CN110432820B

CN110432820B - Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Info

Publication number: CN110432820B
Application number: CN201910734367.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卞庄
Original assignee: Suzhou Chenghe Cleaning Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Chenghe Cleaning Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-09
Filing date: 2019-08-09
Publication date: 2021-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-09
Also published as: CN110432820A

Abstract

The invention discloses a vacuum cleaner, comprising a hard tube, a vacuum tube and a vacuum tube, wherein the hard tube is provided with an upper end part and a lower end part; the handheld dust collection host can be detachably attached to the upper end of the hard pipe and comprises a machine body and a detachable module, wherein the machine body is used for being connected with the upper end of the hard pipe, the detachable module can be separated from the machine body, the machine body at least comprises a handle and a first combining part which can be fixed with the detachable module and can realize airflow conduction, and the detachable module at least comprises a dust barrel and a dust collection motor; the dust absorption scrubbing brush is attached to the lower end of the hard tube, a third combining part which can be fixed with the detachable module and can realize air flow conduction is arranged on the lower part of the dust absorption scrubbing brush and/or the hard tube, and when the vacuum cleaner works in a state that the detachable module is installed at the third combining part, the vacuum cleaner still can use the handle on the machine body as the current operating handle. When the using state is switched, only the detachable module needs to be detached, so that the operation can be simplified, and the using convenience is improved.

Description

Vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner head

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of cleaning equipment, in particular to a vacuum cleaner.

Background

In daily life, a vacuum cleaner mainly uses a suction unit (such as a suction motor) to generate suction airflow to suck dust, the sucked dust is collected by a dust collecting device (generally, a dust barrel or a dust cup structure), and the filtered clean air is discharged to the external environment. The handheld vacuum cleaner is popular among people and widely used due to the advantages of portability and easy handheld operation. People usually connect a cleaning head such as a floor brush by a hard tube or other tube connecting pieces, so that the hand-held dust collector, the hard tube and the floor brush are combined and used in sequence, and like a vertical dust collector, the cleaning operation is carried out on a large area such as indoor floor. However, most of the weight of the handheld vacuum cleaner is mainly concentrated on the dust collection motor and the dust collection device, when people combine the handheld vacuum cleaner, the hard tube and the floor brush for use, the gravity center of the equipment mainly falls on the handheld vacuum cleaner, namely, the equipment is close to the wrist of a user, and after the combined equipment is held for a long time for cleaning, the wrist of the user is easy to fatigue and ache, so that the inconvenience in use is increased.

In order to solve the technical problem that the gravity center of the vacuum cleaner is too high and inconvenient to operate in the using process, the chinese patent publication No. CN105832246B discloses a vacuum cleaner, which comprises a main machine, a connecting pipe and a floor brush, wherein the main machine, the connecting pipe and the floor brush are detachably connected, the connecting sequence of the main machine and the connecting pipe can be changed according to the using requirement, and two using states are formed: in a first use state, the host, the connecting pipe and the ground brush are connected in sequence; under the second user state, the connecting pipe, host computer and scrubbing brush are connected in order, so, this dust catcher passes through the host computer, two kinds of built-up connection of connecting pipe and scrubbing brush three, conveniently adjust the focus height of dust catcher under the second user state, however, such integrated configuration, when switching the user state at every turn and using, all need be with each part, host computer, connecting pipe and the whole dismantlements of scrubbing brush three promptly, connect in order respectively, it is comparatively loaded down with trivial details in the operation, it is not very convenient in the use.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can be operated easily and is more convenient to use.

