Surface cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus such as a vacuum cleaner (10) includes a suction source (18), a recovery container, and a base assembly (34) with at least one agitator (26) within an agitator chamber (74). The recovery container (20) can be coupled to a separator assembly (140) configured to remove dirt and debris from working fluid through the surface cleaning apparatus (10). In addition, a user interface (84) can be provided for selective operation of components of the surface cleaning apparatus (10).

1 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 a base assembly including a suction nozzle;   a hand-held portion having a hand grip, and a suction source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and configured for generating a working airstream;   a working air path from the suction nozzle to an air outlet in the hand-held portion and including the suction source; and   a headlight array located along a forward oriented portion of the base assembly providing a beam that is substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned and spaced above the surface to be cleaned at not more than 30 mm.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the headlight array includes a plurality of LEDs spaced along a width of the base assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of LEDs of the headlight array have a centerline that is less than 20 mm above a plane defined by the surface to be cleaned. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of LEDs of the headlight array provide an illuminance measurement as a delta from ambient values of at least 16 Lux at 2 meters and greater than 1000 Lux at 10 cm. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the beam configured to be provided by the headlight array is at a zero-degree beam angle. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the working air path is at least partially defined by a wand operably coupled between the base assembly and the hand-held portion. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 6  wherein the wand comprises an outer periphery having a triangular profile. 
     
     
         8 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 7  wherein the wand includes a decorative insert operably coupled to a recess within a wand body and the decorative insert and the wand body together form the outer periphery or wherein the wand includes a tubular insert operably coupled within a recess of a wand body and the tubular insert and the wand body together form the outer periphery. 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 6 , further comprising a swivel joint moveably coupling a lower end of the wand to the base assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 6  wherein the hand-held portion further comprises a debris removal assembly including a recovery container provided in fluid communication with the suction source. 
     
     
         11 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 10  wherein the suction source includes a motor/fan assembly operably coupled to the debris removal assembly to form a single, hand-carriable unit. 
     
     
         12 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 11  wherein the hand grip extends away from at least one of the motor/fan assembly or the recovery container to define a handle opening and where the hand grip is adapted to be gripped by a user. 
     
     
         13 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 11 , further comprising a pre-motor filter assembly mounted to the hand-held portion and defining a portion of the working air path, the pre-motor filter assembly comprising at least one pre-motor filter. received within a filter chamber at an upper end of the recovery container. 
     
     
         14 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 10  wherein the debris removal assembly comprises a cyclonic separator chamber for separating contaminants from the working air path and a collection chamber for receiving contaminants separated in the separator chamber, the collection chamber defined at least in part by the recovery container. 
     
     
         15 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 14  wherein the debris removal assembly further comprises a second cyclonic separator chamber that is downstream from the collection chamber and a second collection chamber for receiving contaminants separated in the second cyclonic separator chamber. 
     
     
         16 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 15  wherein the second cyclonic separator chamber is located concentrically within the cyclonic separator chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 16  wherein an inner housing is selectively receivable within the recovery container and the inner housing defines the second cyclonic separator chamber and the second collection chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 17 , further comprising an annular wiper configured to slidably contact a portion of the inner housing. 
     
     
         19 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the base assembly further comprises an agitator chamber at the suction nozzle and a removable brushroll selectively located therein. 
     
     
         20 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 a base assembly including a suction nozzle;   a hand-held portion having a hand grip, a recovery container with a collector axis defined through a center thereof, and a suction source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and the recovery container and configured for generating a working airstream; and   a wand operably coupled between the base assembly and the hand-held portion and defining at least a portion of a working air path extending from the suction nozzle to an air outlet in the hand-held portion and including the suction source and wherein a wand axis is defined through a center of the wand and wherein the wand axis and the collector axis are parallel.   
     
     
         21 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 20  wherein the suction source includes a motor/fan assembly operably coupled to the recovery container to form a single, hand-carriable unit and the motor/fan assembly defines a motor axis that is parallel to the wand axis and the collector axis. 
     
     
         22 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 20  wherein a grip axis is defined through a center of the hand grip and forms an acute angle with respect to the collector axis. 
     
     
         23 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 22 , further comprising a battery pack located on the hand-held portion and wherein a battery axis is defined through the center of the battery pack and intersects the grip axis at an orthogonal angle.