EP3821776A1 - Vacuum cleaner filter bag for a hand vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention comprises a vacuum cleaner filter bag (1) comprising a bag wall (2) and a holding plate (3), the holding plate (3) comprising an at least partially cylindrical connector (4) which extends in the direction of the through opening formed in the holding plate (3) (5), the bag wall (2) being connected to the circumference of the connecting piece (4) with its outer surface.

Description

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner filter bag, in particular a vacuum cleaner filter bag for a hand-held vacuum cleaner and / or a so-called stick vacuum cleaner, in particular for cordless models.

Stick vacuum cleaners are mostly, but not always, cordless devices (battery vacuum cleaners) in which an electric brush is connected to the actual housing of the handheld vacuum cleaner via a suction tube without a suction hose. These devices are very light and handy. The sticks have low power consumption in the range of around 150 to 600 W. The volume flows achieved are correspondingly low and are in the order of magnitude of 10 to 30 l / s. The filter housing is typically cylindrical and has a small volume (approx. 1 to 2 liters). A cyclone separator is usually used as the filter. The cyclone separator accelerates the suction air and the particles it contains. As a result, a considerable part of the available power is consumed and there is only little power left for generating a sufficient volume flow. The cleaning effect (dust absorption) is often unsatisfactory.

A filter bag made from modern nonwoven laminates is much more energy efficient in separating dust. However, it is difficult to produce a filter bag that fits perfectly into the very small space available and provides a sufficient filter surface.

Classic flat bags in which two filter material blanks are welded all around and a holding plate is connected flatly to one of the filter material blanks are usually unsuitable because the available space is too small. Therefore, so far mainly bags with a bottom, such as a block bottom, have been used in which the holding plate is arranged on the bottom and the bag shape is adapted to the installation space (so-called "three-dimensional" bags). However, producing such bags, in particular with a nonwoven material common today, has proven to be difficult. For this reason, manual production steps are sometimes still required in the production of such bags, which reduces the production efficiency.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a vacuum cleaner filter bag that can be produced easily and automatically, in particular a vacuum cleaner filter bag for a handheld vacuum cleaner and / or a stick vacuum cleaner, which can use the available installation space as optimally as possible.

This object is achieved by a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1. Particularly advantageous developments can be found in the subclaims.

The invention thus provides a vacuum cleaner filter bag, comprising a bag wall and a holding plate, the holding plate comprising an at least partially cylindrical connecting piece which extends in the direction of the through opening formed in the holding plate, the bag wall being connected along the circumference of the connecting piece to its outer surface .

The fact that the bag wall is connected to the holding plate via the at least partially cylindrical socket and along the circumference of the socket with its outer surface eliminates the need for the costly, and otherwise often only possible manually, formation of a base during manufacture. As a result, the vacuum cleaner filter bag according to the invention can be manufactured more efficiently.

The vacuum cleaner filter bag can be provided in particular for hand-held vacuum cleaners and / or a so-called stick vacuum cleaner, in particular for cordless models. The filling volume can therefore be between 0.5 and 3 liters, in particular between 0.5 and 2 liters, in the fully unfolded state.

The holding plate of the vacuum cleaner filter bag can be attached to a holding device in a vacuum cleaner housing. As a result, the holding plate can be arranged, in particular fixable, in a predetermined position in the vacuum cleaner housing.

In contrast to a flat bag, in which the holding plate is connected to a flat wall part of the bag wall, in the case of the production of the vacuum cleaner filter bag according to the invention, the bag wall provided with a corresponding opening is placed over the at least partially cylindrical neck of the holding plate and connected to its outer surface. As a result, the vacuum cleaner filter bag extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connecting piece and thus in the inflow direction through the through opening of the holding plate into the bag. The vacuum cleaner filter bag is thus also better adapted to the usual filter housings of handheld vacuum cleaners and / or stick vacuum cleaners, which are typically cylindrical and have the holding device for the holding plate on one of the top surfaces of the cylinder.