In order to achieve the purpose of the invention, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

a vacuum cleaner comprising a handheld cleaning main unit, an elongate wand and a cleaning brush, the wand having an upper end and a lower end, the cleaning brush being attached to the lower end of the wand, the handheld cleaning main unit being removably attachable to the wand at the upper end thereof,

the handheld dust collection host comprises a machine body connected with the upper end of the hard pipe and a detachable module capable of being separated from the machine body, the detachable module at least comprises a dust barrel and a dust collection motor, the machine body comprises a handle and a first combining part which can be fixed with the detachable module and at least realizes airflow conduction, and a third combining part which can be fixed with the detachable module and at least realizes airflow conduction is arranged on the lower part of the dust collection ground brush and/or the hard pipe; wherein, when the vacuum cleaner works in a state that the detachable module is installed at the third joint part, the vacuum cleaner can still use the handle on the machine body as the current operating handle.

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the vacuum cleaner is operated in a state that the detachable module is mounted at the third coupling portion, the detachable module and the third coupling portion are simultaneously electrically connected.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the handheld dust collection host includes a battery pack, and the battery pack is located on the machine body or the detachable module.

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the detachable module is installed at the third joint portion, the detachable module is adjacent to a lower end portion of the hard tube.

In the above technical solution, preferably, when the detachable module is installed at the third joint portion, the detachable module is located at a front side of the hard tube.

In the above technical solution, it is preferable that the third joint portion includes an air flow opening, a first air flow passage through which a dust-containing air flow flows into the dust bucket is provided between the upper end portions of the dust suction floor brush and the hard tube, a second air flow passage through which the dust-containing air flow flows into the dust bucket is provided between the air flow openings of the dust suction floor brush, and the vacuum cleaner includes an air flow switching mechanism that enables the dust-containing air flow to selectively enter the dust bucket from one of the first air flow passage and the second air flow passage.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the air passage switching mechanism includes a valve assembly disposed at a crossing of the first air passage and the second air passage, the valve assembly includes a valve plate movably disposed on the hard tube, and the valve plate has a first working position and a second working position; at the first working position, the valve plate is far away from the first air flow passage and is blocked on the path of the second air flow passage, the first air flow passage is communicated, and the second air flow passage is closed; and at the second working position, the valve plate is far away from the second air flow passage and is blocked on the path of the first air flow passage, the first air flow passage is closed, and the second air flow passage is communicated.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the air passage switching mechanism includes an actuating member in transmission with the valve plate; when the detachable module is installed at the third joint part, the detachable module triggers the action of the action piece to further drive the valve plate to be switched from the first working position to the second working position. Further preferably, a first return spring is arranged between the action piece and the hard tube.

In the above technical scheme, preferably, a second return spring is arranged between the valve plate and the hard tube.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the hard tube includes a folding joint, the hard tube can be converted from the straight tube to the angular tube by the folding joint, and after the hard tube is folded, the acting force applied to the handle by the user can still be transmitted to the dust collection floor brush by the hard tube.

In the above technical solution, preferably, the detachable module is arranged to be held by a single hand of a user.

According to the vacuum cleaner, the handheld dust collection main machine is arranged into a partially detachable structure, so that a user can transfer one part of the handheld dust collection main machine to the lower part of the vacuum cleaner to reduce the gravity center of a product in the using process of the vacuum cleaner; and whole dismouting process need not to pull out repeatedly and inserts the hard tube, and is simple swift, and it is more convenient to use.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the removable module of the present invention mounted on a body;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1 (with the dusty airflow entering the dirt cup from the first airflow path);

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial schematic view at A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the detachable module of the present invention detached from the housing;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the removable module of the present invention mounted on a third interface;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional schematic view of the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 5 (with the dusty airflow entering the dirt cup from the second airflow path);

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial schematic view at B of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention with a folding joint to convert the rigid pipe from a straight pipe to an angled pipe;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial schematic view at C of FIG. 2;

