EP1272089A1

EP1272089A1 - Filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines

Info

Publication number: EP1272089A1
Application number: EP02722037A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luigi Amoretti
Original assignee: TPA Impex SpA
Current assignee: TPA Impex SpA
Priority date: 2001-02-07
Filing date: 2002-01-25
Publication date: 2003-01-08
Also published as: ITPD20010029A1; WO2002076276A1

Abstract

A filtering unit (10) for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines, comprising a box-like body (15) provided with an air intake (16) and with at least one perforated perimetric main wall (17) for the discharge of air from the inside outward, surrounded by at least one filtering bynd (19) which is associated perimetrically with the body. One or more auxiliary conveyance walls (20a) are formed within the main wall (17) and are suitable to form, in turn, at least one dirt collection chamber (21) and one or more paths (22, 23) for conveying the aspirated air.

Description

FILTERING UNIT FOR DOMESTIC AND/OR INDUSTRIAL CLEANING MACHINES SUCH AS VACUUM CLEANERS OR ELECTRIC BROOMS, OR FOR AIR CLEANING MACHINES Technical Field The present invention relates to a filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines. Background Art

It is known that cleaning machines meant to aspirate dust from various solid and fabric surfaces are currently used successfully both in the domestic field and industrially.

It is known that the main machines assigned to this function are known as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms depending on their particular intended application. Despite the variety of commercially available models, such machines substantially comprise suction devices connected to a body (often provided with wheels) into which the aspirated air is conveyed.

The air, laden with fine dust and particles of various kinds and origins, passes through a filter or filtering unit and is then expelled outward after being cleaned.

Currently, conventional machines have, as their suction unit, a bag provided with holes which, no matter how accurate their manufacture and how small their size, allow part of the aspirated dust to filter outward.

Other solutions have attempted to solve this drawback; machines are in fact commercially available which have a filtering unit that comprises a perforated cylinder with inclined vanes, which is arranged at the center of a container and is used to give the air streams a radial direction, so that the dirt is blocked at the internal wall of the container.

However, although this solution solves many of the above cited drawbacks, it is constructively rather complicated and very expensive, and accordingly it is applicable only in machines of a suitable category.

Furthermore, this solution also is not devoid of drawbacks, since filter cleaning operations also are particularly complicated.

There are other machines in which there is a filtering unit provided with a plurality of filters, in which passage occurs from the outside inward, in practice leaving the dirt on the outside.

In these cases, the dirt is substantially in the open air, with all the consequent hygiene problems. Disclosure of the invention The aim of the present invention is to provide a filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines, which solves the drawbacks shown above by known models, particularly ensuring an effective filtration, in which the dirt remains completely inside the machine without external losses.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a filtering unit which allows its easy assembly and disassembly during cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering unit which allows simple and rapid cleaning and also allows effective washing, ensuring full hygiene of the machine during its operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering unit which allows reusability, even for a large number of operating cycles, of the filtering components.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering unit which allows operation also when sanitization against mites and/or other allergens (for example pollens) is required and which can however be manufactured with known technologies and systems.

This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines, characterized in that it comprises a box-like body provided with an air intake and with at least one perforated perimetric main wall for the discharge of the air from the inside outward, surrounded by at least one filtering band which is associated perimetrically with said body, one or more auxiliary conveyance walls being formed within said perimetric wall and being suitable to form, in turn, at least one dirt collection chamber and one or more paths for conveying the aspirated air. Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of two embodiments thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a filtering unit according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the unit of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the unit of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of the unit of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the unit of Figure 1, applied in this case to a vacuum cleaner;

Figure 6 is a view of the unit of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a partially sectional side view of the unit of Figure 1 applied to a vacuum cleaner;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of part of the unit of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the unit of Figure i; Figure 10 is a sectional view of the unit of Figure 1, inside which a dust collection bag is arranged;

Figure 11 is a plan view of a detail of the unit of Figure 1. Ways of carrying out the invention

With particular reference to Figures 1 to 8, a filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines, according to the invention, is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

In particular, in this case, the unit 10 is applied to a vacuum cleaner, generally designated by the reference numeral 11, which is constituted by a wheeled chassis 12 in which there is a seat 13 for accommodating the unit 10, the seat being shaped substantially complementarily to the unit.

The seat 13 is isolated from the outside and is connected to a suction motor, which is not shown in the figures but is in any case of the per se known type and is arranged in a portion 32 of the vacuum cleaner 11. The vacuum cleaner 11 is provided with means for connection to the air suction devices, generally designated by the reference numeral 14.

The filtering unit 10 comprises a box-like body, generally designated by the reference numeral 15, which is provided with an air intake 16 and with a perimetric main wall 17 provided with holes 18 for the discharge of air from the inside outward, the wall being surrounded, in this case, by a filtering band 19, which is described in greater detail hereinafter and is associated with the body 15 also in a perimetric region.

Within the perimetric wall 17 there are, in this case, auxiliary conveyance walls, designated by the reference numeral 20a, which are suitable to form in turn at least one dirt collection chamber 21 and a plurality of paths, described in greater detail hereinafter, for conveying the aspirated air.

