EP1795102B1 - Vacuum cleaner with mounting unit for dust storage chamber - Google Patents
Vacuum cleaner with mounting unit for dust storage chamber Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1795102B1 EP1795102B1 EP20060125560 EP06125560A EP1795102B1 EP 1795102 B1 EP1795102 B1 EP 1795102B1 EP 20060125560 EP20060125560 EP 20060125560 EP 06125560 A EP06125560 A EP 06125560A EP 1795102 B1 EP1795102 B1 EP 1795102B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- dust
- unit
- vacuum cleaner
- dust collection
- sub
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/16—Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
- A47L9/1683—Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/16—Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
- A47L9/1616—Multiple arrangement thereof
- A47L9/1625—Multiple arrangement thereof for series flow
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/16—Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
- A47L9/1616—Multiple arrangement thereof
- A47L9/1641—Multiple arrangement thereof for parallel flow
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/16—Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
- A47L9/1691—Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that is improved in a structure so that a user can more conveniently use thereof.
- a vacuum cleaner according to the preamble of claim 1 is already known e.g. from US-A-20020124538 .
- a vacuum cleaner is a device that can suck air containing dusts using suction generated by a motor mounted in a main body and filter off the dusts in a dust filtering unit.
- the vacuum cleaner is classified into a canister type and an upright type.
- the canister type vacuum cleaner includes a main body and an suction nozzle connected to the main body by a connection pipe.
- the upright type vacuum cleaner includes a main body and a suction nozzle integrally formed with the main body.
- a conventional cyclone type vacuum cleaner includes a suction nozzle for sucking air containing dusts, a main body unit communicating with the suction nozzle, a dust collection unit for filtering off the dusts contained in the air and reserving the dusts, an extension pipe for guiding the air sucked through the suction nozzle toward the main body unit, a connection hose having a first end connected to the extension pipe and a second end connected to the main body unit.
- the dust collection unit includes a dust collection body defining an outer appearance, a main cyclone unit for separating relatively large-sized dusts contained in the air, a sub-cyclone unit disposed downstream of the main cyclone unit to separate relatively small-sized dusts, a main chamber for reserving the dusts separated at the main cyclone unit, and a sub-chamber disposed around the main chamber in the dust collection body to reserve the dusts separated at the sub-cyclone unit.
- the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit.
- the conventional dust collection unit has the following problems.
- the vacuum cleaner is designed as compact as possible while providing the same dust collection performance.
- the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, the volume and weight of the vacuum cleaner increase. Therefore, it is difficult to handle the vacuum cleaner. This problem becomes more severe in the case a large amount of dusts is reserved in the dust collection unit.
- the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, a space for the main chamber is structurally reduced due to the sub-chamber. Therefore, the dust collection volume of the main chamber is reduced and thus the user must more frequently empty the dust collection unit.
- the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, the internal structure of the dust collection unit is complicated and thus it is difficult to clean or wash the inside of the dust collection unit.
- the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, it is costly to prepare a mold for manufacturing the dust collection unit. Furthermore, when the dust collection unit leaks or is damaged, the overall body of the dust collection unit must be replaced.
- the interior room may be contaminated again during the process for separating the dust collection unit from the main body empty the dust collection unit or dumping the dusts out of the dust collection unit.
- the interior room may be contaminated again during the process for separating the dust collection unit from the main body empty the dust collection unit or dumping the dusts out of the dust collection unit.
- the present invention is directed to a vacuum cleaner that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that is simple in a structure and lightweight.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that can be easily empted or cleaned.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that is designed such that the user can easily identify an amount of the dusts collected in the dust collection unit.
- a vacuum cleaner including: a main body unit having a driving unit for generation suction; a main body; a dust separation unit that is provided in the main body to separate dusts from air and provided with a dust exhaust portion through which the separated dusts are exhausted; a dust storage chamber that is provided with a dust inflow portion through which the dusts exhausted from the dust exhaust portion is introduced; and a mounting unit that is formed on the main body and on which the dust storage chamber is mounted, wherein the dust exhaust portion and the dust inflow portion contact each other by a pressing force by which the dust storage chamber is mounted on the mounting unit, thereby preventing the air from leaking, wherein the dust separation unit is horizontally disposed on the main body.
- the above-described vacuum cleaner has the following advantages.
- the main cyclone unit is provided on the dust collection unit while the sub-cyclone unit is separated from the dust collection unit and provided on the main body unit, the structure of the dust collection unit is simplified and light-weighted. Therefore, the use can more conveniently handle the dust collection unit.
- the dusts discharge unit through which the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit closely contacts the dust sucking unit by force for mounting the dust collection unit on the main body unit, the tight seal between the dust discharge unit and the dust sucking unit is improved and thus the air suction loss is reduced to improve the dust collection performance of the vacuum cleaner.
- the outer wall of the main chamber for reserving the most of the dusts is formed of a transparent material, the user can easily identify the amount of the dusts reserved in the main chamber and thus determine the appropriate empty timing.
- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a dust separation device is separated from the vacuum cleaner;
- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner Fig. 1 , when a dust collection unit is assembled with the vacuum cleaner;
- Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I of Fig. 2 ;
- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a dust separation device of the vacuum cleaner of Figs. 1 and 2 ;
- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a connection between a sub-cyclone unit and a connection duct of the vacuum cleaner of Figs. 1 and 2 ;
- Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the dust collection unit of Fig. 4 ;
- Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sub-cyclone unit
- Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' of Fig. 7 ;
- Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a modified example of Fig. 8 ;
- Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a connection between a dust separation device and a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner not part of the present invention.
- Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a connection between a dust separation device unit and a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner according to still yet another embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a dust collection unit is separated from the vacuum cleaner
- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner Fig. 1 , when the dust collection unit is assembled with the vacuum cleaner
- Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I of Fig. 2 .
- a vacuum cleaner 100 includes a main body unit 200, a driving unit disposed in the main body unit 200 generate suction for sucking air containing dusts, a suction nozzle (not shown) for sucking the air containing the dusts into the main body unit 200, a dust collection unit 300
- a main body suction portion 220 communication with the suction nozzle is formed on a front-lower portion of the main body unit 200.
- a main body discharge portion 290 through which the air whose dusts are separated in the dust separation device 300 is formed on a side of the main body unit 200.
- the driving unit 210 includes a fan motor assembly 211 for generating suction for sucking outer air to the suction nozzle.
- the fan motor assembly 211 is received in the fan-motor chamber 213 formed in the main body unit 200.
- a motor pre-filter 215 may be provided in the main body unit 200 at an upstream of the fan-motor assembly 211 to filter off fine particles contained in the air flowing toward the fan-motor assembly 211.
- the motor pre-filter 215 functions to protect the motor and collect the fine dusts, there is a need to periodically clean or replace the same to prevent the dust collection performance from being deteriorated.
- a filter receiving portion 216 in which the motor pre-filter 215 is detachably received is formed in the main body unit.
- the filter receiving portion 216 is opened and closed by a filter cover 253 detachably coupled to the main body unit 200.
- the dust separation device 300 includes a cyclone unit 360 provided in the main body unit 200 to separate the dust using a cyclone principle and a dust collection unit 310 for reserving the separated dusts in the cyclone unit 360.
- the dust collection unit 310 is detachably mounted in the main body unit 200. When the dust collection unit 310 is mounted in the main body unit 200, it is connected to the cyclone unit 360 to receive and reserve the dusts separated by the cyclone unit 360.
- the dust collection unit 310 is separated from the cyclone unit 360.
- the dust collection unit 310 is mounted again in the main body unit 200, the dust collection unit 310 is connected to the cyclone unit 360.
- the dust separation device 300 may further include a dust separation unit 320 for further separating the dusts.
- the dust separation unit 320 is disposed upstream of the cyclone unit 360.
