CN116058721A - Air valve assembly and dust collector - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides an air valve assembly and a dust collector. The air valve assembly includes: at least two valve housings defining a passage therein; at least two valve bodies removably disposed in the passageway; at least two actuators associated with each valve body, respectively, and configured to selectively actuate the valve body such that the valve body is separated from the channel; wherein the channel is arranged adjacent to the filter and oriented towards the filter; and wherein the actuator is arranged such that: when one of the actuators actuates one of the valve bodies, at least one of the other actuators remains unactuated. The air valve assembly and the dust collector have the advantages of simplicity, reliability, easiness in implementation, convenience in use and the like, and the filter can be cleaned, so that the service life of the filter and the user experience of the dust collector are prolonged.

Description

Air valve assembly and dust collector

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of dust collector structures. More particularly, the present application relates to an air valve assembly that aims to improve dust accumulation performance of a vacuum cleaner. The application also relates to a vacuum cleaner comprising the air valve assembly.

Background

Vacuum cleaners often include a filter to filter dust or dirt that is drawn into the interior of the vacuum cleaner during operation. During operation, dust accumulation is typically generated at the filter, thereby affecting the efficiency of the filter. The filter needs to be cleaned frequently to ensure that it is not clogged with dust or otherwise does not cause a poor ventilation. Furthermore, during operation, the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner is typically less than the pressure of the surrounding air or the atmospheric pressure. The filter may comprise HEPA material, also known as HEPA.

Existing vacuum cleaners may include a filter self-cleaning mechanism. A typical self-cleaning mechanism involves providing an air intake valve on the housing of the vacuum cleaner, using the pressure differential between the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner and the atmospheric pressure to create an air flow directed towards the filter to at least partially remove dust accumulated in the filter. The air flow may be arranged to be in the opposite direction to the air flow inside the vacuum cleaner when in operation.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of an aspect of the present application to provide an air valve assembly that is intended to provide a reliable and stable dust removal and cleaning solution. Another aspect of the present application is directed to a vacuum cleaner including the air valve assembly described above.

The purpose of the application is realized through the following technical scheme:

an air valve assembly comprising:

at least two valve housings defining a passage therein;

at least two valve bodies removably disposed in the passageway;

at least two actuators associated with each valve body, respectively, and configured to selectively actuate the valve body such that the valve body is separated from the channel;

wherein the channel is arranged adjacent to the filter and oriented towards the filter; and is also provided with

Wherein the actuator is arranged such that: when one of the actuators actuates one of the valve bodies, at least one of the other actuators remains unactuated.

A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a housing defining a flow passage for a working air flow;

at least two filters disposed in the flow path;

a vacuum generating device disposed downstream of the flow channel;

the air valve assembly is arranged in the shell at the downstream of the filter, and one end of the channel faces the flow channel, and the other end faces ambient air outside the shell; and

a controller configured to selectively activate the actuator to generate a flow of cleaning air toward the filter.

Drawings

The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the attached drawings and the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these drawings are drawn for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments only and thus should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present application. Moreover, unless specifically indicated otherwise, the drawings are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the compositions or constructions of the described objects, and may contain exaggerated representations. The figures are also not necessarily drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the air valve assembly of the present application when installed in place.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present application in a first state of operation.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 3 in a second state of operation.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the direction of air flow of the embodiment of fig. 1 in operation.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these descriptions are merely descriptive, exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application.

First, terms of top, bottom, upward, downward, and the like are defined with respect to directions in the drawings. These orientations are relative concepts and will therefore vary depending on the location and state in which they are located. These and other directional terms should not be construed as limiting.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that, for any individual feature described or implied in the embodiments herein or any individual feature shown or implied in the figures, these features (or their equivalents) can be combined further to obtain other embodiments not directly mentioned herein.

It should be noted that in different drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or substantially the same components.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the air valve assembly of the present application when installed in place, and fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in fig. 1. The air valve assembly 100 is mounted on the housing 300 of the cleaner. The housing 300 defines a flow passage 310 inside, and the filter 200 is installed in the flow passage 310. The air valve assembly 100 includes at least two valve housings 110, at least two valve bodies 120, at least two actuators 130, and at least two elastic members 140.

