JP4743245B2 - Dust collector and vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dust collector capable of increasing dust collection efficiency and a vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector.

  A dust collector used in an electric vacuum cleaner separates air and dust by using aerodynamic force such as a filter body formed of paper or fiber, or a cyclone separation mechanism, and collects the dust. .

  Among them, as a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust collecting device using centrifugal separation, a double-cylindrical cyclone separation cylinder that centrifuges dust, and an auxiliary filter that captures dust separated from air by the cyclone separation cylinder A dust-collecting case that has an internal structure is detachably attached to the lower case of the vacuum cleaner body so that part of the exhaust from the cyclone separating cylinder flows into the electric blower through the dust-collecting case. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  As another example of a vacuum cleaner having a dust collecting structure using centrifugal separation, a double-cylindrical first cyclone chamber for centrifuging foreign matter from air, and foreign matter again from air passing through the first cyclone chamber. Also known is a multi-cyclone unit comprising a second cyclone chamber that separates the gas and a dust collecting unit that is coupled to the lower part of the multi-cyclone unit and collects the separated foreign substances (for example, patent document) 2).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-65698 (FIG. 7) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-88139 (FIG. 3)

  However, in the conventional double-cylindrical cyclone separation cylinder, the internal flow path is formed so as to have a uniform flow path cross-sectional area, so that the reverse pressure is caused by pressure loss due to viscous friction in the flow path. A gradient occurs, the boundary layer is easily peeled off, and the loss is large.

  In addition, when large dust and small dust are swirled, static electricity is generated due to collision between the dust and friction with the wall surface, and small dust adheres to the wall surface inside the swivel chamber and is separated into a dust collection case. As a result, the flow path becomes narrower as dust accumulates on the wall surface, and the aerodynamic loss increases.

  In addition, in the cylindrical separation part, the pressure at the center of the swivel is lowered, a circulation flow perpendicular to the cylinder on the outer wall is generated, the dust separated from the air flow rises and the separation performance of the dust is reduced, and the air power by the circulation flow Loss has occurred.

  Moreover, in the dust collection case and the dust collection unit, a part of the stored dust rises in the dust collection case due to the influence of the reverse pressure gradient and flows back to the separation part. It was complicated.

  A technical problem of the present invention is to be able to suppress aerodynamic loss and increase dust collection efficiency.

The dust collector according to the present invention has a dust discharge port on an outer wall of a substantially annular channel formed between one or more sets of inlets and outlets, and the outflow direction of air from the outlets is It is formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the direction of air movement between the inflow port and the outflow port, and is formed so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path gradually decreases from the inflow port to the outflow port. A dust collecting part, and a dust collecting case arranged outside the outer wall of the dust separating part and connected to the dust separating part through the dust outlet, and the opening shape of the dust outlet Is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the side in the outflow direction of the air from the outflow port is longer than the side in the direction opposite to the outflow direction of the air from the outflow port .

According to the dust collector of the present invention, the flow passage cross-sectional area is gradually reduced from the inlet to the outlet of the substantially annular dust separation unit, so that the flow velocity increases from the inlet to the outlet and the pressure also increases. The pressure loss due to the viscous friction associated with the swirling of the airflow can be recovered. This increases dust collection efficiency and reduces aerodynamic losses.
The shape of the opening surface of the dust outlet has a trapezoidal shape in which the side in the outflow direction of the air from the outlet is longer than the side in the direction opposite to the direction of the outflow of air from the outlet. It is possible to flatten the velocity distribution in the opening surface of the outlet and reduce the air flow circulation in the dust collection case with the dust discharge port as a base point. For this reason, the collection efficiency of dust increases.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a vacuum cleaner provided with a dust collector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the vacuum cleaner body, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the air flow in the dust collecting case part, FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view showing the air flow in the dust separating part and the dust collecting case part, and FIG. 5 is the dust separating part and the dust collecting case part. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the aerodynamic performance of the dust collector in comparison with the prior art, with the vertical axis representing pressure loss (Pa) and the horizontal axis representing volume flow (m3 / min)).

  The vacuum cleaner 1 provided with the dust collector of this embodiment is equipped with the cleaner main body 2 and the suction tool 3 which have the case body 4 and the base 5 like FIG.1 and FIG.2. The vacuum cleaner body 2 is provided with traveling wheels 6 that can travel on the floor surface on the lower surface of the pedestal 5, and an electric blower 7 is installed above the traveling wheels 6 via the pedestal 5. Above, an air separation unit 8 for separating the dust from the airflow is installed, and a dust collecting case 9 is installed on the side of the air separation unit 8, and the electric blower 7 and the air separation unit 8 are the case. It is arranged so as to be included in the body 4. Further, a hose connection port 10 to which the bellows hose 3a on the suction tool 3 side is detachably connected is opened at the front center of the cleaner body 2 so that airflow is sucked from the outside through the suction tool 3. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the dust separation unit 8 includes an inlet 40 that is continuous with the hose connection port 10, an outlet 41, and a dust discharge port 54 that is continuous with the dust collecting case 9. 51, upper surface 52, and bottom surface 53 are formed in a substantially annular shape, and the minimum area in the flow path of the cross-sectional area of the substantially annular flow path is equal to or less than the opening area of outlet 41. Is set. The dust discharge port 54 is opened in the outer wall 50 in order to store the dust separated from the airflow in the dust collecting case 9.