- the main body unit 200 is designed to primarily separate the dust using the dust separation unit 320 before the introduced air is directed to the cyclone unit 360, thereby improving the dust separation performance of the dust separation device 300.
- the dust separation unit 320 is integrally formed with the dust collection unit 310 is preferably designed to separate the dust using the cyclone principle.
- the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
- the dust separation unit 320 will be called a main cyclone unit 320 and the cyclone unit 360 provided in the main body unit 200 will be called a cyclone unit 360.
- the main cyclone unit 320 is integrally formed with an upper portion of the dust collection unit 310.
- the main cyclone unit 320 is provided with a first sucking portion 321 formed in a tangent direction.
- the first sucking portion 321 allows the air containing the dusts to be introduced in the tangent direction of the main cyclone unit 320 to generate the cyclone in the main cyclone unit 320.
- a discharge member 323 provided at an outer circumference with a plurality of holes 324 is provided on a shaft of the cyclone unit 320.
- the discharge member 323 allows the air whose dusts are primarily separated in the cyclone unit 320 to be discharged.
- the dust collection unit 310 reserves the dusts separated from the main cyclone unit 320 and sub-cyclone unit.
- the dust collection unit 310 includes a main chamber 331 for reserving the dusts separated by the main cyclone unit 320 and a sub-chamber 335 for reserving the dusts separated from the sub-cyclone unit 360.
- the main chamber 331 is formed on a lower portion of the main cyclone unit 320 and the sub-chamber 335 is formed at an outer side of the dust collection unit 310.
- the sub-chamber 335 is integrally formed with the dust collection unit 310.
- the sub-chamber 335 may be detachably mounted in the dust collection unit 310.
- the surface of the sub-chamber, which faces the dust collection unit 310 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the dust collection unit 310.
- the sub-chamber 335 is connected to the sub-cyclone unit 360 and thus the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit is reserved in the sub-chamber 335.
- the sub-chamber 335 is not integrally formed with the sub-cyclone unit 360 but structure to be separable and selectively connected to the sub-cyclone unit 360.
- an upper cover 340 that can be detachably coupled to an upper portion of the main cyclone unit 320 to open and close the upper portion of the main cyclone unit 320.
- the upper cover 340 is provided at a center portion with a first discharge portion 342 through which the air passing through the discharge member 323 is discharged out of the main cyclone unit 320.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided in the main body unit 200 to further separate the dusts contained in the air that has passed through the main cyclone unit 320.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 may be disposed in a state where it lies on the main body unit 200.
- the space efficiency of the vacuum cleaner may be improved considering the arrangement with the driving unit 210.
- connection structure of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit will be described hereinafter.
- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dust separation device and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a coupling structure of the sub-cyclone unit and a connection duct.
- connection duct 350 the main cyclone unit 320 and the sub-cyclone unit 360 are interconnected by a connection duct 350.
- connection duct 350 has a first side connected to the upper cover 340 disposed on an upper portion of the main cyclone unit 320 and a second side connected to a coupling hole 364 formed on an upper portion of the sub-cyclone unit 360.
- connection duct 350 has a passage section that gradually increases toward the coupling hole 364. Therefore, the flow rate of the air is gradually reduced toward the coupling hole 364 of the sub-cyclone unit 360 and thus the flow resistance of the air is reduced near the coupling hole 364 of the sub-cyclone unit 360.
- a sealing member 352 may be provided between the connection duct 350 and the upper cover 340 and between the connection duct 350 and the coupling hole 364.
- Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dust collection unit.
- the main body unit 200 is provided with a dust collection unit mounting portion 240 on which the dust collection unit is mounted.
- the sub-chamber 335 is provided with a dust sucking portion 336 through which the dusts separated from the sub-cyclone unit 360 are introduced.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided with a dust discharge portion 365 through which the dusts separated from the sub-cyclone unit 360 is discharged to the dust sucking portion 336.
- the dust discharge portion 365 is connected to the dust sucking portion as the dust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collection unit mounting portion 240 by the user.
- the dust sucking portion 336 contacts the dust discharge portion 365 to gradually press the dust discharge portion 365 and the dust discharge portion 365 provides a repulsive force for the force for mounting the dust collection unit 310. Therefore, the dust discharge portion 365 and dust sucking portion 336 closely contact each other by the force for mounting the dust collection unit 310.
- the dust sucking portion 336 has a first contact surface 337 provided with one or more dust sucking holes 338 through which the dusts separated from the sub-cyclone unit 360 are introduced.
- the dust discharge portion 365 has a second contact surface 366 provided with one or more dust discharge holes 367 through which the dusts are discharged.
- the second contact surface 366 closely contacts the first contact surface 337 such that the dust sucking hole 338 communicates with the dust discharge hole 367.
- the number of the dust sucking holes 338 is same as that of the dust discharge holes 367.
- the plurality of dust discharge holes 367 may communicate with one dust sucking hole 338.
- first and second contact surfaces 337 and 366 may contact each other as the dust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collection unit mounting portion 240.
- the second contact surface 366 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction where the dust collection unit 310 is separated.
- the second contact surface 366 may be curved.
- the second contact surface 366 is inclined at a predetermined angle, preferably at a right angle, with respect to the direction where the dust collection unit 310 is separated so as to provide a repulse force against the force for mounting the dust collection unit 310 when the dust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collection unit mounting portion 240. Therefore, the air-tightness between the dust sucking portion 336 and the dust discharge portion 365.
- the predetermined angle when the second contact surface 366 is inclined at the predetermined angle with respect to the direction where the dust collection unit 310 is separated, the predetermined angle may be within a range of 45-135°. It is preferably that the predetermined angle is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the dust collection unit 310 is separated. The "substantially perpendicular" means that the angle between the second contact surface 366 and the direction where the dust collection unit 310 is separated is within a range of 75-105°.
- the second contact surface 366 is formed to be oriented toward the inlet of the dust collection unit mounting portion 240.
- the first contact surface 337 of the dust sucking portion 336 is disposed in front of the dust collection unit with reference to the mounting direction of the dust collection unit 310 such that the first contact surface 337 faces the second contact surface 366.
- the first contact surface 337 may be formed on an approximately rear surface side of the dust collection unit 310.
- the first contact surface 337 may be formed on an approximately front surface side of the dust collection unit 310.
- the contact ratio between the dust discharge portion 365 and the dust sucking portion 336 increases and the air-tightness between the dust discharge portion 365 and the dust sucking portion 336 is improved, thereby improving the dust collection performance.
- one of the dust discharge portion 365 and the dust sucking portion 336 may be inserted into the other in a direction in which the dust collection unit 310 is mounted.
- the dust discharge portion 365 is inserted in the dust sucking portion 336.
- the dust sucking portion 336 is provided with a frame 339 for enclosing the dust discharge portion 365.
- the frame 339 extends in a perpendicular direction from the sub-chamber.
- the frame 339 closely contacts the circumference of the dust discharge portion 365 to prevent the air from leaking between the dust discharge portion 365 and the dust sucking portion 336.
- a scattering preventing portion 327 separating the main cyclone unit 320 from the main chamber 331 is horizontally formed in the dust collection unit 310.
- the dusts separated by the main cyclone unit 320 move downward through an opening 329 formed at an edge of the scattering preventing portion 327 and is reserved in the main chamber 331.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided in the main body unit 200 and the sub-chamber 335 for reserving the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit 320 is integrally formed with the dust collection unit 310.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 that is repeatedly mounted and dismounted to discharge the dusts is not integrally formed with the dust collection unit 310, the structure of the dust collection unit 310 is simplified and light-weighted.
- the user simply separates only the dust collection unit 310 from the main body unit 200, then separates the upper cover 340 from the upper portion of the dust collection unit 310, and discharges the dusts from the dust collection unit 310 by turning the dust collection unit over.
