EP1535562B1 - Waste separating device for vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly has an air outlet duct (36) with openings (40). The duct is in aeraulic connection with a receptacle (38) including a folded filter. The receptacle is locked with the duct by a partition (37). The partition has hooks cooperating with openings formed on an upper wall of the receptacle. The receptacle is separated from the duct by unlocking mechanical connection between them. The receptacle is in aeraulic connection with an electric fan unit. An independent claim is also included for an electrical vacuum cleaner comprising a waste separation devices assembly.

Description

The present invention relates to waste recovery apparatus of the vacuum type, and more particularly to those using waste separation by centrifugation.

The present invention is an improvement of the separation and waste collection systems in a vacuum cleaner and described in the application WO 03/047412 . According to this application, one of the sets comprises an air inlet duct opening in a tangential direction into a waste separation chamber defining an internal volume having substantially the shape of a cylinder. In the central part of this chamber is arranged at least one opening opening on a duct in connection with the suction unit, said duct comprising in particular a filtration unit.

The chamber also has a waste disposal channel in a radial direction, said channel being connected to a sealed tank collector centrifuged waste.

One of the peculiarities of this invention is to have the air inlet channel and the waste disposal channel arranged substantially at the same height in the waste separation chamber, and to have considerably reduced the diametric section of the the chamber enters once and four times the smallest section of the channels for feeding waste from the nozzle.

Such an arrangement allows this separation assembly to have a small footprint, without altering the waste separation efficiency.

According to one embodiment, the central portion of the chamber comprises a second filtration device accessible by a cover closing said central portion.

The present invention aims to improve the ergonomics, ease of access and arrangement of these filtration devices to allow cleaning and / or its replacement in a simple and hygienic manner.

The present invention is achieved by means of an electric vacuum cleaner comprising a set of primary and secondary waste separation devices, said vacuum cleaner comprising in particular a motor-fan unit, said devices being housed in the frame of the vacuum cleaner and being constituted on the one hand by a conduit comprising a multitude of openings and disposed in a main inertia separation chamber forming a torus, said duct being in aeraulic relationship with the separation chamber by these single openings, and being connected by elsewhere to the motor-fan unit, and secondly by a receptacle in which is housed a fine filter constituting the secondary device for separating the waste, said filter being interposed in the air flow path between the duct and the motor-fan unit, characterized in that these two devices are mechanically connected to each other by fastening means constituting a n mechanical lock and in that these devices are removable from the frame of the vacuum cleaner.

Fn having a subset composed of removable filtration devices and separation of waste from the vacuum cleaner, the cleaning of these elements is facilitated since it is sufficient to leave the frame of the vacuum cleaner this subassembly for the clean and somehow regenerate the filter assembly of the device.

Advantageously, the hooking means can be unlocked in order to separate the receptacle from the conduit. By proposing such an unlocking, the cleaning operation of the various elements is easier by this separation.

Advantageously, the gripping of the waste separation devices is facilitated by the fact that the duct is closed at the top and has fingerprints thus allowing the user to grasp the devices avoiding dusty areas.

According to one of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the central duct comprises, at its base, a peripheral ring substantially perpendicular to the duct, this ring forming part of the separation chamber by one of its faces, and whose opposite face has means for hooking the filter receptacle.

This arrangement saves space and ensures a high mechanical strength between the receptacle and the duct.

It is also possible to propose a solution that promotes practical cleaning of the secondary separation device that also has a waste storage function by making the filter removable from the receptacle.

Advantageously, the duct has a plurality of inclined walls directed towards the separation chamber, in the direction of movement of the air, the end of each wall having a substantially flat opening and substantially parallel to the underlying duct, and in that that the openings of the duct are located in line with the wall openings.

The presence of inclined walls at the openings of the duct away particles of the suction duct air. However, the presence of openings on these walls at their end minimizes pressure losses by facilitating the passage of air in the conduit. Such a solution therefore makes it possible to combine the springboard effect for the particles, caused by the walls, with a certain ease of air to enter the duct.

