Multi-roller surface cleaner systems, methods, and devices with linearly adjustable floating rollers

Abstract

Presented are multi-roller surface cleaning heads with linearly adjustable floating rollers, methods for making/using such cleaning heads, and vacuum-based surface cleaning systems with such cleaning heads. A surface cleaning head includes a main housing with first and second linear pin slots, a nozzle inlet that ingests debris from a surface, and a connector port that couples with a fluid conduit to thereby fluidly connect the cleaning head to a suction device. A first roller is rotatably attached to the main housing, interposed between the nozzle inlet and connector port. A second roller is rotatably attached to the main housing parallel to the first roller. The second roller includes a roller shaft with first and second mounting pins projecting from first and second ends, respectively, of the roller shaft and slidably mounted in the first and second linear pin slots, respectively, such that the second roller floats in the main housing.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A surface cleaning head for a surface cleaning system, the surface cleaning system including a fluid conduit and a suction device fluidly connected to the fluid conduit and operable to generate a suction force, the surface cleaning head comprising:
 a main housing with first and second linear pin slots, a nozzle inlet configured to ingest debris from a target surface, and a connector port fluidly connected to the nozzle inlet and configured to couple with the fluid conduit to thereby fluidly connect to the suction device;   a first roller rotatably attached to the main housing and interposed between the nozzle inlet and the connector port;   a roller motor attached to the main housing, drivingly connected to the first roller, and operable to selectively rotate the first roller; and   a second roller rotatably attached to the main housing substantially parallel to the first roller, the second roller including a roller shaft with first and second mounting pins projecting from opposing first and second ends, respectively, of the roller shaft and slidably mounted in the first and second linear pin slots, respectively, such that the second roller floats in the main housing.   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the second roller slides unobstructed within the first and second linear pin slots between a lowered position and a raised position above the lowered position. 
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 2 , wherein the second roller is biased by gravity from the raised position to the lowered position sans a spring force of a spring. 
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the main housing includes a nozzle housing shell at least partially defining the nozzle inlet and a connector housing shell mounted to the nozzle housing shell and at least partially defining the connector port, and wherein the first and second rollers are both rotatably mounted inside the nozzle housing shell. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 4 , wherein the nozzle housing shell is a single-piece structure including a roller housing defining a main roller compartment mounting therein the first roller and a leading roller compartment mounting therein the second roller. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 5 , wherein the nozzle housing shell further includes a single-piece base plate rigidly attached to the connector housing shell and the roller housing, the base plate and the roller housing cooperatively defining the nozzle inlet. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the first roller has a first roller diameter and the second roller has a second roller diameter smaller than the first roller diameter. 
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the first roller is a brushroll including multiple brush bristles, and the second roller is a padded roller sans bristles. 
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the second roller is friction-driven by frictional forces generated by the target surface sans a torque force of a motor. 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 9 , wherein the second roller includes first and second friction wheels rigidly secured to the first and second ends, respectively, of the roller shaft, and wherein the first and second mounting pins are integrally formed with the first and second friction wheels, respectively. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , further comprising a belt-drive system with a central axle attached to the main housing parallel to and interposed between the first and second rollers, the central axle bearing first and second axle wheels, the first axle wheel drivingly connected via a first belt to a first roller wheel of the first roller, and the second axle wheel drivingly connected via a second belt to a second roller wheel of the second roller. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the first axle wheel has a first axle diameter, the second axle wheel has a second axle diameter smaller than the first axle diameter, the first roller wheel has a first roller diameter smaller than the first axle diameter, and the second roller wheel has a second roller diameter larger than the second axle diameter. 
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the main housing further includes a pair of linear axle slots within which is slidably mounted the central axle to translate along a first rectilinear path, and wherein the second roller translates along a second rectilinear path oblique to the first rectilinear path. 
     
     
         14 . A surface cleaning system, comprising:
 a cleaner body;   a recovery container attached to the cleaner body and configured to stow therein debris extracted from a target surface;   a suction device attached to the cleaner body, fluidly coupled to the recovery container, and configured to generate a suction force to draw the debris into the recovery container;   a hose fluidly connected to the recovery container and the suction device; and   a surface cleaning head attached to the cleaner body and including:
 a main housing with first and second linear pin slots, a nozzle inlet configured to ingest the debris from the target surface, and a connector port fluidly connected to the nozzle inlet and coupled to the hose to thereby fluidly connect the surface cleaning head to recovery container and the suction device; 
 a main roller rotatably attached to the main housing and interposed between the nozzle inlet and the connector port; 
 a roller motor attached to the main housing, drivingly connected to the main roller, and operable to selectively rotate the main roller; and 
 an auxiliary roller rotatably attached to the main housing substantially parallel to and forward of the main roller, the auxiliary roller including a roller shaft with first and second mounting pins projecting from opposing first and second ends, respectively, of the roller shaft and slidably mounted in the first and second linear pin slots, respectively, such that the auxiliary roller floats in the main housing, 
   wherein the auxiliary roller slides unobstructed along a rectilinear path between a lowered position and a raised position above the lowered position, the auxiliary roller being biased by gravity from the raised position to the lowered position sans a spring force of a spring.   
     
     
         15 . A method of assembling a surface cleaning head for a surface cleaning system, the surface cleaning system including a fluid conduit and a suction device fluidly connected to the fluid conduit and operable to generate a suction force, the method comprising:
 receiving a main housing of the surface cleaning head, the main housing having first and second linear pin slots, a nozzle inlet configured to ingest debris from a target surface, and a connector port fluidly connected to the nozzle inlet;   coupling the connector port with the fluid conduit to thereby fluidly connect the surface cleaning head to the suction device;   rotatably attaching a first roller to the main housing such that the first roller is interposed between the nozzle inlet and the connector port;   attaching a roller motor to the main housing;   drivingly connecting the roller motor to the first roller, the roller motor being operable to selectively rotate the first roller; and   rotatably attaching a second roller to the main housing substantially parallel to the first roller, the second roller including a roller shaft with first and second mounting pins projecting from opposing first and second ends, respectively, of the roller shaft and slidably mounted in the first and second linear pin slots, respectively, such that the second roller floats in the main housing.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second roller slides unobstructed within the first and second linear pin slots between a lowered position and a raised position above the lowered position, the second roller being biased by gravity from the raised position to the lowered position sans a spring force of a spring. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the main housing includes a nozzle housing shell at least partially defining the nozzle inlet and a connector housing shell mounted to the nozzle housing shell and at least partially defining the connector port, and wherein the first and second rollers are both rotatably mounted inside the nozzle housing shell. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the nozzle housing shell is a single-piece structure including a roller housing defining a main roller compartment mounting therein the first roller and a leading roller compartment mounting therein the second roller. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the nozzle housing shell further includes a single-piece base plate rigidly attached to the connector housing and the roller housing, the base plate and the roller housing cooperatively defining the nozzle inlet. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first roller has a first diameter and the second roller has a second diameter smaller than the first diameter.