- the main chamber 331 may be formed of a transparent material so that the user can identify an amount of the dust collected in the main chamber 331.
- the user can easily identify the internal state of the main chamber 331, the user can timely empty the main chamber 331.
- Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sub-cyclone unit and Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' of Fig. 7 .
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 is comprised of a plurality of small cyclones 363.
- four small cyclones 363 are arranged on an identical plan in parallel.
- the air containing the dusts is introduced into the sub-cyclone unit 360 via the dust collection unit 310 and thus it can be noted that the dust collection unit 310 is connected to the sub-cyclone unit 360 in series.
- the air exhausted from the dust collection unit 310 is directed to the sub-cyclone unit 360 through the connection passage 350 and divided into two at the inlet of the sub-cyclone unit 360 to be introduced into the small cyclones 363.
- the dusts contained in the air are separated in each small cyclone 363.
- the air exhausted from the dust collection unit 310 does not sequentially pass through the small cyclones 363 but simultaneously pass through the small cyclones 363.
- the sub-cyclone unit 360 has the plurality of small cyclones 363 that are arranged in parallel.
- the longitudinal axes of the respective small cyclones 363 are disposed on an identical plan so that the structure can be more compact.
- the axis is a center line passing the center of each small cyclone 363. That is distances between the axes of the respective small cyclones 363 are gradually reduced from the second sucking portion 361 toward the dust discharge hole 367.
- the small cyclones disposed on the identical plan and converged to each other are arranged fanwise.
- axes of at least two small cyclones 363 are preferably converged.
- longitudinal axes of all of small cyclones 363 are converged to each other so as to make the sub-cyclone unit 360 compact.
- two central small cyclones 363 may have the respective longitudinal axes that are in parallel with each other while left and right small cyclones 363 may have the respective longitudinal axes converged to each other.
- the disposition angles of the small cyclones 363 for the convergence of the longitudinal axes thereof may be determined according to their sizes or the volume of the sub-chamber 335 connected to the small cyclones 363.
- the distances between the small cyclones 363 gradually increase toward the dust discharge portion 365.
- the adjacent small cyclones 363 may contact each other to minimize the gaps between the dust discharge holes 367.
- the space taken by the sub-cyclone unit 360 can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the vacuum cleaner.
- the dust sucking portion 336 of the sub-chamber 335 coupled to the sub-cyclone unit 360 can be reduced in a size. As a result, the size of the sub-chamber is not excessively increased.
- the longitudinal axes of the small cyclones 363 are formed on the same plan so as to make the sub-cyclone unit 360 compact.
- the present invention is not limited to this.
- the small cyclones 363 are formed in a variety of shapes.
- each small cyclone 363 may be formed in a variety of shapes, it is preferable that the small cyclone 363 is formed in a rotational body that can effectively separate the dusts contained in the air using centrifugal force.
- the small cyclone 363 is formed in a structure including a cone-shaped body.
- Each small cyclones 363 of the sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided with a second sucking portion 361 through which the air is introduced.
- a guide 362 is provided on the second sucking portion 361 for guiding the air in the tangent direction of the second sucking portion 361.
- the guide portion 362 functions to divide the second sucking portion 361 into two sections that are surface-symmetrical. As shown in Fig. 8 , one guide 362 is provided at a center of the second sucking portion 361 so that the left and right sides with reference to the guide 363 can be symmetrical.
- the second sucking portion 361 adjacent to the guide 362 is opened at a portion near the guide.
- the second sucking portion 361 of the small cyclones disposed at the side edges are opened toward the guide 362.
- the guide 362 may extend inside of the connection duct 350.
- the guide 362 since the guide 362 is disposed at the center of the second sucking portion 361, the inside of the connection duct 350 is divided into left and right sections.
- an amount of air flowing through the central portion of the sub-cyclone unit 360 is greater than an amount of air flowing through side edges of the sub-cyclone unit 360.
- the guide 362 dividing the second sucking portion 361 into two sections extends inside of the connection duct 350, the flow of the air is divided into left and right flows. Therefore, the air is not concentrically sucked through the second sucking portion 361 disposed at the central portion but uniformly sucked.
- the guide 362 since the portion of the guide 362, which is disposed inside of the connection duct 350, functions to divide the inside passage of the connection duct 350 into two passages, the guide 362 may be called a partition.
- the guide 362 is designed to divide the inside of the connection duct 350 into two sections.
- the present invention is not limited to this.
- a separate partition may be formed in the connection duct 350 to divide the passage into two passages.
- the partition is formed to correspond to the guide 362.
- Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a modified example of Fig. 8 .
- the guide 462 is disposed to divide the second sucking portion 461 into two sections.
- the second sucking portion 461 adjacent to the guide 462 is opened at a portion near the guide 462.
- the second sucking portion 461 of the small cyclones at the side edges are opened at their outer portions so that the air can be sucked in the tangent direction.
- the air introduced into the suction nozzle is directed into the main cyclone unit 320 through the main sucking portion 220 and the first sucking portion 321. That is, the air sucked through the first sucking portion 321 is guided in a tangent direction on the inner wall of the main cyclone unit 320 to form a spiral current. Therefore, the dusts contained in the air are separated by a centrifugal force difference between the dust and the air.
- the separated dusts is reserved in the main chamber 331 through the opening 329. At this point, the scattering of the dusts stored in the main chamber 331 can be prevented by the scattering preventing portion 327.
- the air whose dusts are primarily separated by the main cyclone unit 320 moves upward while passing consecutively through the discharge member 323 and the first discharge portion 342. Then, the air moving upward is directed into the sub-cyclone unit 360 along the connection duct 350.
- the air flowing along the connection duct 350 is directed toward inner walls of the small cyclones 363 in tangent directions.
- the air direction in the tangent direction of each small cyclone 363 is further separated from the dusts by the centrifugal force.
- the separated dusts are discharged through the dust discharge hole 368 and reserved in the sub-chamber 335.
- the air that is further separated from the dusts is directed to a discharge duct (390 of Fig. 3 ) by being discharged from the sub-cyclone unit 360 through a second discharge portion (362 of Fig. 3 ) formed at a rear end of each small cyclone 363. Then, the air directed to a discharge duct (390 of Fig. 3 ) is directed toward the driving unit 210 after passing through a motor pre-filter 215 and then to the main body unit 200 through the discharge duct 390.
- Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- a vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of Figs. 1 through 8 except for a separation structure of the sub-chamber from the dust collection unit. Therefore, the following will describe the different portion.
- a sub-chamber 435 in which the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit 360 are reserved is separated from the main chamber 431 and detachably provided on the dust collection unit 410.
- the dust collection unit 410 is separated in the main body unit 200 and the sub-chamber 435 separated from the dust collection unit 410 is detachably mounted on the main body unit.
- the dust collection unit 410 is separated and the sub-chamber 435 mounted in the main body unit 200 is separated. Therefore, the sub-chamber 435 can be empted.
- the dusts separated by the main cyclone unit have a relatively larger volume and a larger amount. Therefore, the main chamber for reserving the dusts separated from the main cyclone unit must be more frequently empted than the sub-chamber 435.
- the sub-chamber 435 that is less frequently empted is designed to be separated from the main body unit 200 so that only the dust collection unit 410 is designed to be separated from the main body unit 200 so as to empty the main chamber 431.
- Fig. 11 is a partly broken, perspective view of a connection state of a dust separation device with a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner not part of the present invention.
- a vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of Figs. 1 through 8 except for an arrangement of the sub-cyclone unit. Therefore, the following will describe the different portion.
- a sub-cyclone unit 560 of this embodiment is not horizontally disposed on the main body unit 200 but disposed in a vertical direction or to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction.
