GB2402897A

GB2402897A - Dual cyclone separator module

Info

Publication number: GB2402897A
Application number: GB0411574A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jung-Seon Park; Byung-Jo Lee
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2003-06-16
Filing date: 2004-05-24
Publication date: 2004-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2024-05-24
Also published as: CA2466823C; US20040250374A1; CA2466823A1; KR100500845B1; AU2004202211B2; AU2004202211A1; KR20040107947A; GB2402897B; GB0411574D0

Abstract

A cyclone separator comprises a primary cyclone 40, and a secondary fine particle cyclone 30, the two cyclones 30, 40 forming a single module, which might be removably mountable into a host device such as a vacuum cleaner (fig.2). The apparatus may feature an air inlet 41, and an air outlet 45. The fine particle cyclone 30 may feature a dust filter 73.

Description

P51 4794GB Dust-Collecting Apparatus for a Vacuum Cleaner This invention

relates to a cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner, and in particular, to a double-chambered cyclonic dust-collector which centrifugally separates dust and dirt (hereinafter referred to as "dust") entrained in an air stream drawn into the cyclonic dust-collector by sequentially performing multiple separation operations of the dust from the air, and which collects the separated dust therein.

Figure 1 is an enlarged, part-sectioned elevation of a conventional cyclonic dust-collector 100, and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an upright vacuum cleaner and a double cyclonic dust-collector 20 constructed in accordance with invention. The dust-collectors 100 and 20 can each be used with the vacuum cleaner of Figure 2. Either of the dustcollectors 100, 20 is removably mounted in a device-receiving enclosure 10 of a main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner, as shown in Figure 2. An air inlet port 13 (shown in phantom lines) is also provided at the rear side of the device-receiving enclosure 10, the air inlet port being for drawing in external dust-carrying air. An air discharge port 14 (see Figure 2) is also provided at the rear side of the enclosure 10 for discharging clean air that has been filtered in the cyclonic dust- collector.

Referring now to Figure 1, the conventional cyclonic dust-collector 100 comprises a cyclone body 1 10 and a filter 130 mounted within the cyclone body. The cyclone body is provided with an air inlet port 113 (shown in phantom lines), and with an air discharge port 115. A dust receptacle 120 can be inserted within a lower part of the cyclone body 110. The air inlet port 113 extends in a direction that is tangentid to, or obliquely oriented relative to, a side wall of the cyclone body I 10, and the air inlet port is connected to the air inlet port 13 (see Figure 2) of the main body 3. The air discharge port 115 is formed in the centre of the upper part of the cyclone body 110 so as to extend upwardly therefrom, and is connected to the discharge port 14 of the main body 3.

In use, air is drawn in through the air inlet port 13, is discharged into the cyclone body 1 10 through the air inlet port 113, and is directed to form a rotating air current. At this time, dust entrained in the rotating air current is centrifugally separated from the air, and falls down to be collected in the dust receptacle 120. The dust receptacle 120 is replaceably removable from the cyclone body 110, so that the dust receptacle can be emptied when it is full of dust.

Fine particles of dust that may still remain in the air current are discharged through the air discharge port 115, after centrifugal separation in the cyclone body 110. A lower filter 180 is provided for filtering the fine dust particles, the lower filter being mounted at an opening of the air discharge port 115. The lower filter 130 is formed with a plurality of fine holes, and is disposed in the cyclone body 110 in an upright or vertical position. Owing to the presence of the lower filter 130, fine dust particles are separated from the air passing through the air discharge port 115, so clean air is discharged through the discharge 14 of the main body (See Figure 2).

However, as this conventional cyclonic dust-collector 100 has a single cyclone body and a single filter, a large amount of fine dust particles, which should be centrifugally separated in the cyclone body, remain entrained in the discharged air current for removal by the filter 130, which with continued use, leads to blocking of the fine holes of the filter. As a result, air flow is disturbed and impeded, efficiency of the vacuum cleaner diminishes, and noise is generated.

Moreover, since the filter 130 filters a large amount of fine dust in the cyclonic dust-collector 100 of the conventional vacuum cleaner, the filter needs frequent cleaning and/or replacement.