Indeed, each opening behaves like a small separator in its own right because of its ability to separate the trajectories of particles from the air. The multiplicity of the openings makes it possible to reduce the air velocities at each opening, which limits the pressure drops without reducing the centrifuging efficiency which is linked on the one hand to the speed of the air but also to the radius of curvature of the air trajectory. By significantly reducing the radius of curvature as is the case here, one can thus obtain a good centrifugation performance while limiting losses.

Advantageously, the walls are lined, on either side, side flanks bearing on the duct. The presence of these flanks prevents the particles pass next to the inclined walls and do not penetrate the openings of the ducts by realizing, in some manner, a ventilation short circuit. Particle separation is improved.

The geometry of the inclined walls is also defined so that they do not overlap each other so as not to create dead zones where dust would accumulate. Thus, a slight flow of air flowing on each side of said walls is preserved without penetrating directly into the openings thanks to the presence of the lateral flanks.

Preferably the holes are staggered for better coverage of the height of the duct in the direction perpendicular to the direction of passage of air.

According to an alternative embodiment, the openings in the duct are elongate in the direction of rotation of the air, so as to exceed the plumb with the inclined walls. This arrangement makes it possible to further limit the pressure drop mainly by increasing the air passage surface, which locally decreases its speed.

Another alternative embodiment consists of configuring the openings, not by lengthening them in the direction of rotation of the air, but by lengthening them in the direction perpendicular to the flow, which avoids increasing the possibility that particle can not bend its trajectory to penetrate the opening, while increasing the size of the openings of passage of the air.

The possibility of unlocking the main device for separating waste from the secondary device finds its advantage according to the embodiment in which the duct has inclined walls including or not the lateral flanks. Indeed, the unlocking allows, given the difference in structure of the two devices, more vigorously clean one than the other. The main device can in particular be brushed under water, or even in the dishwasher, which is hardly possible for the receptacle with the filter which could deteriorate.

According to this embodiment, the increased complexity of the device, by the presence of the walls, or even lateral flanks, makes cleaning more tedious. By separating it from the receptacle containing the filter, one facilitates greatly this cleaning operation, while improving the efficiency of dust separation.

The present invention also relates to an electric vacuum cleaner comprising waste separation devices as previously defined and whose frame, inside which is housed a motor-fan unit, comprises an air inlet capable of being connected. , through a suitable nozzle terminated by a nozzle, to the surface to be cleaned, said air inlet communicating, within the frame, with a waste separation chamber in which it opens tangentially.

Advantageously, the separation chamber is closed, in the upper part, by a cover accessible from the outside of the vacuum cleaner and masking the upper part of the exhaust duct purified air and allowing easy access to the separation devices while avoiding as much as possible the contact with the residual dust, the majority of which is localized, by gravity, in the lower part of the separation device.

According to one of the possible embodiments of the invention in a vacuum cleaner, the separation chamber is connected to a removable waterproof waste collection tank and separate from said chamber by a discharge channel oriented in a radial direction or tangential to the separation chamber. Such an arrangement makes it possible to remove the bin containing the waste separated by the main separation device, without having to remove the separation devices.

Advantageously, the waste separation devices are independent of the evacuation channel and the removable waterproof container for waste recovery.

Thus, unlike many other devices, this arrangement avoids having to remove the waste container to clean the separation devices, limiting the risk of leakage and reintroduction of the separated dust in the room to be cleaned.

• la figure 1 montre un aspirateur en perspective comportant la présente invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue partiellement éclatée des dispositifs de séparation conformes à la présente invention dans leur environnement fonctionnel,
• la figure 3 est une vue détaillée en perspective des dispositifs de séparation isolés,
• la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 3, où certains éléments ont été éclatés,
• la figure 5 est une vue éclatée de l'un des dispositifs de séparation selon l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue d'une variante avantageuse de l'un des dispositifs de séparation,
• la figure 7 représente le même élément que la figure 6, dans une vue de face,
• la figure 8 est une vue de l'élément représenté à la figure 7, selon la coupe A-A de cette même figure,
• la figure 9 représente le détail B de la figure 8,
• la figure 10 est une vue détaillée en perspective d'une amélioration d'un des dispositifs de séparation selon l'invention.