- sub-chamber 535 is connected to a lower end of the sub-cyclone unit 560 at the lower portion of the main chamber 531.
- the bottoms of the main chamber 531 and the sub-chamber 535 are formed to be opened and closed.
- the bottoms of the main chamber 531 and the sub-chamber 535 are provided with opening/closing members 533 that are integrally formed.
- the opening/closing member 533 is hingedly coupled to the hinge portion 537 formed on a first lower side of the dust collection unit 510.
- the opening/closing member 533 is opened by pressing a coupling hook 539 formed on a second lower side of the dust collection unit 510.
- the air containing the dusts is introduced into the suction nozzle.
- the dusts contained in the air are primarily separated while the air passes through the main cyclone unit 520.
- the separated dusts moves downward to be reserved in the main chamber 531.
- the air whose dusts are primarily separated by the main cyclone unit 520 passes through the discharge member 523 and then moves upward. Then, the air flows along the connection passage 550. Then, the air is guided to the inner walls of the small cyclones in the tangent direction through the second sucking portion 561.
- the air introduced into the sub-cyclone unit 560 is further separated from the dusts by the centrifugal force. The separated dusts is reserved in the sub-chamber 535 connected to an end of the sub-cyclone unit 560.
- the air further separated from the dusts is discharged from the sub-cyclone unit 560 through a second discharge portion and is then directed downward a discharge duct 590. Fine particles contained in the air being directed downward are finally separated by the motor pre-filter 215 and introduced in an axial direction of the fan/motor assembly.
- the air directed to the fan/motor assembly 211 is directed in a radial direction and is then finally discharged from the main body unit 200 through the main body discharge portion 290 provided on a side of the main body unit 200.
- Fig. 12 is a partly broken, perspective view of a connecting state of a dust separation device with a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- a vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of Figs. 1 through 8 except that the main cyclone unit that primarily filters off the dusts before the air is introduced into the sub-cyclone unit is replaced with a filter unit 620.
- a filter unit 620 for primarily filtering off the dusts before the air is introduced into the sub-cyclone unit is provided on the dust collection unit.
- the filter unit 620 includes a dust collection filter 621 and a filter mounting unit 623 for mounting the dust collection filter 621.
- the filter mounting unit 623 is provided on a lower portion of an upper cover 640 to receive the dust collection filter 623.
- the dust collection filter 621 is separately received in the filter mounting unit 623.
- the dust collection filter 621 may be formed of sponge or non-woven fabric.
- the dust collection filter 621 since the dusts are fixed on the dust collection filter 621, the dust collection filter 621 is required to be periodically cleaned or replaced to prevent the suction of the vacuum cleaner from be deteriorated. Therefore, the dust collection filter 621 must be easily separated from the main body.
- the dust collection filter 621 is separated.
- the dust collection filter 621 may be inserted in the filter mounting unit 623 through a sliding motion so that the dust collection filter 621 can be separated from the dust collection filter 621 through the sliding motion.
Description
- The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that is improved in a structure so that a user can more conveniently use thereof.
- A vacuum cleaner according to the preamble of claim 1 is already known e.g. from
US-A-20020124538 . - Generally, a vacuum cleaner is a device that can suck air containing dusts using suction generated by a motor mounted in a main body and filter off the dusts in a dust filtering unit.
- The vacuum cleaner is classified into a canister type and an upright type. The canister type vacuum cleaner includes a main body and an suction nozzle connected to the main body by a connection pipe. The upright type vacuum cleaner includes a main body and a suction nozzle integrally formed with the main body.
- Meanwhile, a conventional cyclone type vacuum cleaner includes a suction nozzle for sucking air containing dusts, a main body unit communicating with the suction nozzle, a dust collection unit for filtering off the dusts contained in the air and reserving the dusts, an extension pipe for guiding the air sucked through the suction nozzle toward the main body unit, a connection hose having a first end connected to the extension pipe and a second end connected to the main body unit.
- The dust collection unit includes a dust collection body defining an outer appearance, a main cyclone unit for separating relatively large-sized dusts contained in the air, a sub-cyclone unit disposed downstream of the main cyclone unit to separate relatively small-sized dusts, a main chamber for reserving the dusts separated at the main cyclone unit, and a sub-chamber disposed around the main chamber in the dust collection body to reserve the dusts separated at the sub-cyclone unit.
- The conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit.
- However, the conventional dust collection unit has the following problems.
- First, in order to minimize the space taken by the vacuum cleaner and more easily carry the vacuum cleaner, it is preferable that the vacuum cleaner is designed as compact as possible while providing the same dust collection performance.
- However, since the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, the volume and weight of the vacuum cleaner increase. Therefore, it is difficult to handle the vacuum cleaner. This problem becomes more severe in the case a large amount of dusts is reserved in the dust collection unit.
- Second, since the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, a space for the main chamber is structurally reduced due to the sub-chamber. Therefore, the dust collection volume of the main chamber is reduced and thus the user must more frequently empty the dust collection unit.
- Third, since the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, the internal structure of the dust collection unit is complicated and thus it is difficult to clean or wash the inside of the dust collection unit.
- Fourth, since the conventional dust collection unit includes both of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit, it is costly to prepare a mold for manufacturing the dust collection unit. Furthermore, when the dust collection unit leaks or is damaged, the overall body of the dust collection unit must be replaced.
- Fifth, since the sub-chamber is disposed around the main body, it is difficult for the user to identify the amount of the dusts reserved in the main chamber using the naked eyes.
- Sixth, the interior room may be contaminated again during the process for separating the dust collection unit from the main body empty the dust collection unit or dumping the dusts out of the dust collection unit. Thus, there is a need to clean the room again.
- Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a vacuum cleaner that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that is simple in a structure and lightweight.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a dust collection unit that can be easily empted or cleaned.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that is designed such that the user can easily identify an amount of the dusts collected in the dust collection unit.
- Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
- To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a vacuum cleaner including: a main body unit having a driving unit for generation suction; a main body; a dust separation unit that is provided in the main body to separate dusts from air and provided with a dust exhaust portion through which the separated dusts are exhausted; a dust storage chamber that is provided with a dust inflow portion through which the dusts exhausted from the dust exhaust portion is introduced; and a mounting unit that is formed on the main body and on which the dust storage chamber is mounted, wherein the dust exhaust portion and the dust inflow portion contact each other by a pressing force by which the dust storage chamber is mounted on the mounting unit, thereby preventing the air from leaking, wherein the dust separation unit is horizontally disposed on the main body.
- The above-described vacuum cleaner has the following advantages.
- First, since the main cyclone unit is provided on the dust collection unit while the sub-cyclone unit is separated from the dust collection unit and provided on the main body unit, the structure of the dust collection unit is simplified and light-weighted. Therefore, the use can more conveniently handle the dust collection unit.
- Second, although the sub-cyclone unit is separated from the dust collection unit, the dusts separated from the sub-cyclone unit are still reserved in the dust collection unit. Therefore, only the dust collection unit is separated from the main body unit and empted.
- Third, since the dusts discharge unit through which the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit closely contacts the dust sucking unit by force for mounting the dust collection unit on the main body unit, the tight seal between the dust discharge unit and the dust sucking unit is improved and thus the air suction loss is reduced to improve the dust collection performance of the vacuum cleaner.
- Fourth, since the outer wall of the main chamber for reserving the most of the dusts is formed of a transparent material, the user can easily identify the amount of the dusts reserved in the main chamber and thus determine the appropriate empty timing.