The connecting piece, which is cylindrical at least in sections, thus encompasses the through opening of the holding plate, so that an inflow opening is formed over the dust-laden air during operation can flow into the interior of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The longitudinal axis of the nozzle is defined herein as the direction in which the through opening extends in the nozzle. This direction is in particular perpendicular to the plane in which a connecting plate of the holding plate is arranged, which can be connected to a holding device of the vacuum cleaner.

“Cylindrical at least in sections” means that the connecting piece comprises at least one section which is designed in the form of a cylinder, that is to say is defined by a lateral surface and two boundary surfaces. The cylindrical shape is not limited to a circular cylinder. The cross-section of the cylindrical section, that is to say the guide curve of the general cylinder, can have any shape. The cross section of the cylindrical section can also be a polygon. In this case one can also speak of a prism-shaped section. The cylindrical section can in particular have the shape of a straight or vertical cylinder, the surface lines running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connecting piece.

The connecting piece can comprise a second section, in particular adjoining the cylindrical section, with an enlarged circumference compared to the cylindrical section. The second section can in particular protrude outwardly beyond the jacket surface of the cylindrical section. This second section can correspond to the connecting plate of the holding plate or be part of it.

The connecting plate can in particular be a flat component, in particular its extent in two directions (length, width) being substantially greater, in particular at least three times greater, than in one direction perpendicular thereto (thickness). The connecting plate can in particular completely surround the through opening of the holding plate. The through opening of the holding plate can in particular extend through the connecting plate and the connecting piece.

The holding plate can comprise one or more plastics or consist of one or more plastics. In particular, recycled plastics can be used, such as recycled polypropylene, rPP, and / or recycled polyethylene terephthalate, rPET.

The holding plate can comprise a closure element for closing the inflow opening. As a result, the suction material can be retained in the interior of the bag, especially when the bag is removed.

The retaining plate is formed in one piece with the connecting piece. The retaining plate and the connecting piece are therefore a common component.

The holding plate can be designed as an injection-molded part or as a part produced by thermoforming. The holding plate can also be manufactured partly by injection molding and partly by thermoforming.

The holding plate can also include a sealing lip surrounding the through opening. The sealing lip can comprise a thermoplastic elastomer, for example based on polypropylene, or consist of it. The sealing lip is intended to prevent or limit the escape of dust from the vacuum cleaner filter bag by sealing the area between the inner edge of the through opening and the outside of a connection piece of the vacuum cleaner.

The bag wall is made of an air-permeable material and can be constructed in several layers. In the latter case, one also speaks of a laminate. Several layers of the laminate, in particular each layer of the laminate, can comprise or consist of a nonwoven fabric and / or a fiber nonwoven fabric.

A wide variety of plastics can be used as the material for the bag wall, in particular for one or more layers of nonwoven fabric or nonwoven fabric, for example polypropylene and / or polyester. The bag wall can also comprise or consist of recycled plastic and / or recycled material from the manufacture of textiles (textile left-over - TLO).

There are relevant international standards for many plastic recyclates. For PET plastic recyclates, for example, DIN EN 15353: 2007 is relevant. PP recyclates are characterized in DIN EN 15345: 2008. For the purpose of the corresponding special plastic recyclates, the present patent application adopts the definitions of these international standards. The plastic recyclates can be unmetallized. An example of this are plastic flakes or chips recovered from PET beverage bottles. The plastic recyclates can also be metallized, e.g. if the recyclates were obtained from metallic plastic films, in particular metallized PET films (MPET).

Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) can be obtained, for example, from beverage bottles, in particular from so-called bottle flakes, that is to say pieces of ground beverage bottles.

The recycled plastics, in particular recycled PET and / or recycled PP, both in the metallized and in the non-metallized version, can be spun into the corresponding fibers from which the corresponding staple fibers or meltblown or spunbond nonwovens are used for the purposes of the present invention.