In this embodiment, the filtering band 19 is constituted by a washable polyester filter; however, in other embodiments it is possible to use conveniently microperforated filters, for example of the activated charcoal type for providing antiallergen actions, or filters of the HEPA type.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary walls form in particular a first spiral intake conveyance duct 22, which is connected to the intake 16, and two second peripheral shaped ducts 23 for distributing the discharged air, which are formed at the holes 18 and in cooperation with the wall 17. In particular, the intake 16 is constituted by a duct 24, which is connected externally to the suction devices, not shown, in this case by virtue of the means 14.

The body 15 is further constituted by a half-shell 25, which is reversibly coupled to a cover 26 by way of connection means, generally designated by the reference numeral 27, of a per se known type.

In particular, again in this embodiment, the intake 16 is integrated and monolithic with the cover 26, while the wall 17 and the auxiliary walls 20a protrude monolithically from the half-shell 25.

Other auxiliary walls 20b protrude from the cover 26 in appropriate positions, which are complementary to the walls 20a that protrude from the half-shell 25.

In particular, the cover 26 and the half-shell 25 are both provided with mutually opposite perimetric rims 28, in which there are seats 29 for accommodating the edges of the filtering band 19. As a whole, the unit 10 is of the type that can be applied in a cartridgelike fashion to the vacuum cleaner 11.

With particular reference to Figure 9, a different embodiment has, in addition to the filtering band 19, an additional filtering band, designated by the reference numeral 30, which in this case is constituted by an activated- charcoal filter which is particularly suitable for situations requiring the elimination of mites or other allergens.

As shown in Figure 10, if there are users who do not wish to come into contact with the aspirated dust, the unit 10 can be provided with a replaceable dust collection bag 31 arranged inside the box-like body 15. The bag 31 is of the concertina type, with a normally closed opening 33 in which the end of the intake 16 engages in the active configuration.

The bag 31 can be normally made of paper or plastics with microperforations .

By using bags 31, the larger aspirated material is thus completely retained within said bag 31. Once the bag has exhausted its containment capability, the box-like body 15 is opened, the opening 33 closes, and the bag 31 can be replaced.

Advantageously, a domestic and/or industrial cleaning machine that uses a filtering unit 10 according to the invention can be used as an air cleaner. It is in fact possible to leave the machine, in this case the vacuum cleaner

10, running inside a room whose air is to be cleaned, and to provide the unit 10 with a plurality of filters arranged perimetrically outside and inside the box-like body 15.

As shown in Figure 11, it is possible for example to use a sponge-like activated-charcoal filter 34.

In practice, it has been observed that the present invention has achieved the intended aim and objects.

Machines for domestic and/or industrial cleaning, which use a filtering unit according to the invention, can therefore be used both as actual cleaning machines and as air cleaners.

It should be noted that the filtering unit having the structure according to the invention ensures an optimum level of reusability, even for several cycles, since the filtering bands can be appropriately washed or otherwise regenerated. It should also be noted that the unit according to the invention can be applied in a very simple manner to the machine, regardless of its type, without requiring particular technical skills on the part of the operator.

Further, it should be noted that the unit according to the invention, while being constructively rather simple, ensures a high performance in any situation of application.

It is also noted that the particular structure according to the invention of the filtering unit allows an optimum level of tightness (with respect to the outside environment) after removing the dust, thus ensuring an equally high level of overall hygiene. The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.

The technical details can be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

The materials and the dimensions may be any according to requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2001A000029 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A filtering unit for domestic and/or industrial cleaning machines, such as vacuum cleaners or electric brooms, or for air cleaning machines, characterized in that it comprises a box-like body provided with an air intake and with at least one perforated perimetric main wall for the discharge of the air from the inside outward, surrounded by at least one filtering band which is associated perimetrically with said body, one or more auxiliary conveyance walls being formed within said perimetric wall and being suitable to form, in turn, at least one dirt collection chamber and one or more paths for conveying the aspirated air.

2. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said auxiliary walls form a first intake conveyance duct which is connected to said intake.

3. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said auxiliary walls form two or more second peripheral contoured ducts for the distribution of discharged air, which are formed in cooperation with said main wall.

4. The unit according to claim 3, characterized in that said contoured ducts define a forced path inside said box-like body for the air that arrives from said intake, said air being distributed substantially uniformly along said perimetric main wall and being filtered by flowing from the inside toward the outside of said box-like body.

5. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said intake is constituted by a duct which is connected externally to the suction devices of the machine to which it is applied.

6. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said body is constituted by a half-shell, which is reversibly coupled to a cover by virtue of reversible connection means.

7. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said intake is associated with said cover.

8. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said main wall and said auxiliary walls protrude monolithically from said half-shell.

9. The unit according to claim 6, characterized in that auxiliary walls protrude from said cover in positions that are complementary with respect to said auxiliary walls that protrude from said half-shell.

10. The unit according to claim 6, characterized in that said cover and said half-shell are provided with mutually opposite perimetric rims in which there are seats for the edges of said at least one filtering band.

11. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said unit is a cartridge-like unit.

12. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one filtering band is constituted by a polyester filter.

13. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one filtering band is constituted by a microperforated filter.

14. The unit according to claim 13, characterized in that said at least one filtering band is constituted by a microperforated filter of the activated- charcoal type.

15. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one filtering band is constituted by an HEPA filter.

16. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two or more filtering bands.

17. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a replaceable dust collection bag, which is made of filtering material, is arranged inside said box-like body and is provided with a normally closed opening, in which the end of said intake engages.

18. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sponge-like filter arranged inside said box-like body.