The present invention will be better understood from the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, among which:

• the figure 1 shows a perspective vacuum cleaner comprising the present invention,
• the figure 2 is a partially exploded view of the separation devices according to the present invention in their functional environment,
• the figure 3 is a detailed perspective view of isolated separation devices,
• the figure 4 is a view similar to the figure 3 , where some elements have been exploded,
• the figure 5 is an exploded view of one of the separation devices according to the invention,
• the figure 6 is a view of an advantageous variant of one of the separation devices,
• the figure 7 represents the same element as the figure 6 , in a front view,
• the figure 8 is a view of the element shown in the figure 7 according to section AA of this same figure,
• the figure 9 represents detail B of the figure 8 ,
• the figure 10 is a detailed perspective view of an improvement of one of the separation devices according to the invention.

The figure 1 generally illustrates a vacuum cleaner comprising the separation devices according to the invention.

Such a vacuum cleaner 10 comprises a frame 11 resting on several wheels including two rear wheels. 12. A ventilation connection 14 connects the frame of the device to a nozzle in contact with the surface to be cleaned and allowing the introduction of waste in the frame of the device. The latter is provided with a motor-fan unit, not shown, for generating an air flow capable of harvesting the waste staining the surface to be cleaned. A button 16 allows the start and stop of the engine.

According to one aspect of the invention, the vacuum cleaner comprises an inertia separation chamber. This chamber is accessible by a protective cover 18 which also closes the separation chamber. The waste separated by the device is discharged via a conduit 39 to a tray 22 easily accessible by the user and having a handle 20. This handle also serves as a carrying handle of the device, the overall inclination of the device and the presence of this handle in the high position promoting its grip while avoiding a tilting movement of the device at its center of gravity. A button 24 for unblocking the tray 22 is provided on the side of the device. Advantageously, such an unlocking button is present on each side of the device.

According to the proposed example, the tray 22 can be emptied by one or the other of its lateral sides, the latter being each obstructed by a removable cover 21. This arrangement allows everyone, whether right-handed or left-handed, to empty the tray easily.

As detailed figure 2 , all the waste separation means 30 comprises an air inlet duct 32 opening into a separation chamber 33 similar to a torus of rectangular diametral section. Advantageously, the air intake duct 32 comprises a bend 132 making it possible to reduce the probability that certain wastes do not directly strike the central duct defining the torus.

The passage section of the flow in the chamber is delimited by an outer circular wall 34, an inner circular wall 35, an upper wall which is the cover 18, and a bottom wall 37.

The inner circular wall defines the duct 36 for evacuation of the air, the aeraulic connection between the chamber and the interior of the duct 36 being formed by a multitude of openings 40. The duct 36 is closed at the top and is aeraulic link, at the bottom, with a receptacle 38 comprising a filter, preferably a pleated filter. This receptacle is also in a ventilation connection with the motor-fan unit. Such a configuration allows more flexibility in the sizing of the filter.

This embodiment of the invention also has the advantage of clearly highlighting the low height of the separation chamber with respect to the inlet conduit 32 waste. The section of the separation chamber remains in a ratio of 1 to 4 times the smallest section of waste feed from the nozzle, as taught by the application WO 03/047412 . Of course, sealing means are provided to prevent any air leakage at the separation chamber.

Subsequently, the duct 36 with its openings will be called the main separation device, the receptacle 38 and its filter being called secondary separation device.

According to the present invention and as illustrated figure 3 the duct 36 is mechanically connected to the receptacle 38 of the fine filter. Furthermore, the duct 36 comprises, in the upper part, circular arc-shaped fingerprints 42 enabling the extraction of the separation devices by the user by avoiding the areas in contact with the dust that are the walls of the duct and the bottom wall 37.

The separation devices can be extracted at the same time. Moreover, only the lid 18 closes the separation chamber. It is therefore sufficient to remove this cover to access the separation devices, which greatly facilitates their extraction.

In addition, these are simply placed inside the vacuum cleaner, and no tools are needed to extract them from the device.

