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
  • A47L9/1616—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
  • A47L9/1683—Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner.
• a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus that uses suctioning force imparted by a suction motor installed in the main body to suction air including dust and filter the dust within the main body.
• Such vacuum cleaners can largely be divided into canister vacuum cleaners that have a suctioning nozzle provided separately from and connected with a main body, and upright vacuum cleaners that have a suctioning nozzle coupled to the main body.
• a related art vacuum cleaner includes a vacuum cleaner main body, and a dust separating apparatus installed in the vacuum cleaner main body for separating dust from air.
• the dust separating apparatus is generally configured to separate dust using the cyclone principle.
• An object of the present disclosure is to provide a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner with improved dust separating performance.
• Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner having a dust container with a simplified configuration to allow a user to easily empty dust.
• a further object of the present disclosure is to provide a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner that allows a user to use minimal exertion to handle a dust container.
• a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner includes: a cyclone defining one or more inlets through which air is suctioned; a dust outlet through which dust separated in the cyclone is discharged; a dust container for storing dust discharged through the dust outlet; and a guide member provided on the cyclone, for guiding discharging of dust separated by cyclone airflow.
• a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner includes: a dust separator for separating dust from air suctioned through a plurality of air inlets by means of cyclone airflow; a dust outlet for discharging dust separated in the dust separator; and a guide member provided within the dust separator and around the dust outlet, for guiding discharging of dust.
• a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner includes: a dust separator defining a plurality of inlets; a guide member partitioning an inside of the dust separator, for guiding discharging of separated dust; a dust outlet through which dust separated in the dust separator is discharged; and a dust container for storing dust discharged through the dust outlet.
• a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner includes: a dust separating unit formed with a first cyclone coupled with a second cyclone; and a dust container for storing dust separated in the dust separating unit, wherein a first surface perpendicular to an axis of cyclone airflow in the first cyclone is coupled to a second surface perpendicular to an axis of cyclone airflow in the second cyclone, and the first and second surfaces guide discharging of separated dust.
• An advantage according to embodiments of the present disclosure is that because a plurality of inlets is formed in a cyclone, and a plurality of cyclone airflows is formed within the cyclone, the airflow volume is increased and airflow loss is reduced, for improved dust separating performance. [15] Also, inlets are formed at either side of the cyclone, and a dust outlet is formed in the center of the cyclone, so that a forceful cyclone airflow is generated at the central portion of the cyclone to allow dust to be easily discharged. [16] In addition, because a dust outlet is formed tangentially to the cyclone, the dust can be discharged in the same direction in which it has been rotating.
• a dust container that stores dust is provided as a separate component from a dust separator, a user can empty dust by separating only the dust container, thereby increasing user convenience in handling the dust container.
• a structure for separating dust within the dust container is not provided, the structure of the dust container is simplified, and the weight of the dust container is minimized, thereby increasing user convenience.
• emptying of dust stored in the dust container can easily be performed.
• FIGs. 1 and 2 are perspective views schematically showing the structure of a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
• Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective view of the dust separating apparatus in Figs. 1 and 2.
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line A-A.
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line B-B.
• FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views showing airflow within a dust separating apparatus according to the first embodiment.
• Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a dust separating unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
• Fig. 9 is a sectional view of Fig. 8 taken along line C-C.
• Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a dust separating unit according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.
• Fig. 11 is a sectional view of Fig. 10 taken along line D-D.
• FIGs. 1 and 2 are perspective views schematically showing the structure of a dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure
• Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective view of the dust separating apparatus in Figs. 1 and 2.
• a dust separating apparatus 1 of a vacuum cleaner includes a dust separating unit 10 that separates dust from suctioned air, a dust container 20 for storing dust separated by the dust separating unit 10, a suctioning guide 30 that guides the flow of air including dust toward the dust separating unit 10, and a distribution unit 40 for distributing the air in the suctioning guide 30 to the dust separating unit 10.
• suctioning guide 30 air suctioned through a suctioning nozzle (not shown) flows to the suctioning guide 30.
• the suctioning guide 30 is provided inside the vacuum cleaner, and is disposed below the dust container 20.