wherein: 1. a handheld dust collection host; 11. a body; 111. a handle; 112. a short air suction pipe; 113. a first interface end; 114. a first electric connection end; 115. a battery pack; 12. a detachable module; 121. a dust barrel; 122. a dust collection motor; 123. a second interface end; 124. a second electric connection end; 13. a first coupling portion; 14. a second joint part; 2. a hard tube; 21. an upper end portion; 22. a lower end portion; 23. a third interface end; 24. a third electric connection end; 25. a folding joint; 26. a third joint part; 3. a dust-absorbing floor brush; 31. a floor brush body; 311. a dust suction port; 32. a suction duct; 33. rotating the connector; 41. an airflow opening; 51. a first air flow path; 52. a second air flow path; 6. an air passage switching mechanism; 61. a valve assembly; 611. a rotating shaft; 612. a valve plate; 62. a shifting block; 63. the claw is stirred.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of illustrating the technical content, the constructional features, the achieved objects and the effects of the invention in detail, reference will be made to the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The upper, lower, left, right, front and rear positional relationships described in this embodiment correspond to the positional relationships shown in fig. 1, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1, the vacuum cleaner comprises a handheld cleaner body 1, an elongated wand 2 and a cleaning brush 3, the wand 2 having an upper end 21 and a lower end 22, the cleaning brush 3 being removably attachable to the lower end 22 of the wand 2, the handheld cleaner body 1 being removably attachable to the upper end 21 of the wand 2. Specifically, the dust-collecting floor brush 3 includes a floor brush body 31 movable on the floor to be cleaned, a suction duct 32, and a rotary joint 33. The bottom of the floor brush body 31 is provided with a dust suction opening 311, the rotary connector 33 is installed at the rear part of the floor brush body 31, the suction duct 32 is arranged in the floor brush body 31, one end part of the suction duct is communicated with the dust suction opening 311, and the other end part of the suction duct passes through the rotary connector 33. When the dust-collecting floor brush 3 is attached to the lower end 22 of the wand 2, the rotary coupling 33 is connected to the lower end 22 of the wand 2 and the suction conduit 32 communicates with the interior of the wand 2. The handheld dust collection main body 1 includes a main body 11, a dust bucket 121, and a dust collection motor 122. The body 11 includes a suction nozzle stub 112, a handle 111, and a battery pack 115. When the handheld dust collection main machine 1 is attached to the upper end 21 of the hard pipe 2, the suction short pipe 112 of the handheld dust collection main machine is connected with the upper end 21 of the hard pipe 2, the interior of the hard pipe 2 is sequentially communicated with the suction short pipe 112, the dust barrel 121 and the dust collection motor 122 in an air flow mode, and the battery pack 115 is electrically connected with the dust collection motor 122.

As shown in FIG. 2, a first air flow path 51 for the dust-containing air to flow into the dust barrel 121 is provided between the dust-collecting floor brush 3 and the upper end 21 of the hard tube 2. Specifically, when the dust-collecting floor brush 3 is attached to the lower end 22 of the hard tube 2 and the handheld dust-collecting main unit 1 is attached to the upper end 21 of the hard tube 2, the dust-collecting opening 311 of the dust-collecting floor brush 3, the suction pipe 32 and the upper end 21 of the hard tube 2 are sequentially communicated with each other to form the first air flow path 51, so that the dust-containing air flow can be sucked into the dust-sucking short pipe 112 from the first air flow path 51 and then sequentially enter the dust barrel 121 and the dust-collecting motor 122, the dust is collected by the dust barrel 121, and the filtered clean air is discharged to the external environment from the dust-collecting motor 122.

In this example, the dust bucket 121 and the dust suction motor 122 in the handheld dust suction main body 1 constitute a detachable module 12 which can be detached from the machine body 11. The detachable module 12 is arranged to facilitate a single hand grip of the handle 111 by a user.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the upper portion of the body 11 is provided with a first coupling portion 13, and the first coupling portion 13 includes a first interface end 113 and a first electrical connection end 114. The first interface end 113 is installed on the upper portion of the housing 11 and is in communication with the short suction pipe 112, and the first electrical connection end 114 is installed on the upper portion of the housing 11 and is electrically connected to the battery pack 115. The first electrical terminals 114 are located rearward of the first interface end 113.