- It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
- The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a dust separation device is separated from the vacuum cleaner; -
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleanerFig. 1 , when a dust collection unit is assembled with the vacuum cleaner; -
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I ofFig. 2 ; -
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a dust separation device of the vacuum cleaner ofFigs. 1 and2 ; -
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a connection between a sub-cyclone unit and a connection duct of the vacuum cleaner ofFigs. 1 and2 ; -
Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the dust collection unit ofFig. 4 ; -
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sub-cyclone unit; -
Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' ofFig. 7 ; -
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a modified example ofFig. 8 ; -
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention; -
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a connection between a dust separation device and a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner not part of the present invention; and -
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a connection between a dust separation device unit and a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner according to still yet another embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a dust collection unit is separated from the vacuum cleaner,Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleanerFig. 1 , when the dust collection unit is assembled with the vacuum cleaner, andFig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I ofFig. 2 . - Referring to
Figs. 1 through 3 , avacuum cleaner 100 includes amain body unit 200, a driving unit disposed in themain body unit 200 generate suction for sucking air containing dusts, a suction nozzle (not shown) for sucking the air containing the dusts into themain body unit 200, adust collection unit 300 - A main
body suction portion 220 communication with the suction nozzle is formed on a front-lower portion of themain body unit 200. A mainbody discharge portion 290 through which the air whose dusts are separated in thedust separation device 300 is formed on a side of themain body unit 200. - The
driving unit 210 includes afan motor assembly 211 for generating suction for sucking outer air to the suction nozzle. Thefan motor assembly 211 is received in the fan-motor chamber 213 formed in themain body unit 200. - A motor pre-filter 215 may be provided in the
main body unit 200 at an upstream of the fan-motor assembly 211 to filter off fine particles contained in the air flowing toward the fan-motor assembly 211. - Since the
motor pre-filter 215 functions to protect the motor and collect the fine dusts, there is a need to periodically clean or replace the same to prevent the dust collection performance from being deteriorated. - Therefore, in the present embodiment, a
filter receiving portion 216 in which themotor pre-filter 215 is detachably received is formed in the main body unit. Thefilter receiving portion 216 is opened and closed by afilter cover 253 detachably coupled to themain body unit 200. - The
dust separation device 300 includes acyclone unit 360 provided in themain body unit 200 to separate the dust using a cyclone principle and adust collection unit 310 for reserving the separated dusts in thecyclone unit 360. - The
dust collection unit 310 is detachably mounted in themain body unit 200. When thedust collection unit 310 is mounted in themain body unit 200, it is connected to thecyclone unit 360 to receive and reserve the dusts separated by thecyclone unit 360. - That is, when the user separates the
dust collection unit 310 from themain body unit 200 to empty thedust collection unit 310, thedust collection unit 310 is separated from thecyclone unit 360. When thedust collection unit 310 is mounted again in themain body unit 200, thedust collection unit 310 is connected to thecyclone unit 360. - Here, in order to improve the dust separation performance, the
dust separation device 300 may further include adust separation unit 320 for further separating the dusts. - Therefore, in the present embodiment, the
dust separation unit 320 is disposed upstream of thecyclone unit 360. - That is, the
main body unit 200 is designed to primarily separate the dust using thedust separation unit 320 before the introduced air is directed to thecyclone unit 360, thereby improving the dust separation performance of thedust separation device 300. - Here, the
dust separation unit 320 is integrally formed with thedust collection unit 310 is preferably designed to separate the dust using the cyclone principle. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. - For descriptive convenience, in the following description, the
dust separation unit 320 will be called amain cyclone unit 320 and thecyclone unit 360 provided in themain body unit 200 will be called acyclone unit 360. - The
main cyclone unit 320 is integrally formed with an upper portion of thedust collection unit 310. Themain cyclone unit 320 is provided with a first suckingportion 321 formed in a tangent direction. - That is, the first sucking
portion 321 allows the air containing the dusts to be introduced in the tangent direction of themain cyclone unit 320 to generate the cyclone in themain cyclone unit 320. - A
discharge member 323 provided at an outer circumference with a plurality ofholes 324 is provided on a shaft of thecyclone unit 320. Thedischarge member 323 allows the air whose dusts are primarily separated in thecyclone unit 320 to be discharged. - Meanwhile, the
dust collection unit 310 reserves the dusts separated from themain cyclone unit 320 and sub-cyclone unit. - That is, the
dust collection unit 310 includes amain chamber 331 for reserving the dusts separated by themain cyclone unit 320 and a sub-chamber 335 for reserving the dusts separated from thesub-cyclone unit 360. - That is, the
main chamber 331 is formed on a lower portion of themain cyclone unit 320 and the sub-chamber 335 is formed at an outer side of thedust collection unit 310. - In the present embodiment, the sub-chamber 335 is integrally formed with the
dust collection unit 310. However, the sub-chamber 335 may be detachably mounted in thedust collection unit 310. In this case, the surface of the sub-chamber, which faces thedust collection unit 310, may be formed to correspond to the shape of thedust collection unit 310. - As the
dust collection unit 310 is mounted in themain body unit 200, the sub-chamber 335 is connected to thesub-cyclone unit 360 and thus the dusts separated by the sub-cyclone unit is reserved in the sub-chamber 335. - That is, the sub-chamber 335 is not integrally formed with the
sub-cyclone unit 360 but structure to be separable and selectively connected to thesub-cyclone unit 360. - Meanwhile, in order for the user to empty the
dust collection unit 310 by turning thedust collection unit 310 over, anupper cover 340 that can be detachably coupled to an upper portion of themain cyclone unit 320 to open and close the upper portion of themain cyclone unit 320. - The
upper cover 340 is provided at a center portion with afirst discharge portion 342 through which the air passing through thedischarge member 323 is discharged out of themain cyclone unit 320. - Meanwhile, the
sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided in themain body unit 200 to further separate the dusts contained in the air that has passed through themain cyclone unit 320. - At this point, the
sub-cyclone unit 360 may be disposed in a state where it lies on themain body unit 200. - That is, when the
sub-cyclone unit 360 lies on themain body unit 200, the space efficiency of the vacuum cleaner may be improved considering the arrangement with the drivingunit 210. - The connection structure of the main cyclone unit and the sub-cyclone unit will be described hereinafter.