• the suctioning guide 30 has the distribution unit 40 connected thereto.
• the dust separating unit 10 separates dust from air supplied from the distribution unit 40.
• the dust separating unit 10 uses the cyclone principle to separate dust from air, and includes a cyclone 110 for this purpose.
• the axis of the cyclone 110 extends in a horizontal direction.
• the air within the cyclone 110 rotates in a vertical direction.
• a pair of inlets 120 is formed (one on either side) on the cyclone 110, to suction air.
• the pair of inlets 120 may be formed in tangential directions with respect to the cyclone 110 in order to generate a cyclone airflow within the cyclone 110.
• the pair of inlets 120 provides suctioning passages for air entering the cyclone 110.
• the pair of inlets 120 is connected, one on either side of the distribution unit 40.
• the air that flows through the suctioning guide 30 is branched at either side at the distribution unit 40, and the branched air rises along the respective inlets 120 to be suctioned into the cyclone 110.
• a dust outlet 130 that exhausts dust separated within the cyclone 110 is formed at the center of the cyclone 110.
• the dust outlet 130 is formed tangentially with respect to the cyclone 110 to allow easy discharging of dust.
• the dust separated in the cyclone 110 is discharged tangentially with respect to the cyclone 110 - that is, in the same direction in which the dust has been rotating - allowing easy discharging of not only dust with higher density, but also easy discharging of dust with lower density from the cyclone 110.
• air outlets 140 are formed, one on either side of the cyclone 110, to discharge air separated from dust in the cyclone 110.
• the air discharged through the air outlets 140 converges at a converging passage 142 and enters the main body of the vacuum cleaner (not shown).
• the dust container 20 stores dust separated in the dust separating unit 10. Since the dust container 20 is installed on the vacuum cleaner main body, the dust container 20 communicates with the dust separating unit 10. [46] Specifically, when the dust container 20 is installed on the vacuum cleaner main body, the dust container 20 is disposed below the dust separating unit 10. Thus, a dust inlet 210 is formed in the upper side of the dust container 20. Also, the dust outlet 130 extends downward from the cyclone 110.
• a cover member 220 is coupled at the bottom of the dust container 20 to discharge dust stored within.
• the cover member 220 may be pivotably coupled to the dust container 20, and may be detachably coupled thereto.
• the coupling method of the cover member 220 in the present embodiment is not restricted to any particular methods.
• the dust container 20 is provided as a separate component to the dust separating unit 10, and is configured to be selectively communicable with the dust separating unit 10. Accordingly, a user can separate only the dust container 20 from the vacuum cleaner main body to empty dust stored in the dust container 20 to the outside.
• the structure of the dust container 20 is simplified and the weight of the dust container
• Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line A-A
• Fig. 5 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line B-B.
• the cyclone 110 includes a body 111 for generating cyclone airflow, and a pair of sides 115, each constituting one of either sides of the body 111. The sides 115 parallelly face one another.
• An inlet 120 is respectively formed on either side of the body 111. Each inlet 120 is formed tangentially with respect to the cyclone 110. Thus, the air suctioned through each inlet 120 forms one of two cyclone airflows within the cyclone 110.
• the cyclone airflows circulate along the inner surface of the body 111.
• the flow volume of air is increased, loss of airflow is reduced, and separating performance can be improved.
• the cyclone can be formed smaller than with a single cyclone airflow generated in a single space.
• Dust that moves to the center of the cyclone 110 can be discharged through the dust outlet 130 to the dust container 20 by means of the strong cyclone airflow, so that dust discharging performance can be increased.
• An outlet 116 is formed to pass through each side 115 to discharge air from which dust is separated in the cyclone 110.
• a filter member 150 is coupled to each outlet 116 to filter the discharged air.
• the filter member 150 is configured with a cylindrical fastener 152 fastened to the inside of the cyclone 110, and a conical filter 154 extending from the fastener 152 to filter air. Also, a plurality of holes 156 is formed in the filter 154 for air to pass through.
• the fastener 152 does not have through-holes formed therein, so that air suctioned through the inlet 120 is not immediately discharged, but is able to smoothly circulate within the cyclone 110.