Recycled material from the manufacture of textiles (TLO) falls in particular in the processing of textile materials (in particular textile fibers and filaments, as well as linear, flat and spatial textile structures produced with them), such as production (including carding, spinning, cutting and drying) or the recycling of textile materials. These powdery and / or fibrous materials represent waste materials that can settle on the machines or filter materials used to process the textiles. The dusts (powder) or fibers are normally disposed of and thermally recycled.

The pulverulent and / or fibrous recycled material is, for example, production waste; this applies in particular to material that is produced as a waste product during carding, spinning, cutting or drying of textile materials. In this case, one also speaks of "pre-consumer waste".

In the recycling of textile materials, i.e. the processing (e.g. shredding) of used textile materials or textiles (e.g. old clothes), powdered and / or fibrous recycled material is also produced; this is called "post-consumer waste".

The recycled material from the manufacture of textiles, TLO, can therefore in particular fibers and or filaments that are made from waste materials from the textile and clothing industry, from post-consumer waste (textiles and the like) and / or from products that are intended for recycling collected, obtained, include.

In the context of the present invention, a nonwoven denotes a random structure that has undergone a consolidation step so that it has sufficient strength to be wound or unwound into rolls by machine (that is to say on an industrial scale), for example. The minimum web tension required for winding is 0.044 N / mm. The web tension should not be higher than 10% to 25% of the minimum maximum tensile force (according to DIN EN 29073-3: 1992-08) of the material to be wound. This results in a minimum maximum tensile force for a material to be wound up of 8.8 N per 5 cm strip width.

A nonwoven fabric, or simply "nonwoven" for short, corresponds to a random structure, which, however, has not undergone a consolidation step, so that, in contrast to a nonwoven fabric, such a non-woven structure does not have sufficient strength to be wound or unwound mechanically into rolls, for example.

In other words, the term “nonwoven” is used in accordance with the definition according to ISO standard ISO9092: 1988 or CEM standard EN29092. Details on the use of the definitions and / or methods described herein can also be found in the standard work " Nonwovens ", W. Albrecht, H. Fuchs, W. Kittelmann, Wiley-VCH, 2000 , remove.

The nonwoven layers of the bag wall can in particular comprise a staple fiber nonwoven and / or an extrusion nonwoven. In particular, filament spunbond nonwovens (also referred to as “spunbond nonwovens” or “spunbond” for short) and / or meltblown nonwovens can be used.

One or more layers of the bag wall can comprise a carded material. Both mechanical processes (e.g. needling) and thermal processes (e.g. calendering) can be used as the binding step. It is also possible to use binding fibers or adhesives, such as a latex adhesive. Airlaid materials are also possible.

The nonwoven fabric of one or more layers of the bag wall can comprise bicomponent fibers. Bicomponent fibers (BiCo fibers) can be formed from a core and a sheath enveloping the core. In addition to core / sheath bicomponent fibers, the other common variants of bicomponent fibers, e.g. B. side-by-side, can be used.

The bicomponent fibers can be present as staple fibers or as filaments in the case of an extrusion nonwoven (for example meltblown nonwoven).

Correspondingly unconsolidated nonwovens are also conceivable, as mentioned.

The nonwoven fabric of one or more layers of the bag wall can also have a micro-flange (Micrex).

The bag wall can also comprise an odor absorbent.

The bag wall can in particular comprise a capacity layer. A capacity layer offers a high resistance to shock loading, and enables a filtering of large dirt particles, a filtering of a significant proportion of small dust particles and a storage or retention of large amounts of particles, the air being a simple Flow is allowed, and thus a low pressure drop with high particle loading results.

The bag wall can also comprise a fine filter layer. A fine filter layer is used to increase the filtration performance of the multi-layer filter material by trapping particles which, for example, pass through the capacitance layer. To further increase the separation efficiency, the fine filter layer can preferably be charged electrostatically (e.g. by corona discharge or hydrocharging), in particular to increase the separation of fine dust particles.