The valve housing 110 is installed in the housing 300 and includes a passage. One end of the channel is directed towards the flow channel 310 inside the housing 300 and the other end is directed towards the ambient or surrounding air. Thus, when the channel is clear or open, the channel may establish a flow path between the flow channel 310 and ambient air. When the channel is closed, ambient air does not affect the air flow within the flow channel 310. The valve housing 110 may be made of a flexible material or a rigid material and may be fixed relative to the housing 300. The inner ring surface of the valve housing 110 defines a channel. The use of the channels will be described in detail below

The valve body 120 is sized to mate with the passageway and may be selectively in contact with the passageway or separated from the passageway. When the valve body 120 is in contact with the passageway, the passageway is closed. When the valve body 120 is separated from the passage, the passage is opened. Thus, by controlling the position of the valve body 120, it is possible to switch the control passage between the closed state and the open state. When the channel is closed, air will not flow through the channel. When the passage is open, air will flow through the gap between the periphery of the valve body 120 and the valve housing 110, thereby creating an air flow through the passage, as well as an air flow between the valve housing 110 and the valve body 120.

The actuator 130 may be disposed above the valve body 120. In one embodiment, the actuator 130 may include an electromagnetic induction linear motion mechanism or an electromagnetic push-pull device driven by an electrical signal. In another embodiment, the actuator 130 may comprise an electric drive or motor. The structure and principles of the actuator 130 are known to those skilled in the art and are not described in detail herein. In another embodiment, the actuator 130 may be attached to the valve body 120, for example, by a connection to selectively drive the valve body 120. In one embodiment, the actuator 130 is coupled to the valve body 120 by a ring as shown in FIG. 2. It should be understood that for clarity purposes, not all components for connection are shown in fig. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator 130 is mounted by a bracket 150 and is positioned spaced apart from the housing 300. The actuator 130 may be controlled by a control not shown.

The elastic member 140 may be disposed between the actuator 300 and the valve body 120. In one embodiment, the elastic member 140 may be one of the following: springs, reeds, torsion springs, compression springs, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the resilient member 140 is always in compression during operation. That is, the elastic force of the elastic member 140 tends to press the valve body 120 toward the passage and close the passage. When the actuator 130 is actuated to bring the valve body 120, it is required to operate against the elastic force of the elastic member 140.

When the actuator 130 is actuated, the valve body 120 may be moved by the actuator 130 and out of the passage, thereby opening the passage and establishing fluid communication between ambient air and the flow passage 310. When the actuator 130 is not actuated, the valve body 120 may remain in contact with the passage under the force of gravity and elasticity. At this point, the channel is closed and the flow channel 310 is spaced from the ambient air.

Further, the air valve assembly 100 may be mounted in a position proximate to the filter 200 with the passage oriented toward the filter 200. Although not shown, a partition may be included inside the case 300 to divide the flow passage 310 into a plurality of sub-flow passages, each corresponding to each passage, so that the air flow from a single passage can travel through only a single sub-flow passage and reach the filter 200.

The filter 200 may be disposed generally horizontally and extend across the entire cross-section of the flow passage 310. In one embodiment, the filter 200 may comprise HEPA material or HEPA material to filter dust, dirt, respirable particles, pollen, or other suspended matter from the air. The principle and materials of the filter are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein.

The air valve assembly 100 shown in fig. 1 has two sets of actuating means, that is, two sets of valve housing 110, valve body 120, actuator 130 and resilient member 140. Each actuator 130 may be actuated individually or in combination. Furthermore, embodiments of the present application are not limited to the state of two sets of actuation devices, but may employ three or more sets of actuation devices. In one embodiment of the present application, the actuator 130 is configured such that: when one of the actuators 130 actuates the valve body 120, at least one of the other actuators 130 remains unactuated. For example, the two actuators 130 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 may maintain one actuated while the other is not actuated during operation. Furthermore, the two actuators 130 shown in fig. 1 may also be operated simultaneously, i.e. actuated together, or remain unactuated together. The advantage of this is that the suction exists at the air inlet of the dust collector all the time, so that the user experience of the dust collector is improved.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the cleaner of the present application in a first state of operation, and figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of figure 3 in a second state of operation. As shown, the flow passage 310 is defined within the housing 300 of the cleaner 10. An air inlet 301 may be provided upstream of the flow channel 310 and a vacuum generating device 400 may be provided downstream of the flow channel 310. In one embodiment, the vacuum generating device 400 may include a motor. The filter 200 may be disposed at an intermediate position of the flow passage 310, and the air valve assembly 100 described in accordance with the present application may be disposed downstream of the filter 200. In addition, the cleaner 10 may further include a controller, not shown, and an electrical connection is established between the controller and each actuator 130. For clarity, arrows A1 and A2 in fig. 3 and 4 are drawn using dashed lines.