The detachable module 12 is provided with a second coupling portion 14, and as shown in fig. 7, the second coupling portion 14 includes a second interface end 123 and a second electrical connection end 124. The second interface end 123 is installed at the bottom of the dust barrel 121 and is communicated with the inside of the dust barrel 121, and the second electrical connection end 124 is installed at the bottom of the dust collection motor 122 and is electrically connected with the dust collection motor 122. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, when the detachable module 12 is mounted on the machine body 11, the first combining portion 13 is combined with the second combining portion 14, specifically, the second interface end 123 is inserted into the first interface end 113 and is in airflow communication with the first interface end 113; the second electrical terminal 124 is plugged into the first electrical terminal 114 and electrically connected. When the detachable module 12 is detached from the body 11, the first coupling portion 13 is disengaged from the second coupling portion 14.

The hard tube 2 is provided with a third joint portion 26, and as shown in fig. 4 and 8, the third joint portion 26 includes a third interface end 23 and a third electrical connection end 24. The third interface end 23 is installed at the lower part of the hard tube 2 and is communicated with the inside of the hard tube 2, and the third electric connection end 24 is installed at the lower part of the hard tube 2 and is electrically connected with the battery pack 115. As shown in fig. 5, 6 and 7, when the detachable module 12 is detached from the body 11 and mounted on the hard pipe 2, the third engaging portion 26 engages with the second engaging portion 14. Specifically, the second interface end 123 is inserted into the first interface end 113 and the two interface ends are in airflow communication; the second electrical terminal 124 is plugged with the third electrical terminal 24 and electrically conducted with the third electrical terminal. In this example, the third interface end 23 has the same structure as the first interface end 113, and the third electrical end 24 has the same structure as the first electrical end 114. In other embodiments, the connection manner of the first interface end 113/the third interface end 23 and the second interface end 123 is not limited to the insertion manner, and may also be a snap connection, a card slot, or other detachable connection structures, so that the detachable module 12 of the handheld dust collection main unit 1 is more convenient to be separated from the machine body 11/the hard tube 2 or combined on the machine body 11/the hard tube 2. Of course, in order to further reduce the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner during use, the third joint 26 may be designed on the dust collecting floor brush 3 or on the connection between the dust collecting floor brush 3 and the hard tube 2, i.e. one part is located on the dust collecting floor brush 3 and the other part is located on the hard tube 2.

As shown in fig. 4, 5, and 6, the third interface portion 26 includes an airflow opening 41, and the airflow opening 41 is located at the third interface end 23. When the detachable module 12 is mounted on the hard tube 2, the dust suction port 311 of the dust suction floor brush 3, the suction duct 32, the lower end 22 of the hard tube 2, and the air flow opening 41 are sequentially communicated with each other to form a second air flow path 52, so that the dust-containing air flow can sequentially enter the dust barrel 121 and the dust suction motor 122 through the second air flow path 52, the dust is collected by the dust barrel 121, and the filtered clean air is discharged to the external environment from the dust suction motor 122.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the hard tube 2 is provided with an air passage switching mechanism 6. The air passage switching mechanism 6 includes a valve assembly 61 and a dial block 62 provided in transmission with the valve assembly 61. The toggle block 62 is elastically supported on the hard tube 2 by a first return spring (not shown). As shown in fig. 4, the detachable module 12 is provided with a toggle claw 63 which is engaged with the toggle block 62. As shown in fig. 5, 6 and 7, when the detachable module 12 is detached from the body 11 and mounted on the third coupling portion 26 of the hard tube 2, the dial claw 63 pushes the dial block 62 to rotate for a certain angle.