The fine filter layer can in particular adjoin the capacitance layer towards the outside of the bag wall.

A support layer can be attached to the fine filter layer. A support layer (sometimes also called "reinforcement layer") is a layer that gives the multilayer composite of the filter material the necessary mechanical strength. The support layer can in particular be an open, porous nonwoven fabric with a light weight per unit area. The support layer can in particular be a spunbonded nonwoven fabric.

But it is also possible to use a single-layer filter material for the bag wall. In this case, it can in particular be a meltblown nonwoven fabric. A suitable material for such a single-layer bag wall is, for example, from EP 2 311 360 B1 known.

The bag wall can in particular be connected to the outside of the connecting piece, that is to say to the side facing away from the through-opening of the connecting piece. This enables an advantageous optical control of the fastening process during manufacture, in particular visually and / or via automated image processing.

The length of the side of the bag wall connected to the socket can in particular correspond to the outer circumference of the cylindrical section of the socket. In particular, the bag wall can be connected to its jacket surface along the entire circumference of the connecting piece. Both the bag wall and the outer surface of the cylindrical section of the connecting piece thus completely surround the through opening of the connecting piece.

The bag wall can be glued or welded to the jacket surface, and / or the bag wall can be clamped between the jacket surface and a clamping element. The clamping element can in particular be a hollow cylinder. In this case one can also speak of a clamping ring. Fastening by means of a clamping element alone enables a detachable connection and thus recycling of the retaining plate and the socket.

The holding plate can be arranged on a short side of the bag wall. In other words, the longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner filter bag can extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector.

The bag wall can have a surface fold with at least five folds. The surface folding of the filter medium has significant advantages. Due to the folding of the surface, the area through which the air flows is significantly larger than the regular area available for the air flow (inflow area). In other words, the surface folding means that the bag wall can be at least partially pleated.

The term fold is defined in the sense of the present invention as a sequence of two or more folds, with a single fold in the sense of the present invention being defined by two fold legs and a fold hinge.

A surface fold is a sequence of folds provided on the bag wall. Such a surface fold is at most fixed by a part of the hem along a side edge. However, this part of the hem is neither a fold hinge nor a component of the fold leg of one of the folds of the fold.

The vacuum cleaner filter bag, in particular its bag wall, can also include at least one side fold.

A side fold is a sequence of folds in the area of the side edge of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The hem along the relevant side edge of the vacuum cleaner filter bag is part of one of the folds forming the side fold; for example, the hem in the area of the relevant side edge is a fold hinge or the hem lies almost completely in a fold leg.

The at least five folds of the surface fold can run along the longitudinal axis of the filter bag. Alternatively, the folds can also run transversely to the longitudinal axis.

A fixing device can also be provided which prevents at least one of the at least five folds from completely unfolding.

The folds of a bag wall can be at least partially connected to one another by means of a fixing device. The fixing device can also be used to keep folds of the bag wall at a predetermined distance from one another.

The fixing device can comprise at least one strip of material, in particular a strip of nonwoven material, or consist of at least one strip of material, in particular at least one strip of nonwoven material. Several strips of material can be arranged at a distance from one another or directly adjoin one another.

Several strips of material can run transversely, in particular perpendicularly or at a predetermined angle, to the longitudinal direction of the folds. The predetermined angle can be larger than 0 ° and smaller than 180 °, in particular larger than 30 ° and smaller than 150 °.

The fixing device is preferably arranged on the inflow side with respect to the bag wall. Upstream here means facing the interior of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The fixing device can be at least partially connected, in particular directly connected, in particular glued and / or welded, to the bag wall, in particular to the folds of the bag wall. Furthermore, the fixing device can be glued and / or welded on at points at which fold legs of two different folds of the bag wall adjoin one another.

The fixing device can be glued and / or welded to the bag wall in one or more areas of the bag wall, which are each arranged between two folds of the bag wall. In particular, in the case of horizontal folds that do not overlap one another, simple manufacture of the vacuum cleaner filter bag can be achieved in this way.