Advantageously, as presented figure 4 , the receptacle 38 can be separated from the conduit 36, the mechanical connection between the two elements can be unlocked.

According to the proposed example, the duct 36 and the bottom wall 37 form a single piece, which in particular avoids the problems of sealing at this level. In this way, the locking of the receptacle 38 on the conduit 36 is formed on the bottom wall 37. The latter then comprises hooks 52, visible figure 7 , cooperating with openings 50 formed on an upper wall of the receptacle 38. This mounting, bayonet type, allows a simple mechanical support, which can be easily maneuvered by the user.

Other means of mechanical retention can be envisaged between the receptacle 38 and the duct 36, such as clipping, casing, etc.

Furthermore, the presence of the bottom wall 37 is not essential to the achievement of the mechanical connection between the conduit 36 and the receptacle 38, it is in particular possible to envisage the same bayonet locking system of the conduit directly in a cylindrical receptacle, the locking system being able to be disposed on the walls of said receptacle 38.

According to this configuration, a seal is provided between the conduit and the receptacle and is made by overmolding an elastomeric material on the periphery of the bottom wall 37, on the side of the hooks 52. As an alternative and / or supplement, a seal can be provided on the periphery of the upper flange of the receptacle 38.

According to the proposed example, the receptacle is of parallelepipedal shape and receives a pleated filter 46 which allows high filtration in order to stop the finest dust.

Advantageously, pre-filtration is performed by a foam 44 disposed between the filter 46 and the duct 36. This foam is removable from the receptacle 38.

According to the proposed example, a gate 48 is disposed between the filter 46 and the foam 44, to maintain the filter in place. This grid allows also protect the filter against improper handling during cleaning. The grid is then glued to the inner walls of the receptacle 38. The filter is itself glued to the receptacle 38 to seal this filtration. A single gluing operation is then performed: the grid is put in place just after the gluing of the filter, when the glue is still soft, which makes it possible to make integral the assembly consisting of the receptacle 38, the filter 46 and the grid 48.

In a simplified version, the grid is omitted and the filter alone is glued in the receptacle 38.

It is also possible, for example by a system of clipping the grid, to make the filter removable, as illustrated figure 5 , which facilitates its cleaning or its replacement.

The Figures 6 to 10 present an improved variant of the main waste separation device. According to this variant, the duct 56 always comprises the peripheral flange 57 forming part of the separation chamber as well as the fingerprints 62 for gripping the separation devices. However, compared to the version explained above, it comprises separators 70 defined as follows and presented, in isolation, figure 10 . According to the direction F of circulation of the air in the chamber, walls 66 are disposed in front of each opening 64 formed in the duct 56. These inclined walls have at their free end an opening 68 substantially parallel to the underlying duct, in connection with with the openings 64 by the frontal free edge 69.

Advantageously, the walls 66 comprise lateral flanks 67 bearing on the conduit 56 and preventing the particles from entering the openings 64 bypassing the inclined walls 66. These flanks thus constitute longitudinal edges of the inclined walls.

By this arrangement, the trajectory of the finest particles follows the inclined walls 66 and thus moves away from the duct 56. somehow ejected by the springboard formed by the inclined walls 66.

However, through the opening 68 made in the wall, the air can join the exhaust duct without having to significantly change its trajectory. As shown by the path G of the air figure 9 , the exit of the air through the openings of the duct is facilitated by the presence of the openings 68, without substantially degrading the separation of the particles.

According to this embodiment, the pressure drops are minimized by increasing the size of the openings at the duct. So, as it is visible on the figure 10 , the openings 64 extend downstream of the wall 56, according to the general direction of movement of the air flow in the separation chamber. This arrangement allows the air to reach the openings 64 by curving less its path, which means reduced pressure losses.

By thus protecting the openings 64 and multiplying the inclined walls, the particles are forced onto said walls where they are projected away from the openings 64.

In operation, after a floor cleaning operation, the user stops the motor fan. It can then empty the main receptacle 22, unlocking it by pressing the button 24.