It is an aim of the invention to provide a double cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner having improved suction efficiency and dustcollecting capability, by rotating drawn-in air in the dust-collector, and separately collecting dust according to the size of the dust particles in sequential operational steps.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a double cyclonic dustcollector for a vacuum cleaner which requires low maintenance, by reducing the requirement for frequent cleaning or replacement of the filter.

The present invention provides a double cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner, the dust-collector comprising: a lower cyclone having an air inlet port and an air discharge port, the lower cyclone constituting means for initially collecting dust entrained in air which is drawn in through the air inlet port in a primary dust separation step; an upper cyclone for secondary dust separation of fine dust particles, after separation of the air flowing into the upper cyclone from the lower cyclone, the upper cyclone having a main body and an upper casing providing a fine dust particle collecting chamber; and an air path for guiding the air, after it is cleaned in the secondary dust separation step in the upper cyclone, from the upper and lower cyclones, and for discharging cleaned air through the air discharge port.

Conveniently, the upper casing covers the surface of the main body of the upper cyclone.

In a preferred embodiment, the air inlet port and the air discharge port are formed on a sidewall of the lower cyclone, and are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other; a centre hole is formed in an upper plate of the lower cyclone; an outlet is formed at one side of the centre hole; and a lower grille is vertically disposed adjacent to the centre hole.

Preferably, the main body of the upper cyclone further comprises: a bottom plate having centre hole and an upper inlet, adjacent to and corresponding to the centre hole and the outlet of the lower cyclone, respectively; and ! an upper grille associated with the centre hole of the main body of the upper cyclone, the upper grille having a vertical orientation and surrounding the centre hole of the upper cyclone.

Advantageously, the upper cylone further comprises an upper casing removably connected to the main body, and wherein means are provided for detachably connecting the upper casing and the main body, said means comprising: a connection hole portion formed with a longitudinallyextending hole, the connection hole portion being disposed on an upper plate of the upper casing; and an operation knob mounted on the upper part of the upper grille, the operation knob being extendable through the connection hole portion, whereby the operation knob is rotatable from a locked position, in which the connection hole portion is realeasably locked therewith, to an unlocked position, in which the connection hole portion is unlocked therefrom.

Preferably, lower cyclone is such as to generate a rotating air current when air flows in through the air inlet port for centrifugally separating dust in the primary dust separation step, and the dust receptacle is removably connected to the lower cyclone adjacent to a lower part thereof.

Conveniently, the upper cyclone further comprises a filter connectable to an outside of the upper grille for further filtering dust particles entrained in the air stream.

Preferably, the dust-collector further comprises a dust-amount sensor unit for sensing the amount of dust which has been separated and collected in the upper cyclone.

Accordingly, there is provided a double cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner, which has an improved suction efficiency and dustcollecting capability, accomplished by directing a rotating air current in the dust-collector, and separately collecting dust in sequential dust collecting operations according to the size of the dust particles.

In the double cyclonic dust-collector according to the present invention, there are provided two grilles disposed, respectively, in the upper and lower cyclones, the grilles sequentially filtering larger dust particles or fine dust particles according to the function of each grille. Therefore, the amount of fine dust particles, which is filtered by the upper filter in the upper cyclone, can be reduced. In addition, the frequency of cleaning or replacing the filters can be reduced.

The double cyclonic dust-collector of the present invention is very simple to remove and empty the collected dust, since the dust receptacle is easily detachable from the upper casing.

The invention will now be described in great detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an enlarged partsectional elevation of a conventional cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner; Figure 2 is a partially-exploded perspective view of an upright vacuarn cleaner, having a double cyclonic dust-collector constructed according to the present invention; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the exterior of the double cyclonic dust-collector of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the double cyclonic dust-collector shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the double cyclonic dust-collector shown in Figure 3; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the upper cyclone of the dust-collector of Figure 3; Figure 7 is a top view of the upper cyclone and; Figure 8 is a partially-enlarged, cross-sectional view of a dust-amount sensor unit shown in Figure 6.