Two or more folds of the bag wall can also be connected to one another by the fixing device, while two or more folds of the bag wall are not connected to one another by the fixing device.

Alternatively or additionally, the fixing device can be glued and / or welded to one or more folds of the bag wall in such a way that the connection is released when the vacuum cleaner filter bag is in operation. The air flow within the vacuum cleaner filter bag can thus be influenced by the at least partially detaching fixing device.

In other words, parts of the fixing device can serve as an air distributor when the vacuum cleaner filter bag is in operation.

The surface folds, side folds and / or fixing devices can in particular as in the European patent application EP 2 366 319 or the European patent application EP 2 366 320 be designed as described.

The side of the bag wall opposite the holding plate can be concave or convex. As a result, a better utilization of the installation space can be achieved.

1. a) Ausbilden eines an einer Seite offenen, schlauchförmigen Beutels eines Filtermaterials;
2. b) Anordnen einer Halteplatte umfassend einen wenigstens abschnittsweise zylindrischen Stutzen an dem breiten Ende eines konischen Führungselements, sodass der Stutzen der Halteplatte an der Außenfläche des konischen Führungselements anliegt;
3. c) Überstülpen des Beutels über das konische Führungselement;
4. d) Verbinden des Beutels mit der vom Führungselement weg weisenden Mantelfläche des Stutzens; und
5. e) Abheben des mit dem Stutzen verbundenen Beutels vom Führungselement.

The invention also provides a method for manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 10, in particular for manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag as described above. The method according to the invention thus comprises the following steps:

1. a) forming a tubular bag of a filter material that is open on one side;
2. b) arranging a retaining plate comprising an at least partially cylindrical connector on the wide end of a conical guide element, so that the connector of the retaining plate rests against the outer surface of the conical guide element;
3. c) slipping the bag over the conical guide element;
4. d) connecting the bag to the lateral surface of the connector facing away from the guide element; and
5. e) lifting the bag connected to the nozzle from the guide element.

This process allows efficient and automated production.

The formation of the tubular bag, which is open on one side, can include overlapping of two filter material webs and formation of two longitudinal and one transverse weld seam. Alternatively, the formation of the tubular bag, which is open on one side, can include folding over a single filter material web and forming a longitudinal weld seam to connect two edges of the filter material web that overlap after the folding over, as well as forming a transverse weld seam.

The formation of the tubular bag, which is open on one side, can also comprise formation of the surface folds and / or side folds described above.

The surface fold can in particular be introduced along the conveying direction of the filter material web. When the folds along the length of the vacuum cleaner filter bag should run, the open side is provided transversely to the conveying direction of the filter material web. If the folds are to run transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the open side is provided in the conveying direction of the filter material web.

The conical guide element can be arranged on a work table, in particular a turntable. In particular, several conical guide elements can be provided, in particular along the circumference of the turntable. The radius of the conical guide element can in particular decrease away from the surface of the work table.

The conical guide element can be designed in such a way that its diameter can be changed or adjusted on the surface of the work table. For example, the conical guide element can be arranged in a through hole of the work table and can be moved perpendicular to the surface of the work table. Alternatively, the conical guide element can be formed from a plurality of radially displaceable elements.

The arrangement of the holding plate with the at least partially cylindrical connecting piece on the wide end of a conical guide element can include slipping the holding plate over the conical guide element. The inner diameter of the at least partially cylindrical connector, i.e. the diameter of its above-mentioned through opening, can correspond to the outer diameter of the conical guide element on the surface of the work table, so that the connector rests against the outer surface of the conical guide element. For this purpose, the conical guide element can have a cylindrical section at its wide end, the shape and extension of which corresponds to the shape and extension of the cylindrical section of the nozzle, but the outer radius of the cylindrical section of the conical guide element corresponds to the inner diameter of the cylindrical section of the nozzle.

