roller deflects the belt from a line that is tangent to two adjacent ones of the frame-supported rollers, thereby tensioning the belt.

8. The cleaning appliance of claim 6 wherein the floor tool body further includes: a motor electrically connectable to the power source, and a transmission coupled to the motor for providing torque to the first of the frame-supported rollers when the mopping module is placed into the module-receiving recess.

9. The cleaning appliance of claim 6, wherein the each of the frame-supported rollers engages an inner face of the belt.

10. The cleaning appliance of claim 6, wherein synchronising means are provided for synchronising peripheral speeds of the housing-mounted roller and the first frame-supported roller between which the belt is pinched in the operating position of the belt.

11. The cleaning appliance of claim 10 wherein the synchronising means comprises a pair of meshed gears, each gear of the pair of gears being rotationally fixed to a respective one of the housing-mounted roller and the first frame-supported roller.

12. The cleaning appliance of claim 6, wherein the frame-supported rollers further include second and third frame-supported rollers so that a lower run of the belt for engaging the floor is supported between the second and third frame-supported rollers.

13. The cleaning appliance of claim 10 wherein an upper run of the belt extends to the lower run and is supported between the first frame-supported roller and a forwardmost one of the second and third frame-supported rollers.

14. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the inlet nozzle is elongated to extend across the floor tool body and further comprises a brush roll for engaging the floor and the floor tool body holds a demountable bin assembly including a dust bin with a mouth elongated substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the brush roll for receiving dirt swept into the mouth.

15. The cleaning appliance of claim 10 wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir includes a liquid applicator configured to apply a cleaning liquid to the belt from an onboard cleaning liquid reservoir.

16. The cleaning appliance of claim 10 wherein the liquid applicator is disposed on the floor tool to dispense the cleaning liquid evenly on the belt surface.

17. (canceled)

18. The cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cleaner module comprises: a cyclone chamber disposed alongside a dirt bin, such that the cyclone chamber and dirt bin are substantially coextensive in an axial direction of the cyclone chamber;an inlet duct with one end adapted for connection to the inlet nozzle, and an opposing end following a helical path to direct circulating air near a perimeter of an inner axial end of the cyclone chamber;a vortex finder disposed centrally in the cyclone chamber, through which air leaves the cyclone chamber;a dirt outlet adjacent an outer axial end of the cyclone chamber and communicating with the dirt bin, wherein with the vacuum mounted on the floor head the dirt bin is below the cyclone chamber.

19. The cleaning appliance of claim 18 wherein the dirt bin is integral with walls of the cyclone chamber.

20. The cleaning appliance of claim 18 wherein a hinged closure on the outer axial end opens both the dirt bin and the cyclone chamber.

21. The cleaning appliance of claim 18, wherein the axis of the cyclone chamber is substantially perpendicular to an elongate axis of the inlet duct.

22. The cleaning appliance of claim 18, wherein the fan/motor assembly is disposed in a fan/motor housing with an axis substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the inlet duct.

23. The cleaning appliance of claim 18, wherein the inlet duct is disposed centrally and the fan/moor housing and cyclone chamber walls are elongated substantially parallel to one another in a transverse direction on opposite sides of the inlet duct.

24. The cleaning appliance of claim 19, wherein the exhaust is disposed in an outer axial end of the fan/motor housing.

25. The cleaning appliance of claim 18claim 19, wherein the one of the first and second electrical couplers is disposed centrally in a projecting part that projects from the walls of the cyclone chamber and the fan/motor housing.

26. The cleaning appliance of claim 25, wherein the third electrical coupler mechanically couples the vacuum cleaner battery pack to extend in a cantilevered manner from the one of first and second electrical couplers in a deployed position for use as a handle.

27. The cleaning appliance of claim 26, wherein the vacuum cleaner module comprises a fourth electrical coupler of like form to the one of the first and second electrical couplers, whereby connection of the third and fourth couplers mechanically couples the vacuum cleaner battery pack in a recessed storage position, wherein the fourth electrical coupler is electrically connected to the electrical supply circuit.

28. (canceled)