Figure 2 shows an upright vacuum cleaner 1 having a double cyclonic dustcollector constructed in accordance with the invention, the dustcollector being removably connected to a train body 3 of the cleaner, as shown by the dashed lines. A vacuum generating device (not shown) is mounted in the main body 3. A nozzle unit 5, for drawing in dust carrying air, is mounted adjacent to the lower part of the main body 3.

A device-receiving enclosure 10 is disposed in the centre of the main body 3 to receive S the double cyclonic dust-collector 20. An air inlet port 13 and an air discharge port 14 are provided adjacent to the rear of the device-receiving enclosure 10, the air inlet port bring in fluid communication with the nozzle unit 5, and the air discharge port bring in fluid communication with the vacuum generating device.

As shown, the double cyclonic dust-collector 20 comprises a lower cyclone 40, which has an air inlet port 41 and an air discharge port 42; an upper cyclone 30, which is disposed above the lower cyclone, and a dust receptacle 25, which is removably connected to the underside of lower cyclone. Air paths are formed inside the lower and upper cyclones 40, 30, the air paths being formed to circulate dust-laden air, as shown by the arrows in Figure S. The lower cyclone 40 is generally cylindrical having an open bottom. The air inlet port 41 and the air discharge port 42 are disposed on a side wall of the lower cyclone at a predetermined distance from each other. The air inlet port 41 is formed in a direction inwardly tangential to the side wall of the lower cyclone 40, and is connected to the air inlet port 13 of the device- receiving enclosure 10. The drawn-in air is directed in a direction to rotate the air current as the air is discharged inwardly through the air inlet port 41. The air discharge port 42 is formed in a direction normal to the cylindrical side wall of the lower cyclone 40, and is connected to the discharge port 14 of the device receiving enclosure 10, as shown in Figure 2.

Referring now to Figure 4, a top plate 40' of the lower cyclone 40 includes a centre hole 44. The centre hole 44 and the air discharge port 42 are in fluid communication with each other through a lower cyclone air path 45 defined by the walls of the air discharge port. The lower cyclone air path 45 is formed under the top plate 40' of the lower cyclone 40 to extend outwardly in a radial direction from the centre hole 44. The lower cyclone air path 45 guides the air discharged through the centre hole 44 to the air discharge port 42, as shown by the arrows in Figure 5.

An outlet 46 is formed in the top plate 40' of the lower cyclone 40, the outlet being constituted by a pair of outlets extending around the centre hole 44, as shown. The air, from which entrained dust is separated in a first operation in the lower cyclone 40, is discharged through the outlet 46, and then flows into the upper cyclone 30, which will be described in detail below.

Referring now to Figure 5, the lower cyclone 40 includes a verticallydisposed, lower; grille 60. The lower grille 60 comprises a lower grille unit 61, which is generally cylindrical, an upper flange 63 and a lower flange 67, which are formed on an upper part and a lower part respectively of the grille unit. A pluriality of verical slits 62 are provided on the outer circumference of the lower grille unit 61, the slits being parallel and vertically orientated. The upper flange 63 extends upwardly from the grille unit 61 in the shape of a truncated cone, and is connected with an inner surface of the lower cyclone 40. The free end of the upper flange 63 is downwardly bent to form a rim or bent portion 64; and a connection rib 65, which is circumferentially disposed at an upper part of an inner surface of the lower cyclone 40, is engagable with the rim, as shown. The lower flange 67 extends downwardly from the bottom part of the grille unit 61, and is Conned in the shape of a bell or inverted cup.

The drawn-in air, which is discharged inwardly through the air inlet port 41, generates a rotating air current in the lower cyclone 40, the air current spinning around the lower grille 60. The dust in the drawn-in air is centrifugally separated from the rotating air current, and falls by gravity to be collected in the dust receptacle 25. The dust receptacle 25 is removably connected at the lower part or underside of the lower cyclone 40, so that a user can remove the collected dust by separating the dust i receptacle from the lower cyclone and emptying it. An upper rim of the dust receptacle I 25 includes a circumferential connection groove 28, and the circumferential lower end 48 of the lower cyclone 40 is an engagable force-fit into the connection groove to provide a seal at the connection.

