EP2452605B1

EP2452605B1 - Pre-separator

Info

Publication number: EP2452605B1
Application number: EP20110396008
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eino Hämäläinen
Original assignee: Eko Askel Oy
Current assignee: Eko Askel Oy
Priority date: 2010-11-10
Filing date: 2011-11-10
Publication date: 2015-04-15
Anticipated expiration: 2031-11-10
Also published as: FI20100372A0; EP2452605A2; EP2452605A3

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a sack-filling pre-separator for the separation of debris, such as litter, aggregate, sand, dust and other impurities and liquids, to be collected by means of a vacuum cleaner from the vacuum's intake air, the pre-separator comprising a cyclone equipped with an inlet tube and an outlet tube for intake air for the separation of debris from the intake air and a collection space located substantially below the cyclone, whereto the debris separated by the cyclone from the intake air is conveyed, and a collection bag, such as a replaceable refuse sack, in conjunction with the collection space.
The vacuum cleaner to be used jointly with the pre-separator can be any vacuum pump, such as a regular industrial vacuum cleaner or a central vacuum cleaner, by means of which the vacuum necessary to suck in the material to be collected is generated. The pre-separator removes debris contained in the intake air and collects it into a collection bag located at the collection space. The removal of debris from the intake air prevents the filter in the vacuum cleaner from becoming clogged. This makes it possible for only slightly dusty air to enter the vacuum cleaner, and the dust can be removed by means of a filter integrated with the vacuum cleaner or a separate filter.

PRIOR ART

Known pre-separators have a collection bag, such as a replaceable refuse sack, placed inside the pre-separator. Because the refuse sack would deflate due to the intake air pressure, known pre-separators need to be equipped with a pressure-equalization hose, which keeps the air pressure created by the vacuum cleaner equal both in- and outside the refuse sack. Such an arrangement is, however, complex and increases the manufacturing costs of the apparatus. It can furthermore decrease the suction power of the apparatus, because some of the output goes to preventing the refuse sack from deflating. Cyclones used in known pre-separators are also not efficient in the removal of all types of debris from intake air. The publication FR-A-2633507 also presents a sack-filling separator.
A such-filling pre-separator according to the preamble of claim 1 is already known e.g. from EP-A-2201879 .

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to present a new pre-separator, which does not have the setbacks of known pre-separators. A further purpose of the invention is create a new, more efficient and simpler pre-separator that can be better adapted for multiple uses. A particular purpose of the invention is to create a pre-separator suited also for the vacuuming of waste difficult to sweep or shovel, such as litter, aggregate, sand, small stones, crushed concrete, dust or liquids, and collecting it in the pre-separator.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INVENTION

A pre-separator according to the invention is characterized in that

the collection space located under the cyclone is formed by the tubular body and the collection bag, such as a replaceable refuse sack, which is placed around the tubular body and tightened by a tightening strap, so that the material collected by vacuuming enters the tubular body rather than becomes pressed against the surface of the bag, and the collection bag outside the frame of the pre-separator does not deflate due to air pressure, but rather becomes pressed against the external surface of the frame, and
the tubular body of the the collection space can be lifted out of the collection bag, whereby the vacuumed, collected material remains in the collection bag.