Slipping the bag over the conical guide element can include gripping and opening the tubular bag, which is open on one side. Slipping the bag over the conical guide element can in particular be carried out in an automated manner by a robot gripper.

In the case of folds provided transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the open side of the bag is provided in the conveying direction of the filter material web. In this case, the robot gripper rotates the bag before putting it over the conical guide element. In the case of folds provided in the longitudinal direction of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the open side of the bag is provided transversely to the conveying direction of the filter material web. In this case, the robot gripper can take over the bag in the conveying direction of the filter material web and put it over the conical guide element.

The connection of the bag to the lateral surface of the connecting piece facing away from the guide element can in particular be carried out by ultrasonic welding. The conical guide element forms the anvil for the sonotrode. The welding can be carried out in several steps. For example, a turntable can be used to move the conical guide element with the bags slipped over to different welding stations, which are arranged and designed in such a way that they weld different segments of the circumference of the connecting piece to the bag wall. Alternatively, a welding sonotrode that can be moved in the circumferential direction can also be used.

Alternatively or additionally, the connection of the bag to the outer surface of the connector facing away from the guide element can include arranging a clamping element over the bag wall so that the bag wall is clamped in a region of the outer surface of the connector between the outer surface of the connector and the clamping element.

The lifting of the bag connected to the nozzle from the guide element can in turn take place automatically via a robot gripper. The lifting of the bag connected to the nozzle from the guide element can also include reducing the diameter of the conical guide element on the surface of the work table, for example by lowering the conical guide element in a through hole of the work table.

The method can also include a visual inspection of the connection between the bag wall and the jacket surface in accordance with step d). In particular, at least one digital image of the connection area between the bag wall and the lateral surface can be generated. This digital image can be subjected to automated image processing in order to detect faults in the connection, for example inadequately formed weld seams. Based on the detection of an inadequate connection, a warning signal can be output and / or the bag in question can be discharged.

Figur 1

einen Querschnitt durch einen beispielhaften Staubsaugerfilterbeutel;

Figur 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Halteplatte mit einem wenigstens abschnittsweise zylindrischen Stutzen;

Figur 3

eine Draufsicht auf einen beispielhaften, an einer Seite offenen, schlauchförmigen Beutel zur Herstellung eines Staubsaugerfilterbeutels;

Figur 4

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines beispielhaften konischen Führungselements zur Herstellung eines Staubsaugerfilterbeutels; und

Figur 5

eine Illustration eines Fertigungsschrittes bei der Herstellung eines beispielhaften Staubsaugerfilterbeutels.

Further features and advantages of the invention are described below with reference to the exemplary figures. It shows:

Figure 1

a cross section through an exemplary vacuum cleaner filter bag;

Figure 2

a perspective view of an exemplary holding plate with an at least partially cylindrical connector;

Figure 3

a plan view of an exemplary, open on one side, tubular bag for making a vacuum cleaner filter bag;

Figure 4

a perspective view of an exemplary conical guide element for making a vacuum cleaner filter bag; and

Figure 5

an illustration of a manufacturing step in the manufacture of an exemplary vacuum cleaner filter bag.

Figure 1 shows a cross section through an exemplary vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 with a bag wall 2 and a holding plate 3. The holding plate 3, in particular its flat connecting plate, is used to fix the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 in a corresponding holder in a housing of a vacuum cleaner.

The bag wall is not, as is customary in the prior art, directly connected to the flat part of the retaining plate 3, i.e. the connecting plate, but to an at least partially cylindrical connector 4 of the retaining plate 3. In particular, the connector extends in the direction of the retaining plate 3 formed through opening 5, that is perpendicular to the plane in which the connecting plate is located. The bag wall 2 is connected along the circumference of the connecting piece 4 to its jacket surface, which also extends in the direction perpendicular to the connecting plate.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary holding plate with a connecting piece 4 which is cylindrical at least in sections. The connecting piece 4 comprises a cylindrical section. The shape of the cylindrical section can be freely selected and is not limited to the shape of a circular cylinder. The axis of the cylindrical section defines the longitudinal axis of the connecting piece 4. The through opening of the holding plate is provided along this longitudinal axis of the cylindrical section. This forms an inflow opening for the suctioned material into the filter bag, as in Figure 1 to see.