When the actuator 130 is not operated, the vacuum generating device 400 in the cleaner 10 operates and generates a negative pressure with respect to the surrounding or ambient air inside the flow passage 310, thereby generating a pressure difference. Ambient air enters the flow passage 310 through the air inlet 301 under the influence of the pressure differential and moves in the direction indicated by arrow A1, through the filter 200 and finally exits the flow passage 310 downstream. Such movement produces a working air flow, hereinafter referred to. During this process, dust entrained in the air may be collected by the filter 200.

As the operating hours increase, a greater amount of dust may be deposited at the filter 200 and cause the filter 200 to become at least partially clogged, thereby reducing the efficiency of operation of the overall cleaner 10 and preventing smooth ventilation. At this time, it is desirable to use the air valve assembly 100 of the present application to clean the filter 200.

For example, as shown in fig. 4, the controller may send an actuation signal to the actuator 130 such that the actuator 130 actuates and brings the valve body 120 out of contact with the passageway. At this point, the channels establish fluid communication, or otherwise form a fluid path, for the ambient air to flow passage 310. Since the air pressure inside the flow passage 310 is generally smaller than the pressure of the surrounding air, a pressure difference is generated. The presence of the pressure differential causes ambient air to flow into the flow passage 310 through the channel and move in the direction indicated by arrow A2. Such movement creates a flow of clean air, hereinafter referred to as clean air. Since the air valve assembly 100 is disposed downstream of the filter 200, the flow of clean air in the direction indicated by arrow A2 is generally opposite to the original air flow direction A1 in the flow passage 310. The air flow indicated by arrow A2 will impinge on the filter 200 forcing at least a portion of the dust trapped in the filter 200 out of contact with the filter 200.

In addition, the flow of clean air through the channels also reduces the pressure differential between the flow passage 310 and the ambient air, such that the intensity of the air flow flowing within the flow passage 310 is reduced. In this case, a part of the dust originally trapped at the filter 200 may be separated from contact with the filter 200 by gravity.

Through the action of at least one of the two cleaning mechanisms, the dust collected in the filter 200 is at least partially removed, so that the purpose of cleaning the filter is achieved, the smoothness of the flow channel 310 is ensured, the service life of the filter 200 is prolonged, and better user experience is brought.

Thus, the passage of the air valve assembly 100 may be oriented toward the filter 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the air valve assembly 100 is disposed above the filter 200 in a vertical direction, so that the air flow for cleaning is generally from top to bottom. As shown, at filter 200, arrows A2 and A1 are generally opposite, which represents the movement of the flow of clean air from air valve assembly 100 in a generally opposite direction from the flow passage 310 of the working air. Additionally, the passage of the air valve assembly 100 may be positioned proximate to the filter 200.

Furthermore, despite the presence of a flow of clean air from air valve assembly 100, there may be a flow of working air within flow passage 310 that continues to move on arrow A1 due to the time required for decompression. Downstream of air valve assembly 100, the working air stream and the cleaning air stream may collectively move along flow passage 310 toward vacuum generating device 400.

The controller may control the actuator 130 according to a number of different strategies. In one embodiment, the controller may sequentially actuate the actuators 130 at predetermined time intervals. In another embodiment, the controller may determine whether to sequentially actuate the actuator 130 based on a pressure differential between the flow passage 310 and ambient air. For example, a sensor may be provided in the flow passage 310 to sense the air pressure in the flow passage 310. In one embodiment, the sensor may be a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, or a wind flow sensor. The sensor may be configured to sense air pressure directly, or to sense or calculate air pressure in an indirect manner. When the filter 200 is clogged to some extent by dust collection, the air flow in the flow passage 310 may be relatively unsmooth, resulting in a drop in air pressure. When the pressure differential between the flow passage 310 and the ambient air is greater than a predetermined threshold, the controller may determine that the filter 200 needs to be cleaned and actuate the actuator 130. After the air valve assembly 100 has cleaned the filter 200 to some extent, the dust trapped in the filter 200 is at least partially removed, leaving the flow passage 310 relatively clear and the air pressure rises. At this point, the reading sensed by the sensor rises. When the pressure difference between the flow passage 310 and the surrounding air is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the controller may determine that the filter 200 is not temporarily required to be cleaned and temporarily stop the operation of the actuator 130.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the direction of air flow of the embodiment of fig. 1 in operation. Fig. 5 shows a state in which one actuator is operating and the other actuator is not operating. As shown, the actuator 130 on the left is not operated, and thus the working air flow in the flow passage 310 still flows in the direction indicated by the arrow B1. The actuator 130 on the right is in an actuated state, thus generating a flow of cleaning air in the direction indicated by arrow B2. For clarity, arrows B1 and B2 in fig. 5 are drawn using dashed lines.