In a vacuum cleaner according to the invention, the collection bag outside the frame of the pre-separator does not deflate due to air pressure, but rather becomes pressed against the external surface of the frame. Thus, in a vacuum cleaner according to the invention, the pre-separator does not require the generation of air pressure necessary in known apparatuses outside the collection bag to prevent the bag from deflating. Because in a vacuum cleaner according to the invention material collected by vacuuming with the pre-separator enters a tubular body rather than becomes pressed against the surface of the bag, it is easy to remove the collection bag by lifting the tubular body out of the collection bag, whereby the vacuumed, collected material remains in the collection bag. In known vacuum cleaners, a full collection bag inside the body is difficult to remove because the vacuumed, collected debris forcefully presses the collection bag against the internal surface of the body.
In the pre-separator of a vacuum cleaner there is a tightening strap in conjunction with the collection space, by means of which strap the mouth of the collection bag can be tightened to sit tightly against the external surface of the collection space.
The bottom of the collection space can be opened or removed, and the collection space is a cylindrical tube equipped with a hinge so that the bottom can be opened, most preferably by means of gravity when the collection space is lifted up. A cyclone above the collection space can be lifted or pivoted away from top of the collection space in such a manner that the collection space is open on top, whereby one can directly pour or shovel waste, such as crushed concrete and small pieces of stone, into the collection space.
The cyclone of the pre-separator has an inlet tube and an outlet tube to convey the vacuum cleaner's intake air through the cyclone such that any debris to be collected by means of the intake air, such as litter, aggregate, sand, dust and other impurities and liquids, become separated from the vacuum cleaner intake air and collected substantially in a collection space located below the cyclone.
The inlet tube of the cyclone is located in the top cover of the cyclone such that the inlet opening for the intake air is substantially in conjunction with the top cover, and the inlet tube of the cyclone is at an angle of 20° to 60° relative to the horizontal plane.
The inlet tube of the cyclone is at an angle of 40° to 50°, most preferably 45°, relative to the horizontal plane. The outlet tube for intake air in the cyclone of the pre-separator is located in the top cover of the cyclone such that the outlet tube includes a long extension inside the cyclone, whereby a long distance between the mouth of the outlet tube and intake air inlet prevents the entry of collected debris into the outlet tube. Furthermore, the diameter of the extension in the outlet tube for intake air inside the cyclone is substantially larger than the diameter of the outlet tube for intake air outside the cyclone, and the length of the extension in the outlet tube for intake air inside the cyclone is at least two times larger than its diameter.
It is advantageous to design the location of the pre-separator cyclone such that the cyclone can be removed and lifted out of its place. Thus it is easy to dump into the collection bag of the collection space larger objects which do not pass through the vacuum cleaner hose. Construction sites produce all kinds of litter and waste that can in this way be shovelled into the collection bag.
Furthermore, it is advantageous to attach the pre-separator with a cart by means of suspension members. This makes it possible to also place the vacuum cleaner, such as an industrial vacuum cleaner, with a pre-separator on a single cart, whereby the vacuum cleaner kit equipped with the pre-separator can easily be moved.
The bottom is most advantageously a plate that can be pivoted by means of a hinge, but it can also be of paperboard for example, or any other protective material. Its purpose is to protect the bottom of the collection bag such that it is more resistant to air pressure and to larger objects being shovelled into it.
It is advantageous to attach a grille to the outlet tube of the cyclone to prevent the collected debris from being carried along with the intake air into the outlet tube of the cyclone in the event that the collection space of the pre-separator becomes overfilled, even up to the grille. However, a change in the suction power of the pre-separator does indicate that the collection space below the cyclone is full.
The cart may also have a hook to keep the suction tube of the pre-separator in place during transfers, and one can coil the hoses around the hook in the handle of the cart.

EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, the invention is described using examples with reference to the appended drawings, in which