The exemplary holding plate 3 of Figure 2 comprises a second section 8 adjoining the cylindrical section and having an enlarged section compared to the cylindrical section Scope. The second section 8 projects in particular radially outwardly beyond the lateral surface of the cylindrical section. This second section 8 can correspond to the connecting plate, as in FIG Figure 1 shown.

The bag wall 2 is in the exemplary embodiment Figure 1 welded to the outer surface of the cylindrical section of the connecting piece 4. In particular, the ultrasonic weld seams 6 can be seen. In addition, a clamping ring 7 is shown in this exemplary embodiment, which clamps the bag wall 2 to the outer surface of the cylindrical section of the connecting piece 4. Such a clamping ring 7 can also establish the connection between the bag wall and the jacket surface on its own.

Not shown here, a sealing lip can also be provided on the through opening 5.

Figure 3 FIG. 11 shows a plan view of an exemplary tubular bag which is open on one side, as is shown in the manufacture of a vacuum cleaner filter bag Figure 1 Can be used. The bag wall 2 of the exemplary bag of FIG Figure 3 comprises two longitudinal weld seams 12, 13 and one transverse weld seam 14. On the transverse side 15, the bag is open, that is to say without a weld seam, in order to connect there to a connecting piece as in FIG Figure 2 to enable shown as an example.

The transverse weld seam 14 could also have a concave or convex curvature for better utilization of the installation space. A bottom in the manner of a block bottom or a gusset would also be conceivable in the area of the transverse weld seam 14.

In addition, the bag wall comprises 2 in Figure 3 a plurality of surface folds 16 which run along the longitudinal weld seams 12, 13. At the open end 15, the folds are fixed in their position via a fixing device 17.

As already stated above, the term fold is defined in the sense of the present invention as a sequence of two or more folds, a single fold in the sense of the present invention being defined by two fold legs and a fold hinge.

A fold hinge is understood to be the point of a fold with the smallest radius of curvature. A so-called fold axis is obtained through the imaginary connection of the fold hinges. The fold axis is also known as the fold back. The fold axis can correspond to the longitudinal axis of a fold. Areas of a fold with a radius of curvature that is greater than the minimum radius of curvature of the fold are called fold legs designated. The area between the fold legs of a fold is called the fold core. The fold legs of a fold can therefore in particular also have a curvature.

Wrinkles can also have turning points. Inflection points are those points of a fold, especially the legs of the fold, at which the curvature of the fold changes from concave to convex. A line connecting several turning points of a fold is called an inflexion line (turning line).

Two adjacent folds can also share a fold leg. If several folds are provided in this way, a package of folds or a train of folds can be implemented.

Several folds can also be arranged in a zigzag shape.

Folds can also have legs that run parallel to the bag wall. Such legs can lie between folds which protrude from the bag wall plane and thus have an opening on the inflow side in relation to the bag wall. In particular, the width of the parallel leg can be less than, preferably less than half the or most preferably less than a quarter of the width of the opening of the fold protruding from the bag wall.

The fold legs of the folds can in particular be smooth. In this context, “smooth” is understood to mean that the fold legs do not have any compression and / or structuring, in particular that are intended to stabilize the shape of the folds.

One or more fold legs of one or more folds can comprise one or more embossed structures, in particular wherein the embossed structures do not serve to stabilize the shape of the folds. As a result, the area available for filtration can be increased further.

The bag wall 2 can in particular have more than 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 folds, in particular also folds of these folds.

The folds of the bag wall can have a substantially regular spacing from one another. In other words, the distance between the fold backs in each case of two adjacent folds can be essentially constant.

