Vacuum cleaner with air agitation assistence

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus includes an upper portion having a handle and a suction motor and a surface cleaning head pivotably connected to the upper portion. The surface cleaning head includes a vacuum inlet fluidly coupled to the suction motor and an air-agitation blower assembly. The air-agitation blower assembly includes at least one air-agitation blower and at least one discharge nozzle. The least one air-agitation blower is configured to generate a pressurize air flow and includes an air pump and an air-agitation motor drivingly connected to the air pump, the air-agitation motor being independent from the suction motor. The at least one discharge nozzle is fluidly coupled to the air pump and configured to discharge the pressurized air flow to form an air-blast agitation flow.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:
 an upper portion including a handle;   a suction motor; and   a surface cleaning head pivotably connected to said upper portion, said surface cleaning head including:
 a vacuum inlet fluidly coupled to said suction motor; 
 an agitation chamber fluidly coupled to said vacuum inlet; 
 a rotating agitator at least partially disposed within said agitation chamber; and 
 an air-agitation blower assembly comprising:
 at least one air-agitation blower configured to generate a pressurize air flow, said at least one air-agitation blower including:
 an air pump; and 
 an air-agitation motor drivingly connected to said air pump, said air-agitation motor being independent from said suction motor; and 
 
 at least one discharge nozzle fluidly coupled to said air pump and disposed behind said rotating agitator and configured to discharge said pressurized air flow to dislodge debris and direct said debris towards said rotating agitator. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said surface cleaning head further includes at least one wheel disposed proximate a rear portion of said surface cleaning head. 
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one discharge nozzle is located generally between said rotating agitator and said at least one wheel. 
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one discharge nozzle is configured to direct debris generally away from said rear portion of said surface cleaning head. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one discharge nozzle is disposed behind said vacuum inlet. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said agitation chamber includes a dirty air inlet and said rotating agitator is partially disposed through said dirty air inlet, wherein said at least one discharge nozzle is further disposed behind said dirty air inlet. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said rotating agitator is driven by a rotational drive motor which is separate from said air-agitation motor. 
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said surface cleaning head further includes at least one plenum fluidly coupled between said air pump and said at least one discharge nozzle. 
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein a ratio (A/a) of a cross-sectional area (A) of said at least one plenum to a cross-sectional area (a) of said at least one discharge nozzle is greater than or equal to 4:1. 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said ratio (A/a) is greater than or equal to 5:1. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said suction motor is an AC motor and wherein said air-agitation motor is a DC motor. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein at least one winding of said AC suction motor is configured to step down said input AC voltage to a stepped down AC voltage. 
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising at least one rectifier configured to convert said stepped down AC voltage to a DC voltage for supply to said DC air-agitation motor. 
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one discharge nozzle comprises at least one baffle. 
     
     
         15 . A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:
 an upper portion including a handle;   one or more motors configured to provide a vacuum air flow and a pressurized air-agitation air flow;   a surface cleaning head including a front portion and a rear portion, said rear portion pivotably connected to the upper portion and including at least one wheel, the surface cleaning head including:
 a vacuum inlet fluidly coupled to said vacuum air flow; 
 an agitation chamber fluidly coupled to said vacuum inlet; 
 a rotating agitator at least partially disposed within said agitation chamber; and at least one discharge nozzle disposed between said rotating agitator and said rear portion and configured to discharge said pressurized air flow to direct said debris towards said rotating agitator. 
   
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said air-agitation blower assembly further comprises at least one plenum fluidly coupled between said one or more motors providing said pressurized air-agitation air flow and said at least one discharge nozzle, wherein a ratio (A/a) of a cross-sectional area (A) of said at least one plenum to a cross-sectional area (a) of said at least one discharge nozzle is greater than or equal to 4:1. 
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said ratio (A/a) is greater than or equal to 5:1. 
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said one or more motors includes at least one suction motor and at least one air-agitation motor, wherein said at least one suction motor is an AC motor and wherein said at least one air-agitation motor is a DC motor. 
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising step-down voltage rectifier circuitry comprising at least a portion of a plurality of windings of said AC suction motor configured to step down an input AC voltage to said AC motor to a stepped down AC voltage and at least one rectifier configured to convert said stepped down AC voltage to a DC voltage for supply to said DC air-agitation motor 
     
     
         20 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said at least one discharge nozzle comprises at least one baffle configured to increase said air flow proximate lateral edges of said surface cleaning head.