A partition may be provided in the flow passage 310 between the air valve assembly 100 and the filter 200 so as to divide the flow passage 310 into two or more sub-flow passages. Each of the sub-flow paths corresponds to a single actuator, respectively, such that the air flows within each sub-flow path do not affect each other.

By employing the mode of operation shown in fig. 5, the cleaning air flow does not cause the pressure within the flow passage 310 to rise substantially, but rather maintains at least a portion of the working air flow continuing along the flow passage 310, thereby ensuring that the cleaner 10 does not become difficult or inoperable due to excessive pressure within the flow passage 310 during cleaning of the filter 200 by the air valve assembly 100, effectively enhancing the user experience.

The air valve assembly and the dust collector have the advantages of simplicity, reliability, easiness in implementation, convenience in use and the like, and the filter can be cleaned, so that the service life of the filter and the user experience of the dust collector are prolonged.

The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings to disclose the present application, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the present application, including making and using any devices or systems, selecting suitable materials and using any incorporated methods. The scope of the present application is defined by the claims and encompasses other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples should be considered to be within the scope of protection as determined by the claimed subject matter, so long as such other examples include structural elements that are not literally different from the claimed subject matter, or include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claimed subject matter.

Claims (10)

1. An air valve assembly, comprising:

at least two valve housings (110) defining a passage therein;

at least two valve bodies (120) removably arranged in the channels;

at least two actuators (130) respectively associated with each valve body (120) and configured to selectively actuate the valve bodies (120) such that the valve bodies (120) are separated from the channels;

wherein the channel is arranged adjacent to the filter (200) and is oriented towards the filter (200); and is also provided with

Wherein the actuator (130) is arranged such that: when one of the actuators (130) actuates one of the valve bodies (120), at least one of the other actuators (130) remains unactuated.

2. The air valve assembly of claim 1, wherein when the valve body (120) is actuated by the actuator (130), an air flow is established through the passage, the air flow directed toward the filter (200) and cleaning the filter (200).

3. The air valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuator (130) includes an electromagnetic push-pull or an electric drive, the electromagnetic push-pull being coupled to each of the valve bodies (120), respectively.

4. An air valve assembly according to claim 3, wherein a resilient member (140) is provided between the actuator (130) and the valve body (120), the resilient member (140) being in a compressed state to retain the valve body (120) in the passage.

5. The air valve assembly of claim 4, wherein the resilient member (140) comprises one of: spring, reed, torsional spring.

6. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a housing (300) defining a flow passage (310) for a working air flow;

-at least two filters (200) arranged in the flow channel (310);

a vacuum generating device (400) disposed downstream of the flow path (310);

the air valve assembly (100) of any of claims 1-5 disposed in the housing (300) downstream of the filter (200) with one end of the passage facing the flow passage (310) and the other end facing ambient air outside the housing (300); and

a controller configured to selectively activate the actuator (130) to generate a flow of cleaning air towards the filter (200).

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to: at least one of the actuators (130) is activated in sequence at predetermined time intervals.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, further comprising:

a sensor disposed in the flow channel (300);

wherein the controller is configured to: at least one of the actuators (130) is selectively activated in turn according to a pressure differential between the sensor reading and atmospheric pressure.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the filter (200) is disposed horizontally, the air valve assembly (100) is disposed above a top of the filter (200), and the valve body (120) tends to close the passage under the force of gravity.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the flow passage (310) includes a divider between the air valve assembly (100) and the filter (200) to define a plurality of sub-flow passages, each sub-flow passage corresponding to a respective one of the passages, and each sub-flow passage oriented to be directed from the passage toward the filter (200).

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