Foldings can be made lying or standing. Underlying folds are to be understood as folds, the fold legs of which are arranged essentially parallel to the bag wall 2. Standing folds are to be understood as folds whose fold legs enclose an angle greater than 0 ° and less than 180 °, in particular greater than 20 ° or greater than 45 °, with the bag wall 2.

A standing fold is also understood to mean a fold in which a plane in which both the fold axis and the turning line of the fold lie is arranged with a flat, horizontal surface on the first and / or second bag wall, an angle greater than 45 °, in particular greater than 30 °, in particular greater than 10 °. In this case, a horizontal fold can be understood to mean a fold in which the plane forms an angle of less than 45 °, in particular less than 30 °, in particular less than 10 °, with this surface.

To measure or determine the angles mentioned above, the vacuum cleaner filter bag, in particular the folded nonwoven material, is arranged on a flat, horizontal surface. For this purpose, the vacuum cleaner filter bag can also be cut open and, in particular, arranged on the surface in such a way that the inflow side or inside of the original vacuum cleaner filter bag rests on the surface.

Lying folds can be designed to be mutually overlapping, non-overlapping and / or partially overlapping.

To produce an exemplary vacuum cleaner filter bag, as in Figure 1 As shown, it is necessary to connect the bag wall 2 to the nozzle 4. Although the connection piece 4 made of plastic has a certain strength, in the case of a connection by welding it is advantageous if an anvil were provided which forms an abutment. Figure 4 shows such an anvil in the form of a conical guide element 18.

As in Figure 5 As shown, the conical guide element 18 can be arranged vertically on a work table. The conical guide element 18 is designed such that its outer diameter at the wide end corresponds to the inner diameter of the cylindrical section of the connecting piece 4. The retaining plate 3 with nozzle 4 is then as in Figure 5 shown slipped over the conical guide element 18. A robotic gripper can then use a tubular bag that is open on one side, for example in FIG Figure 3 shown, grab and also put over the conical guide element 18. The conical shape of the guide element 18 is also advantageous here. Then the bag wall 2 can be welded to the Outer surface of the cylindrical portion of the nozzle 4 take place, from the outside. The latter has the advantage that the welding result can be checked, for example using image processing.

Finally, the holding plate 3 and the bag wall 2 connected to it are pulled off the conical guide element 18.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned in the exemplary embodiments described above are not restricted to these special combinations and are also possible in any other combinations. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the geometries shown in the figures are only exemplary and are also possible in any other configurations.

Claims (10)

Vacuum cleaner filter bag (1) comprising a bag wall (2) and a holding plate (3), the holding plate (3) comprising an at least partially cylindrical connector (4) which extends in the direction of the through opening (5) formed in the holding plate (3) , wherein the bag wall (2) is connected along the circumference of the connecting piece (4) with its jacket surface. Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag wall (2) is glued or welded to the jacket surface, and / or the bag wall (2) is clamped between the jacket surface and a clamping element (7). Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to Claim 1 or 2, the connecting piece (4) and the holding plate (3) being formed in one piece. Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding plate (3) and the connecting piece (4) are arranged on a short side of the bag wall (2). Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bag wall (2) has a surface fold (16) with at least five folds. A vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 5, wherein the at least five folds run along the longitudinal axis or transversely to the longitudinal axis of the filter bag (1). Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to Claim 5 or 6, a fixing device (17) being provided which prevents at least one of the at least five folds from completely unfolding. A vacuum cleaner filter bag according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one gusset. Vacuum cleaner filter bag according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the side of the bag wall (2) opposite the holding plate is concave or convex. A method of manufacturing a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: a) forming a tubular bag of a filter material that is open on one side; b) arranging a retaining plate comprising an at least partially cylindrical connector (4) at the broad end of a conical guide element (18), so that the connector (4) of the retaining plate (3) rests against the outer surface of the conical guide element (18); c) slipping the bag over the conical guide element (18); d) connecting the bag to the lateral surface of the connector (4) facing away from the guide element (18); and e) lifting the bag connected to the nozzle (4) from the guide element (18).

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