The air, which has been filtered in the lower cyclone 40, passes through the lower grille I 60, and is then discharged in an upwards direction. Since the slits 62 of the lower grille have a predetermined size, dust of a relatively large particle size (that may be entrained in the discharged air current) is blocked by the lower grille as the air passes therethrough. However, the lower grille 60 cannot block particles of fine dust smaller than a certain size. Accordingly, the primarily-filtered air, in which fine dust may still; be entrained, is supplied to the upper cyclone 30.

As shown in Figure 6, the upper cyclone 30 comprises a main body 31 for separating fine dust, and a removable upper casing 35 for covering the upper part of the main body. The main body 31 comprises a bottom plate 32, and an upper grille 55 disposed in the centre of the bottom plate. Air from the lower cyclone 40 flows into the upper cyclone 30 through apertures 36 formed in the bottom plate 32. A centre hole 34 formed in the bottom plate 32 is disposed within the upper grille 55 for discharging the air after it has been filtered in a secondary filtration operation.

The upper grille 55 is disposed in an upright or vertical position above, and surrounding, the centre hole 34 of the bottom plate 32. A plurality of vertical slits 56 are formed in the outer surface of the upper grille 55, the slits being similar to those in the lower grille 60 of the lower cyclone 40. The upper grille 55 is capable of filtering the fine dust from the air. However, it is more preferable to utilise the upper grille 55 together with an external filter 70 surrounding the upper grille so as to enable a more efficient filtering of fine dust. Further, it is preferable that a porous filter 73, which is detachable for easier cleaning, is connected radially outwardly of the external filter 70, so as to provide a tertiary filtration operation of the air stream.

The air current, which is directed through the upper grille 55 and the external filter 70, then flows into the lower cyclone air path 45 of the lower cyclone 40 through the inside I of the upper grille 55. Therefore, an air circulation path 50 is formed in the upper and lower cyclones 40, 30, so that the air drawn in through the air inlet port 41 is discharged to the air discharge port 42 after sequentially circulating through the outlets 46, the inlet apertures 36, and the lower cyclone path 45. Although the upper grille 55 and the bottom plate 32 are shown as separate elements in Figure 6, the upper grille can be I integrally formed with the bottom plate by an injection moulding process.

The upper casing 35 is generally cylindrical with an open bottom, the upper casing having a shape and size sufficient to correspond to the bottom plate 32. The upper casing 35 has a recessed portion 38 disposed in the centre of the upper surface thereof, a; connection hole portion 75 being formed in the recessed portion. A longitudinally-oriented hole 76 is formed in the connection hole portion 75, this hole lO being engagable by an operation knob 77 disposed on the upper grille 55 of the main body 31, so as to attach the upper casing 35 to the main body.

The operation knob 77 is rotatably mounted on the upper part of the upper grille 55, and a head portion 78 thereof extends radially therefrom in opposite directions. The head portion 78 can be inserted through the hole 76, after which it is rotated so that the radially-extending parts of the head portion engage the upper surface of the connection hole portion 75. By engaging the connection hole portion 75 with the head portion 71 of the operation knob 77, the upper casing 35 can be releasably connected to the cyclone main body 31. The upper casing 35, when connected to the main body 31, forms a chamber for collecting fine dust particles. The operation knob 77 can be fixed to the upper grille 55 by an appropriate attachment, such as a post or a screw.

Alternatively, the operation knob 77 can be integrally formed with the bottom plate 32 and the upper grille 55 by an injection moulding process.

The double cyclonic dust-collector 20 described above can be separated from the device-receiving enclosure 10 of the main body 3 of the vacuum cleaner 1 by withdrawing it in a predetermined direction. Additionally, the dust receptacle 25 may be separated from its connection to the lower cyclone 40. The upper cyclone 30 may be releasably connectable to the lower cyclone 40, either integrally or separately. I Connection of the lower cyclone 40 to the main body 3 ensures that the air inlet port 41 and the air discharge port 42 are connected respectively to the air inlet port 13 and the discharge port 14, which are disposed in the rear wall of the device-receiving enclosure 10, as shown in Figure 2. For secure attachment of the upper cyclone 30 to the upper part of the lower cyclone 40, it is preferable that an installation groove (not shown) is formed in the upper plate 40' of the lower cyclone 40.