-
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dust separation device andFig. 5 is a perspective view of a coupling structure of the sub-cyclone unit and a connection duct. - Referring to
Figs. 4 and5 , themain cyclone unit 320 and thesub-cyclone unit 360 are interconnected by aconnection duct 350. - The
connection duct 350 has a first side connected to theupper cover 340 disposed on an upper portion of themain cyclone unit 320 and a second side connected to acoupling hole 364 formed on an upper portion of thesub-cyclone unit 360. - The
connection duct 350 has a passage section that gradually increases toward thecoupling hole 364. Therefore, the flow rate of the air is gradually reduced toward thecoupling hole 364 of thesub-cyclone unit 360 and thus the flow resistance of the air is reduced near thecoupling hole 364 of thesub-cyclone unit 360. - In addition, a sealing
member 352 may be provided between theconnection duct 350 and theupper cover 340 and between theconnection duct 350 and thecoupling hole 364. -
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dust collection unit. - Referring to
Figs. 5 and6 , themain body unit 200 is provided with a dust collectionunit mounting portion 240 on which the dust collection unit is mounted. - The sub-chamber 335 is provided with a
dust sucking portion 336 through which the dusts separated from thesub-cyclone unit 360 are introduced. - The
sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided with adust discharge portion 365 through which the dusts separated from thesub-cyclone unit 360 is discharged to thedust sucking portion 336. - Therefore, the
dust discharge portion 365 is connected to the dust sucking portion as thedust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collectionunit mounting portion 240 by the user. - At this point, the
dust discharge portion 365 anddust sucking portion 336 closely contact each other by force for mounting thedust collection unit 310. - That is, as the
dust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collectionunit mounting portion 240 by the force applied by the user, thedust sucking portion 336 contacts thedust discharge portion 365 to gradually press thedust discharge portion 365 and thedust discharge portion 365 provides a repulsive force for the force for mounting thedust collection unit 310. Therefore, thedust discharge portion 365 anddust sucking portion 336 closely contact each other by the force for mounting thedust collection unit 310. - The
dust sucking portion 336 has afirst contact surface 337 provided with one or moredust sucking holes 338 through which the dusts separated from thesub-cyclone unit 360 are introduced. - The
dust discharge portion 365 has asecond contact surface 366 provided with one or more dust discharge holes 367 through which the dusts are discharged. Thesecond contact surface 366 closely contacts thefirst contact surface 337 such that thedust sucking hole 338 communicates with thedust discharge hole 367. - Here, the number of the
dust sucking holes 338 is same as that of the dust discharge holes 367. Alternatively, the plurality of dust discharge holes 367 may communicate with onedust sucking hole 338. - Here, the first and second contact surfaces 337 and 366 may contact each other as the
dust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collectionunit mounting portion 240. - Therefore, the
second contact surface 366 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction where thedust collection unit 310 is separated. However, thesecond contact surface 366 may be curved. - That is, the
second contact surface 366 is inclined at a predetermined angle, preferably at a right angle, with respect to the direction where thedust collection unit 310 is separated so as to provide a repulse force against the force for mounting thedust collection unit 310 when thedust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dust collectionunit mounting portion 240. Therefore, the air-tightness between thedust sucking portion 336 and thedust discharge portion 365. - Here, when the
second contact surface 366 is inclined at the predetermined angle with respect to the direction where thedust collection unit 310 is separated, the predetermined angle may be within a range of 45-135°. It is preferably that the predetermined angle is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which thedust collection unit 310 is separated. The "substantially perpendicular" means that the angle between thesecond contact surface 366 and the direction where thedust collection unit 310 is separated is within a range of 75-105°. - In this embodiment, the
second contact surface 366 is formed to be oriented toward the inlet of the dust collectionunit mounting portion 240. - When the
second contact surface 366 is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which thedust collection unit 310 is mounted or dismounted and thedust collection unit 310 is mounted on the dustcollection mounting portion 240 through a horizontal sliding motion, thefirst contact surface 337 of thedust sucking portion 336 is disposed in front of the dust collection unit with reference to the mounting direction of thedust collection unit 310 such that thefirst contact surface 337 faces thesecond contact surface 366. - That is, when the
dust collection unit 310 is mounted toward the front portion of themain body unit 200, thefirst contact surface 337 may be formed on an approximately rear surface side of thedust collection unit 310. When thedust collection unit 310 is mounted toward the rear portion of themain body unit 200, thefirst contact surface 337 may be formed on an approximately front surface side of thedust collection unit 310. - Then, the contact ratio between the
dust discharge portion 365 and thedust sucking portion 336 increases and the air-tightness between thedust discharge portion 365 and thedust sucking portion 336 is improved, thereby improving the dust collection performance. - Meanwhile, unlike the above, as the
dust collection unit 310 is mounted, one of thedust discharge portion 365 and thedust sucking portion 336 may be inserted into the other in a direction in which thedust collection unit 310 is mounted. - In this embodiment, the
dust discharge portion 365 is inserted in thedust sucking portion 336. - That is, the
dust sucking portion 336 is provided with aframe 339 for enclosing thedust discharge portion 365. Theframe 339 extends in a perpendicular direction from the sub-chamber. - Therefore, the
frame 339 closely contacts the circumference of thedust discharge portion 365 to prevent the air from leaking between thedust discharge portion 365 and thedust sucking portion 336. - Meanwhile, in order to prevent the dusts reserved in the
main chamber 331 from scattering toward themain cyclone unit 320 by the spiral motion of the air, ascattering preventing portion 327 separating themain cyclone unit 320 from themain chamber 331 is horizontally formed in thedust collection unit 310. - Here, the dusts separated by the
main cyclone unit 320 move downward through anopening 329 formed at an edge of thescattering preventing portion 327 and is reserved in themain chamber 331. - As described above, unlike the conventional art, the
sub-cyclone unit 360 is provided in themain body unit 200 and the sub-chamber 335 for reserving the dusts separated by thesub-cyclone unit 320 is integrally formed with thedust collection unit 310. - Therefore, since the
sub-cyclone unit 360 that is repeatedly mounted and dismounted to discharge the dusts is not integrally formed with thedust collection unit 310, the structure of thedust collection unit 310 is simplified and light-weighted. - In addition, the user simply separates only the
dust collection unit 310 from themain body unit 200, then separates theupper cover 340 from the upper portion of thedust collection unit 310, and discharges the dusts from thedust collection unit 310 by turning the dust collection unit over. - At this point, the
main chamber 331 may be formed of a transparent material so that the user can identify an amount of the dust collected in themain chamber 331. - Accordingly, since the user can easily identify the internal state of the
main chamber 331, the user can timely empty themain chamber 331. -
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sub-cyclone unit andFig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' ofFig. 7 . - Referring to
Figs. 7 and8 , thesub-cyclone unit 360 is comprised of a plurality ofsmall cyclones 363. In the present embodiment, foursmall cyclones 363 are arranged on an identical plan in parallel. - That is, the air containing the dusts is introduced into the
sub-cyclone unit 360 via thedust collection unit 310 and thus it can be noted that thedust collection unit 310 is connected to thesub-cyclone unit 360 in series. - On the contrary, the air exhausted from the
dust collection unit 310 is directed to thesub-cyclone unit 360 through theconnection passage 350 and divided into two at the inlet of thesub-cyclone unit 360 to be introduced into thesmall cyclones 363. The dusts contained in the air are separated in eachsmall cyclone 363. - That is, the air exhausted from the
dust collection unit 310 does not sequentially pass through thesmall cyclones 363 but simultaneously pass through thesmall cyclones 363. - Therefore, in the present embodiment, it can be apparently noted that the
sub-cyclone unit 360 has the plurality ofsmall cyclones 363 that are arranged in parallel. - In addition, the longitudinal axes of the respective
small cyclones 363 are disposed on an identical plan so that the structure can be more compact. Here, the axis is a center line passing the center of eachsmall cyclone 363. That is distances between the axes of the respectivesmall cyclones 363 are gradually reduced from the second suckingportion 361 toward thedust discharge hole 367. - Therefore, the small cyclones disposed on the identical plan and converged to each other are arranged fanwise.
