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.

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; 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.   
     
     
         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, 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 in 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. 
 
     
     
         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 18   claim 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)