When the device is switched on, the vacuum generating device is driven. Dust-carrying air is, therefore, drawn into the vacuum cleaner 1 through the nozzle unit 5 (see Figure 2), and is internally discharged into the air inlet port 41 of the lower cyclone 40 through the air inlet port 13. The discharged air, including entrained dust, generates a rotating air current within the lower cyclone 40, and thereby the dust is centrifugally separated by the rotating air current, and the dust is collected in the dust receptacle 25, by gravity, in a primary filtering operation.

The filtered air then passes through the lower grille 60 (see Figure 5) and rises into the upper cyclone 30 through the outlets 46 (see Figure 4) and the inlets 36 (see Figure 6).

The lower grille 60 is provided to block relatively large dust particles entrained in the air during the primary filtration operation.

The air that is discharged into the upper cyclone 30 via the inlets encounters the upper grille 55 and the external filter 70, whereby any entrained fine dust particles are removed in a secondary filtration operation. The fine dust particles, which are filtered in the secondary filtration operation, fall down to the bottom plate 32 of the main body 31, to be collected in the fine dust particle receiving chamber defined by the bottom plate and the upper casing 35. The cleaned air, from which the fine dust particles have been separated, is discharged through the slits 56 of the upper grille 55, and passes through the lower cyclone path 45 to be discharged from the air discharge port 42.

The amount of dust collected in the lower and upper cyclones 40, 30, gradually increases with use of the vacuum cleaner 1. The larger dust particles, which are collected in the lower cyclone 40, are removed by separating the dust receptacle 25 and emptying it. Withdrawing the lower cyclone 40 and the dust receptacle 25 from the device-receiving enclosure lO is facilitated by a withdrawal lever 28, as shown in Figure 2. Thus, the dust receptacle 25, which is attached to the device-receiving enclosure 10, can be separated by turning the withdrawal lever 28.

To remove the fine dust particles collected in the upper cyclone 30, the upper cyclone should first be withdrawn from the device-receiving enclosure 10. Then, the upper casing 35, which covers the main body 31, is separated from the bottom plate 32. The upper casing 35 can be separated only when the head portion 78 of the operation knob 77 is directly orientated with the longitudinally-oriented hole 76 of the connection hole portion 75, which may be achieved by rotating the operation knob. Reconnection of the upper casing 35, after removing the fine dust particles, is simply done by going through the above steps in reverse order, that is, rotation of the operation knob 77 so that the longitudinally-oriented hole 76 and head portion 78 are no longer aligned, as is shown m Figure 7.

Additionally, a dust-amount sensor unit 80 (see Figure 6) is provided in the upper cyclone 30 to check the amount of dust that has been collected. As shown in Figure 8, the dust-amount sensor unit 80 comprises a sensor casing 81, a dust-amount indicator 83 connected within the sensor casing, a standard dust indicator 85, which is movable between a covered (empty) position and an exposed (full) position of the dust-amount indicator 83, and a spring 87 for biasing the standard dust indicator towards the covered position.

The sensor casing 81 is formed of a transparent material, and has an outlet 82 formed at a longitudinal end thereof. The dust-amount indicator 83 is connected adjacent to the lower part of the sensor casing 81, and has a pressure inlet 84 (see Figure 8) formed on the bottom thereof. The dust-amount indicator 83 comprises an indication unit 86, which extends upwardly along the sensor casing 81 in a longitudinal direction. The standard dust indicator 85 co-operatively receives the indication unit 86 of the dust-amount indicator 83 within the sensor casing 81. The spring 87 is disposed between the standard dust indicator 85 and an opening of the sensor casing 81, which is opposite the standard dust indicator 85, so as to provide a biasing force urging the indication unit 86 in a direction away from the outlet 82.