If he wishes to clean the filtration devices, he then removes the cover 18 and seizes the devices at the fingerprints 42, 62. It can then, at first, shake the assembly above a bin, then separate the two devices by performing a slight rotation of the conduit relative to the receptacle. The duct thus released can be passed under water and clean vigorously for example with a brush. Indeed, this conduit is commonly made of plastic and supports the mechanical stresses of a cleaning brush and detergents. This aspect of cleaning is all the more important as the conduit comprises the separators 70 defined above, which, by making the architecture of the device more complex, require a more thorough cleaning. As a result, the possibility of separating the conduit from receptacle 38 with the fine filter allows to use more energetic means, and therefore more effective, so as not to make the cleaning task too long and tedious.

The secondary separation device and its pleated filter can be shaken or even underwater if the type of pleated filter allows it. The foam 44 can be separated from the receptacle 38 and can also be cleaned under water simply, such as a sponge.

According to the proposed example, the filter is replaced by changing the receptacle 38 since the filter, in this case, is glued to the receptacle.

The reassembly of the various elements is simple and does not require tools, thus prompting the user to perform this operation frequently, which makes it possible to avoid any malfunction of the devices and therefore of the device.

Claims (12)

1. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) including an assembly comprising a main waste separator device and a secondary waste separator device, said vacuum cleaner (10) including in particular a motor-and-fan unit, said devices being received in the structure (11) of the vacuum cleaner (10) and being constituted firstly by a duct (36, 56) having a multitude of openings (40, 64) and disposed in a main separation chamber (33) operating by inertia and forming a torus, said duct (36, 56) being in air-flow communication with the separation chamber (33) via said openings (40, 64) only, and also being connected to the motor-and-fan unit, and secondly by a receptacle (38) in which a fine filter (46) is received, which filter constitutes the secondary waste separator device, said filter (46) being interposed in the air-flow path between the duct (36, 56) and the motor-and-fan unit, said electric vacuum cleaner being characterized in that the two devices are secured together mechanically via fastener means (50, 52) providing mechanical locking, and in that said devices are removable from the structure (11) of the vacuum cleaner (10).
2. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the fastener means (50, 52) can be unlocked in order to separate the receptacle (38) from the duct (36, 56).
3. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the duct (36, 56) is closed at the top portion and is provided with recesses (42, 62) making it easier to take hold of the separator devices.
4. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the central duct (36, 56) has, at its base, a peripheral ring (37) that is substantially perpendicular to the duct (36, 56), said ring (37) forming part of the separation chamber via one of its faces, its opposite face being provided with fastener means (52) for fastening to the receptacle (38) of the filter (46).
5. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the filter (46) is removable from the receptacle (38).
6. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the duct (56) is provided with sloping walls (66) that extend towards the separation chamber (33), in the direction (F) in which the air moves, in that the end of each wall (66) is provided with an opening (68) that is substantially plane and that is substantially parallel to the underlying duct (56), and in that the openings (64) of the duct (56) are situated vertically in register with the openings (68) of the walls (66).
7. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the walls (66) are flanked, on either side, by side flanks (67) that bear against the duct (56).
8. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that the openings (64) in the duct (56) are elongate, in the direction (F) in which the air rotates, so as to project beyond the vertical relative to the sloping walls (66), or perpendicularly to the direction (F) in which the air rotates.
9. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the structure (11), inside which the motor-and-fan unit is received, is provided with an air intake suitable for being connected, via a suitable nozzle (32, 132) that is terminated by a nozzle attachment, to the surface to be cleaned, said air intake communicating, inside the structure, with a waste separation chamber (33) into which it opens out tangentially.
10. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the separation chamber (33) is closed, at its top portion, by a lid (18) that is accessible from the outside of the vacuum cleaner (10) and that masks the top portion of the duct (36, 56) for discharging the purified air.
11. An electric vacuum cleaner (10) according to claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that the separation chamber (33) is in communication with a leaktight waste collector (22) that is removable and that is distinct from said chamber, via a discharge channel (39) extending in a radial or tangential direction relative to the separation chamber (33).
12. An electric vacuum cleaner according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the waste separation devices are independent from the discharge channel (39) and from the removable leaktight waste collector (22).

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