• a length (Ll) between the pair of filter members 150 provided within the cyclone may be made greater than a width (L2) of the dust outlet 130.
• the cyclone airflows generated in the cyclone 110 converge in the center of the cyclone 110, as described above, and the dust separated from air through the cyclone airflow is discharged through the dust outlet 130.
• the length (Ll) between the pair of filter members 150 is made smaller than the width (L2) of the dust outlet 130, impurities such as hair and tissue paper are not discharged through the dust outlet 130, and can adhere to the filter member 150 or lodge inside the holes 156. In this case, the air cannot easily pass through the filter member 150, causing a reduction in suctioning force.
• the length (Ll) between the pair of filter members 150 is made greater than the width (L2) of the dust outlet 130, so that impurities such as hair and tissue paper can be completely discharged through the dust outlet 130.
• air is suctioned through the plurality of inlets 120 into the cyclone 110, and air separated from dust in the cyclone 110 is discharged from the cyclone 110 through the plurality of outlets 116.
• air that is suctioned into the cyclone 110 through the respective inlets 120 is discharged through the respective outlets 116, to allow easy discharging of air.
• suctioning force is actually increased, and cyclone airflow within the cyclone 110 is smoothly performed.
• a pair of guides 170 is formed within the cyclone 110 to prevent dust separated through cyclone airflow from moving to the outlets 116.
• the guide members 170 are formed along the inner peripheries of the cyclones 110 in unbroken curvatures.
• the guide members 170 extend predetermined lengths from the inner peripheries of the cyclones 110 to the axes of the cyclones.
• the guide members 170 extend from the inner peripheries of the cyclones 110 to the dust outlet 130.
• the guide members 170 have a cross section that is formed with a predetermined slope. Accordingly, one end 171 of each of the guide members 170 has a diameter greater than the other end 172 thereof. Specifically, the guide members 170 are formed to have diameters that gradually narrow from the outlets 116 toward the dust outlet 130. [80] Here, the cyclone airflow generated at the inlet 120 moves toward the dust outlet 130 along the inner periphery of the cyclone 110. When the diameters of the guide members 170 become progressively smaller toward the dust outlet 130, the cyclone airflows are guided by inner sloped surfaces 173 of the guide members 170 to easily flow to the dust outlet 130.
• each guide member 170 in the present embodiment can guide the cyclone airflows to flow smoothly from the outlets 116 to the dust outlet 130, and allow cyclone airflow to circulated between the respective guide members 170 when the cyclone airflows have moved to the dust outlet 130.
• each guide member 170 may be disposed within the width of the dust outlet 130. That is, at least a portion of the dust outlet 130 is disposed between the guide members 170.
• each guide member 170 When the one end 172 of each guide member 170, as described above, is disposed within the width of the dust outlet 130, dust on the outer sloped surfaces 174 of each guide member 170 is not discharged through the dust outlet 130, and can be prevented from continuously circulating along the guide members 170.
• An opening 112 is formed on the body 111 of the cyclone 110 to allow replacing and cleaning of the filter member 150.
• the opening 112 is opened and closed by means of a cover member 160.
• a sealing member 114 is provided at the coupling region of the opening 112 and the cover member 160.
• the inner surface of the cover member 160 may be formed to have the same curvature as the inner periphery of the body 111 when the cover member 160 is coupled to the body 111. Accordingly, changes to the cyclone airflow due to the cover member 160 within the cyclone 110 can be prevented, and the cyclone airflow can be uniformly maintained.
• cover member 160 is detachably coupled to the cyclone 110, a user can detach the cover member 160 to easily replace the filter members 150 and easily clean the inside of the cyclone 110 and the filter members 150.
• a dust compartment 202 for storing dust is defined within the dust container 20, and a dust inlet 210 is defined in the top of the dust container 20. Also, a sealing member 212, for sealing the contacting region between the dust inlet 210 and the dust outlet 130, is provided on the dust inlet 210. Here, the sealing member 212 may also be provided on the dust outlet 130.
• FIGs. 6 and 7 are sectional views showing airflow within a dust separating apparatus according to the first embodiment, where Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line A-A showing airflow, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 taken along line B-B showing airflow.