The dust-amount sensor unit 80 is disposed adjacent to the front of the upper cyclone 30, as shown in Figure 6. Brackets 91, 92 (see Figure 8) are provided at the front of the upper cyclone 30, and the dust-amount sensor unit 80 is mounted on these brackets.

The pressure inlet 84 of the standard dust indicator 85 is in fluid communication with the inside of the upper cyclone 30, and the air outlet 82 of the sensor casing 81 is in fluid communication with outside environment. An indicating window 37 is formed adjacent to the front of the upper cyclone 30 and the dust-amount sensor unit 80, so that a user of the vacuum cleaner can check the state of the dust-amount sensor unit through the indicating window.

When the amount of dust in the upper cyclone 30 is under a predetermined threshold, the air flows through the upper inlets 36 and is discharged to the air discharge port 42, passing through the filter 70 and the upper air path 33. Accordingly, the inside and the outside of the upper cyclone 30 are at the same air pressure. During operation of the dust-amount sensor unit 80, since the standard dust indicator 85 is held in a position that blocks the view of the dust-amount indicator 83 by the resilient biasing force of the spring 87, the standard dust indicator only becomes exposed through the indicating window 37 when the dust amount is sufficient to overcome the spring force.

On the other hand, when the dust amount is over the predetermined threshold, that is when the collected dust requires removal, the inside pressure becomes relatively higher than the outside pressure, because the airflow in the inside is interrupted by the action of the pressure inlet 84. The inside pressure is applied to the pressure inlet 84 of the standard dust indicator 85, thereby pressurising the standard dust indicator 85.

Accordingly, when the standard dust indicator 85 exposes the dust-amount indicator 83, the dust-amount indicator becomes visible through the indicating window 37, thereby alerting the user that excessive dust has been collected in the upper cyclone body 30, The user can then withdraw the upper cyclone 30 from the device-receiving enclosure 10 to remove the dust.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A double cyclonic dust-collector for a vacuum cleaner, the dust-

collector comprising: a lower cyclone having an air inlet port and an air discharge port, the lower cyclone constituting means for initially collecting dust entrained in air which is drawn in through the air inlet port in a primary dust separation step; an upper cyclone for secondary dust separation of fine dust particles, after separation of the air flowing into the upper cyclone from the lower cyclone, the upper cyclone having a main body and an upper casing providing a fine dust particle collecting chamber; and an air path for guiding the air, after it is cleaned in the secondary dust separation step in the upper cyclone, from the upper and lower cyclones, and for discharging cleaned air through the air discharge port.
2. A dust-collector as claimed in claim l, wherein the air inlet port and the air discharge port are formed on a sidewall of the lower cyclone, and are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other; a centre hole is formed in an upper plate of the lower cyclone; an outlet is formed on one side of the centre hole; and a lower grille is vertically disposed adjacent to the centre hole.
3. A dust-collector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main body of the upper cyclone further comprises: a bottom plate having centre hole and an upper inlet, adjacent to and corresponding to the centre hole and the outlet of the lower cyclone, respectively; and an upper grille associated with the centre hole of the main body of the upper cyclone, the upper grille having a vertical orientation and surrounding the centre hole of the upper cyclone.
4. A dust-collector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper cylone further comprises an upper casing removably connected to the main body, and wherein means are provided for detachably connecting the upper casing and the main body, said means comprlsmg: a connection hole portion formed with a longitudinally-extending hole, the connection hole portion being disposed on an upper plate of the upper casing; and an operation knob mounted on the upper part of the upper grille, the operation knob being extendable through the connection hole portion, whereby the operation knob is rotatable from a locked position, in which the connection hole portion is releasably locked therewith, to an unlocked position, in which the connection hole portion is unlocked therefrom.
5. A dust-collector as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower cyclone is such as to generate a rotating air current when air flows in through the air inlet port for centrifugally separating dust in the primary dust separation step, and the dust receptacle is removably connected to the lower cyclone adjacent to a lower part thereof.
6. A dust-collector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the upper cyclone further comprises a filter connectable to an outside of the upper grille for further filtering dust particles entrained in the air stream.
7. A dust-collector as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a dustamount sensor unit for sensing the amount of dust which has been separated and collected in the upper cyclone.