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1: is a side view of a pre-separator according to the invention and an attached vacuum cleaner.
Figure 2: is a schematic view of a vertical cross section of a pre-separator according to the invention.
Figure 3: is a schematic view of a vertical cross section of the pre-separator with the cyclone removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a vacuum cleaner 60 and a pre-separator 10 according to the invention attached thereto, both of which, attached to a cart 50, jointly create a movable cleaning unit. The pre-separator 10 comprises a cyclone 20, and a collection space created by a tubular body 43 of the collection space and a collection bag 40 placed around the body and tightened in place by a tightening strap 41. Debris to be removed is conveyed into the collection space by means of a vacuum cleaner 60 that sucks in intake air via hoses 21 and 22. Thus the debris will separate from the intake air in a cyclone 20 and drop to the bottom of the collection space. Only relatively clean intake air will reach the vacuum cleaner 60. The refuse sack 40 in the collection space is removed by lifting the cyclone 20 away from top of the collection space and by opening the tightening strap 41. After that the tubular body 43 is removed from inside the refuse sack 40 and the full refuse sack is taken to a landfill, for example.
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the pre-separator 10 according to the invention. The cyclone 20 of the pre-separator 10 comprises a top cover 25, with both an intake air inlet tube 23 and outlet tube 24, a conical internal sphere 26 of the pre-separator and a cylindrical external sphere 30 of the pre-separator attached thereto. Essential for the cyclone 20 is that the intake air inlet tube 23 and outlet tube 24 are located in the top cover of the cyclone 20. The inlet tube 23 forms an angle relative to the top cover of the cyclone 20 and simultaneously also with the horizontal plane. The angle is 20° to 60°, most preferably 45°. The opening of the inlet tube 23 opens up directly to the top cover 25. For the sake of clarity, the opening of the inlet tube 23 in Fig. 2 is drawn slightly to the side in order to show the outlet opening 24 and its structure more clearly. In reality, the opening of the inlet tube 23 is most advantageously in the middle in Fig. 2.
In Fig. 2, the outlet tube 24 is in the middle of the top cover 25 of the cyclone 20. However, inside the cyclone 20 there is an extension 27 of the outlet tube 24, the extension having a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of the outlet tube 24 outside the cyclone 20. The extension 27 is also remarkably long, the length being most advantageously more than twice its diameter. Thus the mouth 28 of the extension 27 in the outlet tube 24 inside the cyclone, 20 is so far from the mouth 29 of the inlet tube 23 that debris coming out of the inlet tube 23 will not enter the outlet tube 24.
Fig. 2 also shows the collection space in the cyclone 20 formed by the tubular body 43 and its bottom 70, which can be opened by means of the hinge 71. The collection bag 40 is placed around the collection space.
Figure 3 shows the pre-separator 10 with the cyclone removed. In this configuration, larger objects can be dumped into the collection space 42, the objects remaining in the collection bag 40 once the tubular body 43 of the collection space is lifted away. When lifted, the bottom 70 will give way and open as a result of gravity.
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the different embodiments of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims presented below.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10: Pre-separator of a vacuum cleaner
11: Debris
20: Cyclone
21: Hose
22: Hose
23: Inlet tube
24: Outlet tube
25: Top cover of the cyclone,
26: Internal sphere of the cyclone
27: Extension of the outlet tube
28: Mouth of the extension
29: Mouth of the inlet tube
30: External sphere of the cyclone
40: Collection bag
41: Tightening strap
42: Collection space
43: Tubular body
50: Cart
60: Vacuum cleaner
70: Bottom
71: Hinge

Claims

A sack-filling pre-separator (10) for the separation of debris (11), such as litter, aggregate, sand, dust and other impurities and liquids, to be collected by means of a vacuum cleaner (60) from the vacuum's intake air, the pre-separator comprising a cyclone (20) equipped with an inlet tube (23) and an outlet tube (24) for intake air for the separation of debris from the intake air and a collection space (42) located substantially below the cyclone, whereto the debris separated by the cyclone from the intake air is conveyed, and a collection bag (40), such as a replaceable refuse sack, in conjunction with the collection space, wherein
- the collection space (42) located under the cyclone (20) is formed by a tubular body (43) and the collection bag (40), such as a replaceable refuse sack, which is placed around the tubular body, characterized in that
the collection bag (40) is tightened by a tightening strap (41), so that the material collected by vacuuming enters the tubular body rather than becomes pressed against the surface of the bag, and the collection bag outside a frame of the pre-separator does not deflate due to air pressure, but rather becomes pressed against the external surface of the frame, and

- the tubular body (43) of the the collection space (42) can be lifted out of the collection bag (40), whereby the vacuumed, collected material remains in the collection bag.
The pre-separator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that
- the tubular body (43) of the collection space (42) has a bottom (70) for protecting the bottom of the collection bag (40) placed around the tubular body, and

- the bottom can be opened by means of a hinge (71) when the tubular body (43) of the collection space (42) is lifted up, so that the vacuumed, collected material remains in the collection bag (40).
The pre-separator (10) according to either one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cyclone (20) can be lifted or pivoted away from the top of the collection space (42) formed by the tubular body (43) and the collection bag (40) in such a manner that the collection space is open on top, whereby one can directly pour or shovel waste, such as crushed concrete and small pieces of stone into the collection space.