• the suctioned air rotates along the inner surface of the cyclone 110 to move along the guide members 170 and converge at the center of the cyclone 110, and during this process, air and dust are subjected to different centrifugal forces due to their differences in weight, so that separation occurs therebetween.
• the separated dust (represented by the broken lines) is discharged from the center of the cyclone 110 through the dust outlet 130, and the discharged dust flows through the dust outlets 130 and into the dust container 20.
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a dust separating unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure
• Fig. 9 is a sectional view of Fig. 8 taken along line C-C.
• the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in all other aspects except for the inner structure of the cyclone. Therefore, description will be provided of only the characterizing portions of the present embodiment.
• a dust separating unit 70 includes a cyclone 710.
• a partition 720 is provided at the center inside the cyclone 710.
• the partition 720 is integrally formed with the inner periphery of the cyclone 710. Accordingly, the cyclone 710 is partitioned by the partition 720 at the center into a first cyclone 711 and a second cyclone 712.
• cyclone airflows are generated within the cyclone 710 at either side of the partition 720.
• the partition 720 is perpendicular to the axes of the cyclone airflows.
• An discharge hole 731 is defined in the cyclone 710 to discharge dust separated in the first cyclone 711 and the second cyclone 712.
• the partition 720 also separates the discharge hole 731 to the left and right. Accordingly, the discharge hole 731 can be divided into a first discharge hole 732 and a second discharge hole 733 separated by the partition 720.
• Air including dust is suctioned into the first and second cyclones 711 and 712.
• each cyclone 711 and 712 circulates along the inner periphery of each cyclone 711 and 712 to undergo a dust separating process.
• the dust separated in each cyclone 711 and 712 moves to the partition 720, and passes through each outlet 732 and 733 to the dust outlet 730.
• dust separated in each cyclone 711 and 712 converges in the dust outlet 730 and then moves to the dust container.
• the partition 720 may be referred to as a guide member that guides discharging of dust separated in each cyclone.
• Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a dust separating unit according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure
• Fig. 11 is a sectional view of Fig. 10 taken along line D-D.
• the present embodiment is the same as the second embodiment in all other aspects except in that two cyclones are coupled together. Therefore, description will be provided of only the characterizing portions of the present embodiment.
• a dust separating unit 75 includes a cyclone that generates cyclone airflow.
• the cyclone includes a first cyclone 751 and a second cyclone 752.
• the first and second cyclones 751 and 752 are formed in corresponding shapes and coupled together.
• the cyclones 751 and 752 are coupled together in an axial direction of the cyclone airflow. Accordingly, the coupling surfaces of each cyclone 751 and 752 intersecting the axes of cyclone airflows are pressed together. Each surface intersecting the cyclone airflow axes guides the discharging of separated dust.
• a coupler 753 is formed on the second cyclone 752 to couple the latter with the first cyclone 751, and a receptacle 755 is formed in the first cyclone 751 to receive insertion of the coupler 753.
• the coupler 753 has a coupling protrusion 754 formed thereon to couple to the first cyclone 751, and the receptacle 755 has a coupling protrusion 756 formed therein to couple to the coupler.
• insert recesses are formed in the coupler 753 and the receptacle 755.
• the cyclones 751 and 752 have a first dust outlet 771 and a second dust outlet 772 formed therein, respectively, to discharge separated dust.
• a first dust outlet extension 773 and a second dust outlet extension 774 are formed to extend from the outside of the cyclones 771 and 772, respectively, to allow dust discharged from the dust outlets 771 and 772 to enter the dust container.
• each cyclone 751 and 752 has a cover member 761 and 762 detachably coupled thereto, respectively, to allow a user to clean the insides of the cyclones 751 and 752.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Filters For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)
• Cyclones (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-04-07 WO PCT/KR2008/001948 patent/WO2008127003A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-04-07 RU RU2009136981/12A patent/RU2412638C1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-04-07 CN CN2008800139888A patent/CN101677731B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-04-07 AU AU2008238968A patent/AU2008238968B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2008-04-07 ES ES08741198.9T patent/ES2569368T3/es active Active
  • 2008-04-07 EP EP08741198.9A patent/EP2142065B1/de active Active

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