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EP-4262502-B1 - VACUUM CLEANER

EP4262502B1EP 4262502 B1EP4262502 B1EP 4262502B1EP-4262502-B1

Inventors

  • SÖRMARK, Christoffer
  • MIAN, Peter

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20201217

Claims (16)

  1. A stick-type vacuum cleaner (1) comprising: - an elongated body (3) having a nozzle end (4) and a handle end (6), - an air inlet (7) arranged at the nozzle end (4), - a handle (8) arranged at the handle end (6), - at least one air outlet (9, 9') arranged on the elongated body (3), - a dust separation unit (15) arranged inside the elongated body (3), and - a first and a second motor/fan unit (11, 12) each arranged inside the elongated body (3), characterized in that the first and second motor/fan units (11, 12) are arranged to operate in parallel to generate an airflow from the air inlet (7) through the dust separation unit (15) to the at least one air outlet (9, 9').
  2. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 1, wherein the dust separation unit (15) comprises a cyclone separator.
  3. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second motor/fan units (11, 12) are differently configured.
  4. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 3, wherein each of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) comprises a fan (17, 17') and an electric motor (19, 19') configured to power the fan (17, 17'), and wherein the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) are differently configured regarding type and/or size of the electric motor (19, 19').
  5. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) comprises a fan (17, 17') and an electric motor (19, 19') configured to power the fan (17, 17'), and wherein the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) are differently configured regarding type and/or size of the fan (17, 17').
  6. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) comprises a fan (17, 17') and a brushless electric motor (19, 19') configured to power the fan (17, 17').
  7. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) comprises a fan (17, 17') and a brushless electric motor (19, 19') configured to power the fan (17, 17').
  8. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) comprises a control arrangement (21) configured to control operation of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12), and wherein the control arrangement (21) is configured to operate the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) in a mode in which the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) are operated at different power levels.
  9. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second motor/fan unit (12) is arranged at a greater distance (d2) from the nozzle end (4) than the first motor/fan unit (11).
  10. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12) are arranged inside the elongated body (3) such that a central elongation axis (Eax) of the elongated body (3) extends through each of the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12).
  11. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second motor/fan unit (12) comprises a rotation axis (ax2) being substantially parallel to a rotation axis (ax1) of the first motor/fan unit (11).
  12. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) comprises a battery assembly (23) configured to supply electricity to the first and second motor/fan unit (11, 12).
  13. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 12, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) comprises a duct assembly (16) configured to conduct air from the air inlet (7) through the dust separation unit (15) to the at least one air outlet (9, 9'), and wherein the duct assembly (16) comprises a section (25) in thermal communication with the battery assembly (23).
  14. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to claim 13, wherein the section (25) is arranged downstream of the respective first and second motor/fan units (11, 12).
  15. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) comprises two separate air outlets (9, 9') arranged on the elongated body (3).
  16. The vacuum cleaner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vacuum cleaner (1) is configured for floor cleaning.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner comprising an elongated body having a nozzle end and a handle end, an air inlet arranged at the nozzle end, and a handle arranged at the handle end. Such vacuum cleaners are sometimes referred to as stick-type vacuum cleaners. BACKGROUND A vacuum cleaner is an apparatus that uses a motor/fan unit to create a partial vacuum in order to obtain an air flow for sucking up dust and dirt from surfaces, such as floors, carpets, furniture, curtains, and the like. The motor/fan unit usually comprises a centrifugal fan and an electric motor configured to power, i.e. rotate, the centrifugal fan. Document EP 2 351 505 A1 discloses a canister type electric vacuum cleaner. The body of the vacuum cleaner houses two electric blowers having a control means. The control means 16 has a medium mode and a weak mode for activating the electric blowers. Document EP 3 318 167 A1 discloses i.a. a stick-type vacuum cleaner with a first fan and a second fan. Various types of vacuum cleaners exist, among them canister vacuum cleaners, robotic vacuum cleaners, central vacuum cleaners, and stick-type vacuum cleaners. A stick-type vacuum cleaner comprises an elongated body having a nozzle arranged at one end and a handle arranged at a second end. Stick-type vacuum cleaners have become increasingly popular partly because they are simple to use for example when wanting to clean smaller areas. Moreover, stick-type vacuum cleaners occupy little space when not in use and can for example be attached to a wall mounted bracket when not in use. However, the elongated shape of a stick type vacuum cleaner puts demands on the design of the vacuum cleaner. It is an advantage if the vacuum cleaner has a slim design, but it can be difficult to achieve due to the components needed inside the vacuum cleaner. Moreover, some general problems and requirements exist when designing vacuum cleaners. One example is cleaning efficiency. Users of vacuum cleaners expect a high cleaning efficiency to achieve a good cleaning result with little effort. The cleaning efficiency partly depends on the airflow rate, an in turn, the airflow rate depends on the magnitude of the partial vacuum created by the motor/fan unit. Another important requirement of vacuum cleaners is energy efficiency. The energy efficiency of a vacuum cleaner is an important aspect due to environmental concerns. Moreover, in battery powered vacuum cleaners, an improvement in energy efficiency results in a prolonged available operational time, given a certain energy storage capacity of the batteries of the vacuum cleaner. Likewise, an improvement in energy efficiency of a battery powered vacuum cleaner allows batteries of the vacuum cleaner to be smaller in size, weight, and capacity while maintaining a certain available operational time of the vacuum cleaner. In a vacuum cleaner, the energy efficiency can be defined as the ratio between the useful output in the form of suction power and the input of electrical energy. A problem associated with vacuum cleaners is that the energy efficiency of the vacuum cleaner drops significantly at higher airflow levels of the motor/fan unit. Likewise, the energy efficiency of the vacuum cleaner drops significantly at lower airflow levels of the motor/fan unit. That is, when the motor/fan unit of a vacuum cleaner is operated at higher airflow levels, as well as at lower airflow levels, the ratio between the useful output in the form of suction power and the input of electrical energy drops significantly. In other words, many motor/fan units have a narrow operational range in which the vacuum cleaner can be operated in an efficient manner. SUMMARY It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least alleviate, at least some of the above-mentioned problems and drawbacks. According to an aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a stick-type vacuum cleaner comprising an elongated body having a nozzle end and a handle end, an air inlet arranged at the nozzle end, a handle arranged at the handle end, and at least one air outlet arranged on the elongated body. The vacuum cleaner further comprises a dust separation unit arranged inside the elongated body, and a first and a second motor/fan unit each arranged inside the elongated body. The first and second motor/fan units are arranged to operate in parallel to generate an airflow from the air inlet through the dust separation unit to the at least one air outlet. Since the vacuum cleaner comprises two motor/fan units arranged to operate in parallel to generate an airflow from the air inlet through the dust separation unit, a vacuum cleaner is provided having conditions for a significantly widened operational range in which the vacuum cleaner can be operated in an efficient manner. This is because the airflows and partial vacuums of the motor/fan units are combined due to the parallel arrangement thereof. Moreover, a vacuum cleaner is pr