As shown in fig. 2, 6, 7 and 9, the valve assembly 61 includes a valve plate 612 hinged on the inner side wall of the rigid pipe 2 through a rotating shaft 611, and a second return spring (not shown in the figure) installed between the valve plate 612 and the inner side wall of the rigid pipe 2. The valve plate 612 in this example has two operating positions, first and second. The method specifically comprises the following steps:

as shown in fig. 2 and 9, the valve plate 612 is in the first working position. In this position, in the initial state where the valve plate 612 does not receive any external force (i.e., the dial block 62 does not actuate its operation), the valve plate 612 crosses the path of the second airflow path 52 under the elastic force of the second return spring, the second airflow path 52 is cut off, no airflow escapes from the airflow opening 41 of the third interface end 23, the valve plate 612 is away from the first airflow path 51, and the first airflow path 51 is in a conducting state. When the vacuum cleaner in this example operates according to the state shown in fig. 1 and 8, the valve plate 612 is always in the first operating position.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the valve plate 612 rotates through a certain angle and changes from the first working position to the second working position under the pushing of the dial block 62. The valve plate 612 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the hard tube 2, namely, the valve plate is rotated from a position transverse to the second air flow passage 52 to a position transverse to the first air flow passage 51, and the first air flow passage 51 is cut off and closed; at the same time, as the valve plate 612 is removed from the second air flow path 52, the second air flow path 52 will be open and the dusty air flow entering the floor brush will be guided to its air flow opening 41 through the second air flow path 52.

When the detachable module 12 is detached from the third coupling portion 26 and mounted again on the first coupling portion 13 of the machine body 11, at this time, the moving block 62 is not driven by the power of the moving claw 63, the moving block 62 will be reset by the first reset spring, the valve plate 612, which has lost the action of the moving block 62, will be rotated into the second airflow path 52 by the elastic force of the second reset spring, i.e. the second working position is changed into the first working position shown in fig. 9, at this time, the second airflow path 52 is closed, the airflow cannot escape through the airflow opening 41 on the second airflow path 52, the first airflow path 51 is conducted, and the dust-containing airflow entering the floor brush will be guided to the upper end 21 of the hard pipe 2 through the first airflow path 51. Thus, the switching function of the two air flow paths is realized.

In this example, when the detachable module 12 is mounted on the third coupling portion 26 of the hard pipe 2 or separated from the third coupling portion 26, the detachable module 12 is rotated by the driving pawl 63 to trigger the driving block 62 to rotate, so as to drive the valve plate 612 to rotate to close or open the first air flow passage 51. Whether the detachable module 12 is installed on the first combining part 13 or the third combining part 26, the lower end part 22 of the hard tube 2 is always connected with the dust-collecting floor brush 3, and the upper end part 21 of the hard tube 2 is always connected with the body 11 of the handheld dust-collecting main machine 1. Therefore, the vacuum tube dust collector only needs to disassemble and assemble the detachable module 12 when the requirement of adjusting the work gravity center of a product or realizing the switching of different working modes is met, and the hard tube 2, the dust collection floor brush 3 and/or the machine body 11 do not need to be disassembled and assembled again.

As shown in fig. 8, the hard tube 2 comprises a folding joint 25, by means of which folding joint 25 the hard tube 2 can be converted from a straight tube to an angled tube, and after the hard tube 2 is folded, the force applied by the user to the handle 111 can still be transmitted to the dust suction floor brush 3 by means of the hard tube 2. In this folded state, the user can conveniently hold the vacuum cleaner to clean some narrow areas such as the bottom of a tea table and the bottom of a sofa. Since the structure of the folding joint 25 is a common structure in the prior art, it usually has a hinge, a hose, and a lock, etc., for understanding the present invention, and will not be described herein.

In this example, the three connecting portions are all the structures of the interface end and the electric connecting end. In other alternative embodiments, the three joints may omit the structure of the electrical connection end and include only the structure of the interface end; the electric connection terminal on the second coupling portion may be omitted if the battery pack is a part of the detachable module, or the electric connection terminal on the third coupling portion may be omitted if the ground brush portion is not required to be energized if the battery pack is a part of the detachable module.

In other embodiments, the battery pack may also be made as part of the detachable module, i.e., the battery pack moves with the rest of the detachable module as the detachable module is changed between the first and third joints.