- Here, axes of at least two
small cyclones 363 are preferably converged. InFig. 7 , longitudinal axes of all ofsmall cyclones 363 are converged to each other so as to make thesub-cyclone unit 360 compact. - Alternatively, two central
small cyclones 363 may have the respective longitudinal axes that are in parallel with each other while left and rightsmall cyclones 363 may have the respective longitudinal axes converged to each other. - The disposition angles of the
small cyclones 363 for the convergence of the longitudinal axes thereof may be determined according to their sizes or the volume of the sub-chamber 335 connected to thesmall cyclones 363. - The distances between the
small cyclones 363 gradually increase toward thedust discharge portion 365. Alternatively, the adjacentsmall cyclones 363 may contact each other to minimize the gaps between the dust discharge holes 367. - As described above, as the
small cyclones 363 are disposed to be converged to each other, the space taken by thesub-cyclone unit 360 can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the vacuum cleaner. - Furthermore, by reducing the gaps between the dust discharge holes 367 formed at an end of the
sub-cyclone unit 360, thedust sucking portion 336 of the sub-chamber 335 coupled to thesub-cyclone unit 360 can be reduced in a size. As a result, the size of the sub-chamber is not excessively increased. - Here, the longitudinal axes of the
small cyclones 363 are formed on the same plan so as to make thesub-cyclone unit 360 compact. However, the present invention is not limited to this. - In addition, the
small cyclones 363 are formed in a variety of shapes. - In addition, although each
small cyclone 363 may be formed in a variety of shapes, it is preferable that thesmall cyclone 363 is formed in a rotational body that can effectively separate the dusts contained in the air using centrifugal force. In the present embodiment, thesmall cyclone 363 is formed in a structure including a cone-shaped body. - Meanwhile, Each
small cyclones 363 of thesub-cyclone unit 360 is provided with a second suckingportion 361 through which the air is introduced. Aguide 362 is provided on the second suckingportion 361 for guiding the air in the tangent direction of the second suckingportion 361. - The
guide portion 362 functions to divide the second suckingportion 361 into two sections that are surface-symmetrical. As shown inFig. 8 , oneguide 362 is provided at a center of the second suckingportion 361 so that the left and right sides with reference to theguide 363 can be symmetrical. - In order to direct the air in the tangent direction of each
small cyclone 363, the second suckingportion 361 adjacent to theguide 362 is opened at a portion near the guide. The second suckingportion 361 of the small cyclones disposed at the side edges are opened toward theguide 362. - Here, the
guide 362 may extend inside of theconnection duct 350. In this embodiment, since theguide 362 is disposed at the center of the second suckingportion 361, the inside of theconnection duct 350 is divided into left and right sections. - Generally, an amount of air flowing through the central portion of the
sub-cyclone unit 360 is greater than an amount of air flowing through side edges of thesub-cyclone unit 360. - Therefore, since the
guide 362 dividing the second suckingportion 361 into two sections extends inside of theconnection duct 350, the flow of the air is divided into left and right flows. Therefore, the air is not concentrically sucked through the second suckingportion 361 disposed at the central portion but uniformly sucked. - Here, since the portion of the
guide 362, which is disposed inside of theconnection duct 350, functions to divide the inside passage of theconnection duct 350 into two passages, theguide 362 may be called a partition. - In this embodiment, the
guide 362 is designed to divide the inside of theconnection duct 350 into two sections. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a separate partition may be formed in theconnection duct 350 to divide the passage into two passages. In this case, the partition is formed to correspond to theguide 362. -
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a modified example ofFig. 8 . - Referring
Fig. 9 , as in the foregoing embodiment, theguide 462 is disposed to divide the second suckingportion 461 into two sections. The second suckingportion 461 adjacent to theguide 462 is opened at a portion near theguide 462. - The second sucking
portion 461 of the small cyclones at the side edges are opened at their outer portions so that the air can be sucked in the tangent direction. - The following will describe the operation of the above-described
vacuum cleaner 100. - First, when electric power is applied to the
driving unit 210 of thevacuum cleaner 100, suction is generated by the drivingunit 210 and thus the air containing the dusts is sucked into the suction nozzle by the generated suction. - The air introduced into the suction nozzle is directed into the
main cyclone unit 320 through the main suckingportion 220 and the first suckingportion 321. That is, the air sucked through the first suckingportion 321 is guided in a tangent direction on the inner wall of themain cyclone unit 320 to form a spiral current. Therefore, the dusts contained in the air are separated by a centrifugal force difference between the dust and the air. - In addition, the separated dusts is reserved in the
main chamber 331 through theopening 329. At this point, the scattering of the dusts stored in themain chamber 331 can be prevented by thescattering preventing portion 327. - On the contrary, the air whose dusts are primarily separated by the
main cyclone unit 320 moves upward while passing consecutively through thedischarge member 323 and thefirst discharge portion 342. Then, the air moving upward is directed into thesub-cyclone unit 360 along theconnection duct 350. - Here, the air flowing along the
connection duct 350 is directed toward inner walls of thesmall cyclones 363 in tangent directions. In addition, the air direction in the tangent direction of eachsmall cyclone 363 is further separated from the dusts by the centrifugal force. The separated dusts are discharged through the dust discharge hole 368 and reserved in the sub-chamber 335. - The air that is further separated from the dusts is directed to a discharge duct (390 of
Fig. 3 ) by being discharged from thesub-cyclone unit 360 through a second discharge portion (362 ofFig. 3 ) formed at a rear end of eachsmall cyclone 363. Then, the air directed to a discharge duct (390 ofFig. 3 ) is directed toward the drivingunit 210 after passing through amotor pre-filter 215 and then to themain body unit 200 through thedischarge duct 390. -
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. - A vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of
Figs. 1 through 8 except for a separation structure of the sub-chamber from the dust collection unit. Therefore, the following will describe the different portion. - Referring to
Fig. 10 , in the present embodiment, a sub-chamber 435 in which the dusts separated by thesub-cyclone unit 360 are reserved is separated from themain chamber 431 and detachably provided on thedust collection unit 410. - That is, as shown in
Fig. 10 , thedust collection unit 410 is separated in themain body unit 200 and the sub-chamber 435 separated from thedust collection unit 410 is detachably mounted on the main body unit. - Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the
dust collection unit 410 is separated from themain body unit 200 and themain chamber 431 is empted. - In addition, if required, the
dust collection unit 410 is separated and the sub-chamber 435 mounted in themain body unit 200 is separated. Therefore, the sub-chamber 435 can be empted. - Generally, when comparing the main cyclone unit with the
sub-cyclone unit 360, the dusts separated by the main cyclone unit have a relatively larger volume and a larger amount. Therefore, the main chamber for reserving the dusts separated from the main cyclone unit must be more frequently empted than the sub-chamber 435. - Considering the above, the sub-chamber 435 that is less frequently empted is designed to be separated from the
main body unit 200 so that only thedust collection unit 410 is designed to be separated from themain body unit 200 so as to empty themain chamber 431. -
Fig. 11 is a partly broken, perspective view of a connection state of a dust separation device with a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner not part of the present invention. - A vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of
Figs. 1 through 8 except for an arrangement of the sub-cyclone unit. Therefore, the following will describe the different portion. - Referring to
Fig. 11 , asub-cyclone unit 560 of this embodiment is not horizontally disposed on themain body unit 200 but disposed in a vertical direction or to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. - In addition, the sub-chamber 535 is connected to a lower end of the
sub-cyclone unit 560 at the lower portion of themain chamber 531. - Meanwhile, the bottoms of the
main chamber 531 and the sub-chamber 535 are formed to be opened and closed. - That is, the bottoms of the
main chamber 531 and the sub-chamber 535 are provided with opening/closing members 533 that are integrally formed. - The opening/closing member 533 is hingedly coupled to the
hinge portion 537 formed on a first lower side of thedust collection unit 510. The opening/closing member 533 is opened by pressing a coupling hook 539 formed on a second lower side of thedust collection unit 510. - The following will described the operation of the vacuum cleaner according to this embodiment.