In other embodiments, the actuating member for driving the valve plate 612 to rotate is not limited to the structure of the dial block 62, and may also be a structure in which the axial sliding of the slider is limited to drive the valve plate 612 to rotate by an angle. The structure of the valve assembly 61 is not limited to the structure of the valve plate 612, the toggle block 62 and the return spring, and can be replaced by an electromagnetic three-way valve.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical ideas and features of the present invention, and the purpose thereof is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement the present invention, and not to limit the protection scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising a hand-held cleaner main body (1), an elongated wand (2) and a dust-collecting floor brush (3), said wand (2) having an upper end (21) and a lower end (22), said dust-collecting floor brush (3) being attached to the lower end (22) of said wand (2), said hand-held cleaner main body (1) being removably attachable to said wand (2) at the upper end (21), characterized in that:

the handheld dust collection host (1) comprises a machine body (11) connected with the upper end (21) of the hard pipe (2) and a detachable module (12) capable of being separated from the machine body (11), the detachable module (12) at least comprises a dust barrel (121) and a dust collection motor (122), the machine body (11) comprises a handle (111) and a first combining part (13) capable of being fixed with the detachable module (12) and at least realizing air flow conduction, and a third combining part (26) capable of being fixed with the detachable module (12) and at least realizing air flow conduction is arranged on the lower part of the dust collection floor brush (3) and/or the hard pipe (2); wherein, when the vacuum cleaner is operated in a state that the detachable module (12) is mounted at the third coupling portion (26), the vacuum cleaner can still use the handle (111) on the machine body (11) as the current operation handle, and the detachable module (12) and the third coupling portion (26) are simultaneously electrically connected.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the handheld dust collection host (1) comprises a battery pack (115), wherein the battery pack (115) is positioned on the machine body (11) or the detachable module (12).

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: when the removable module (12) is mounted at the third junction (26), the removable module (12) is adjacent the lower end (22) of the rigid conduit (2).

4. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: when the detachable module (12) is mounted at the third joint (26), the detachable module (12) is located at the front side of the hard tube (2).

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the third joint part (26) comprises an air flow opening (41), a first air flow passage (51) for allowing dust-containing air to flow into the dust barrel (121) is arranged between the dust collection ground brush (3) and the upper end part (21) of the hard pipe (2), a second air flow passage (52) for allowing dust-containing air to flow into the dust barrel (121) is arranged between the dust collection ground brush (3) and the air flow opening (41), and the vacuum cleaner comprises an air passage switching mechanism (6) which can enable dust-containing air to selectively enter the dust barrel (121) from one of the first air flow passage (51) and the second air flow passage (52).

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein: the air passage switching mechanism (6) comprises a valve assembly (61) arranged at the intersection of a first air passage (51) and a second air passage (52), the valve assembly (61) comprises a valve plate (612) movably arranged on the hard pipe (2), and the valve plate (612) has a first working position and a second working position; in the first working position, the valve plate (612) is far away from the first air flow passage (51) and is blocked on the path of the second air flow passage (52), the first air flow passage (51) is communicated, and the second air flow passage (52) is closed; in the second working position, the valve plate (612) is far away from the second air flow passage (52) and is blocked on the path of the first air flow passage (51), the first air flow passage (51) is closed, and the second air flow passage (52) is communicated.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein: the air passage switching mechanism (6) comprises an action piece (62) which is in transmission arrangement with the valve plate (612); when the detachable module (12) is installed at the third joint part (26), the detachable module (12) triggers the action piece (62) to act so as to drive the valve plate (612) to switch from the first working position to the second working position.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein: a first return spring is arranged between the action piece (62) and the hard tube (2).

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein: and a second return spring is arranged between the valve plate (612) and the hard tube (2).

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the hard tube (2) comprises a folding joint (25), the hard tube (2) can be converted from a straight tube to an angular tube by the folding joint (25), and the acting force applied to the handle (111) by a user can still be transmitted to the dust collection floor brush (3) by the hard tube (2) after the hard tube (2) is folded.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the removable module (12) is arranged to be held by a single hand of a user.