- When the driving unit is driven, the air containing the dusts is introduced into the suction nozzle. The dusts contained in the air are primarily separated while the air passes through the
main cyclone unit 520. The separated dusts moves downward to be reserved in themain chamber 531. - In addition, the air whose dusts are primarily separated by the
main cyclone unit 520 passes through thedischarge member 523 and then moves upward. Then, the air flows along theconnection passage 550. Then, the air is guided to the inner walls of the small cyclones in the tangent direction through the second suckingportion 561. In addition, the air introduced into thesub-cyclone unit 560 is further separated from the dusts by the centrifugal force. The separated dusts is reserved in the sub-chamber 535 connected to an end of thesub-cyclone unit 560. - Meanwhile, the air further separated from the dusts is discharged from the
sub-cyclone unit 560 through a second discharge portion and is then directed downward adischarge duct 590. Fine particles contained in the air being directed downward are finally separated by themotor pre-filter 215 and introduced in an axial direction of the fan/motor assembly. - The air directed to the fan/
motor assembly 211 is directed in a radial direction and is then finally discharged from themain body unit 200 through the mainbody discharge portion 290 provided on a side of themain body unit 200. -
Fig. 12 is a partly broken, perspective view of a connecting state of a dust separation device with a driving unit of a vacuum cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. - A vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the foregoing embodiment of
Figs. 1 through 8 except that the main cyclone unit that primarily filters off the dusts before the air is introduced into the sub-cyclone unit is replaced with afilter unit 620. - Referring to
Fig. 12 , in the present embodiment, afilter unit 620 for primarily filtering off the dusts before the air is introduced into the sub-cyclone unit is provided on the dust collection unit. - The
filter unit 620 includes adust collection filter 621 and afilter mounting unit 623 for mounting thedust collection filter 621. - That is, the
filter mounting unit 623 is provided on a lower portion of anupper cover 640 to receive thedust collection filter 623. - The
dust collection filter 621 is separately received in thefilter mounting unit 623. Thedust collection filter 621 may be formed of sponge or non-woven fabric. - Meanwhile, since the dusts are fixed on the
dust collection filter 621, thedust collection filter 621 is required to be periodically cleaned or replaced to prevent the suction of the vacuum cleaner from be deteriorated. Therefore, thedust collection filter 621 must be easily separated from the main body. - In the present embodiment, after the
upper cover 640 is separated, thedust collection filter 621 is separated. Alternatively, thedust collection filter 621 may be inserted in thefilter mounting unit 623 through a sliding motion so that thedust collection filter 621 can be separated from thedust collection filter 621 through the sliding motion. - It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (13)
- A vacuum cleaner (100) comprising:a main body (200);a dust separation unit (360) that is provided in the main body (200) to separate dust from air and that is provided with a dust exhaust portion (365) through which the separated dust is exhausted;a dust storage chamber (335;435;635) that is provided with a dust inflow portion (336) through which the dust exhausted from the dust exhaust portion (365) is introduced; anda mounting unit (240) that is formed on the main body (200) and on which the dust storage chamber (335;435;635) is mounted,wherein the dust exhaust portion (365) and the dust inflow portion (336) contact each other by a pressing force by which the dust storage chamber (335;435;635) is mounted on the mounting unit (240), thereby preventing the air from leaking, characterized in thatthe dust separation unit (360) is horizontally disposed on the main body (200).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 1, wherein
the dust inflow portion (336) includes a first contact surface (337) provided with at least one dust inflow hole (338) through which the dust is introduced; and
the dust exhaust portion (365) includes a second contact surface (366) provided with at least one dust exhaust hole (367) that is connected to the dust inflow hole (338) to exhaust the dust. - The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 2, wherein the second contact surface (366) of the dust exhaust portion (365) is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction in which the dust storage chamber (335;435;635) is separated.
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 3, wherein the second contact surface (366) of the dust exhaust portion (365) is vertical to a direction in which the dust storage chamber (335;435;635) is separated.
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 2, wherein the second contact surface (366) of the dust exhaust portion (365) is oriented toward an inlet of the mounting unit (240).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a dust collection unit (310;410) that is mountable on the mounting unit (240) and in which a main dust separation unit (320;620) for separating dust from the air introduced into the dust separation unit (320;620) is provided.
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 6, wherein the dust collection unit (310) is provided with a main chamber (331;631) in which the dust separated by the main dust separation unit (320;620) is stored; and
the dust storage chamber (335;635) is integrally formed with the dust collection unit (310). - The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 7, wherein the dust collection unit (310) further comprises an upper cover (340) for simultaneously opening and closing tops of the main chamber (331) and of the dust storage chamber (335).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 7, wherein the dust collection unit (510) further comprises an opening/closing member (533) for simultaneously opening and closing bottoms of the main chamber (531) and of the dust storage chamber (535).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to claim 6, wherein the dust collection unit (410) is mounted on the mounting unit (240) after the dust storage chamber (435) is mounted on the mounting unit (240).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the main dust separation unit (320) is configured to separate the dust from the air using a cyclone method.
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the main dust separation unit (620) includes a dust collection filter (621).
- The vacuum cleaner (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the dust separation unit (360) includes a plurality of sub-cyclones (363).
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020050121279A KR101248722B1 (en) | 2005-12-10 | 2005-12-10 | Dust Collector and Vacuum Cleaner Having the Same |
KR1020050126270A KR101250038B1 (en) | 2005-12-20 | 2005-12-20 | Vacuum Cleaner |
KR1020050134094A KR101250103B1 (en) | 2005-12-29 | 2005-12-29 | Cleaner |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1795102A2 EP1795102A2 (en) | 2007-06-13 |
EP1795102A3 EP1795102A3 (en) | 2010-02-17 |
EP1795102B1 true EP1795102B1 (en) | 2014-05-07 |
Family
ID=37831671
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20060125560 Expired - Fee Related EP1795102B1 (en) | 2005-12-10 | 2006-12-07 | Vacuum cleaner with mounting unit for dust storage chamber |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1795102B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4809200B2 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2006249267B8 (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7604675B2 (en) * | 2006-06-16 | 2009-10-20 | Royal Appliance Mfg. Co. | Separately opening dust containers |
GB2454690A (en) * | 2007-11-15 | 2009-05-20 | Vax Ltd | Cyclonic dust separator for a vacuum cleaner |
JP5770029B2 (en) * | 2011-06-24 | 2015-08-26 | 株式会社東芝 | Electric vacuum cleaner |
JP5814113B2 (en) * | 2011-12-28 | 2015-11-17 | 株式会社東芝 | Electric vacuum cleaner |
KR102049860B1 (en) * | 2013-03-27 | 2020-01-08 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | vacuum cleaner |
KR101892653B1 (en) * | 2013-11-11 | 2018-08-28 | 도시바 라이프스타일 가부시키가이샤 | Electric vacuum cleaner |
JP6552785B2 (en) * | 2013-11-11 | 2019-07-31 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | Electric vacuum cleaner |
JP6599596B2 (en) * | 2013-12-24 | 2019-10-30 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | Electric vacuum cleaner |
EP3113662A1 (en) * | 2014-03-07 | 2017-01-11 | Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited | Surface cleaning apparatus |
JP6705864B2 (en) * | 2018-06-07 | 2020-06-03 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | Vacuum cleaner |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6922868B1 (en) * | 1999-11-15 | 2005-08-02 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Union device for dust-box in cyclone type vacuum cleaner |
KR100390608B1 (en) * | 2001-03-12 | 2003-07-07 | 삼성광주전자 주식회사 | Cyclone dust colleting apparatus for Vacuum Cleaner |
KR100398686B1 (en) * | 2001-07-25 | 2003-09-19 | 삼성광주전자 주식회사 | Cyclone dust collecting apparatus and upright-type Vacuum Cleaner |
KR100470561B1 (en) * | 2003-04-28 | 2005-03-10 | 삼성광주전자 주식회사 | Cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for vacuum cleaner |
KR100595918B1 (en) * | 2004-02-11 | 2006-07-05 | 삼성광주전자 주식회사 | Cyclone dust-collecting apparatus |
-
2006
- 2006-12-07 EP EP20060125560 patent/EP1795102B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2006-12-08 AU AU2006249267A patent/AU2006249267B8/en not_active Ceased
- 2006-12-08 JP JP2006332005A patent/JP4809200B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2007160091A (en) | 2007-06-28 |
EP1795102A2 (en) | 2007-06-13 |
AU2006249267A1 (en) | 2007-06-28 |
JP4809200B2 (en) | 2011-11-09 |
AU2006249267B8 (en) | 2008-12-18 |
AU2006249267B2 (en) | 2008-12-11 |
EP1795102A3 (en) | 2010-02-17 |
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