  The outer shape curve viewed from the upper surface of the outer wall 50 is a curved shape that follows an algebraic spiral (for example, a parabolic spiral, a hyperbolic spiral, a Lithus curve, etc.) as shown in FIG. It has a circular shape. The upper surface 52 is formed as a curved surface connecting the outer wall 50 and the inner wall 51 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface 53 is formed in a curved surface that gradually approaches the upper surface side from the inlet 40 to the outlet 41, and the flow path cross-sectional area decreases from the inlet 40 to the outlet 41. . For this reason, it is also possible to make the spiral shape seen from the upper surface side of the outer wall 50 into a curved shape following the Archimedean spiral of the algebraic spiral.

  When cleaning is performed using the electric vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector of the present embodiment configured as described above, the negative pressure generated by the electric blower 7 causes the suction tool 3 to pass through the hose connection port 10 to the cleaner main body 2. Airflow is induced, and airflow including dust flows from the inlet 40 to the dust separation unit 8. The airflow that has flowed into the dust separation unit 8 becomes a swirling flow in the path toward the outlet 41, and an inertial force according to centrifugal acceleration acts on the dust and the airflow. As a result, according to the density difference between the dust and the airflow, the dust becomes a movement locus asymptotic to the outer wall 50 and flows into the dust collecting case 9 through the dust discharge port 54. On the other hand, the airflow from which the dust has been removed is discharged to the outlet 41.

  The outer wall 50 and the inner wall 51 of the dust separation unit 8 have a double cylindrical separation structure in which the outer shape curves viewed from the top surface are circular with different radii. In this case, as described above, if the internal channel has a uniform channel cross-sectional area, pressure loss due to viscous friction due to turbulent flow in the process of generating a swirling flow from the inlet 40 to the outlet 41. As a result, a reverse pressure gradient occurs, leading to aerodynamic losses such as boundary layer separation. However, as in the present embodiment, the outer shape curve viewed from the upper surface of the outer wall 50 is a curve that follows an algebraic helix, and the bottom surface 53 is gradually approached from the inlet 40 to the upper surface according to the outlet 41 to reduce the channel cross-sectional area. That is, by decreasing the flow path cross-sectional area in inverse proportion to the pressure loss amount of the dust separation unit 8, the flow velocity increases from the inlet 40 to the outlet 41, the pressure gradually increases, and the viscosity accompanying the swirling of the airflow Pressure loss due to friction can be recovered, and a positive pressure gradient can be obtained. As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 6, the aerodynamic loss can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, and the dust collection efficiency is increased.

  By the way, conventionally, when the flow path is formed from the outlet 41 to the electric blower 7 in the dust separation unit 8, the flow is enlarged at the outlet 41 and an aerodynamic loss occurs. That is, if the opening area of the outlet 41 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the flow path, the flow velocity is reduced, dust is likely to accumulate near the outlet 41, and aerodynamic loss is likely to occur. In the present embodiment, the outflow port is smaller than the minimum area in the flow path of the cross-sectional area of the substantially annular channel formed by the outer wall 50, the inner wall 51, the upper surface 52, and the bottom surface 53 of the dust separation unit 8. The opening area of 41 is set to be the same or smaller. For this reason, the sudden expansion of the flow in the outlet 41 can be prevented. As a result, a decrease in flow velocity can be suppressed, aerodynamic loss can be further reduced, and dust collection efficiency can be further improved.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the dust collecting case portion of the dust collecting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, parts corresponding to those of Embodiment 1 described above are given the same reference numerals. is there. The substantially annular configuration formed by the outer wall, the inner wall, the upper surface, and the bottom surface is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the description will be made with reference to FIGS.

  Among the dust stored in the dust collection case 9, there is dust that rises in the dust collection case 9 and flows back to the air separation unit 8. This is because the inflow speed between the dust flowing in from the dust separating unit 8 and the air flow is within the opening surface of the dust outlet 54 that connects the dust separating unit 8 and the substantially rectangular parallelepiped dust collecting case 9 in FIG. As a result of experiments by the present inventors, it was found that the phenomenon of air flow circulation in the dust collection case 9 with the dust discharge port 54 as a base point occurs due to the different speed distribution as a result. . Furthermore, it was found that the pressure distribution in the opening surface of the dust outlet 54 is low at the upper part of the dust outlet 54 and high at the lower part.

  Therefore, in the dust collector of the present embodiment, the opening shape of the dust discharge port 54A is trapezoidal as shown in FIG. 7, and the upper side is less than three-fourths of the lower side. The pressure at the upper part in the opening surface of 54A was increased, and the velocity distribution in the opening surface of the dust discharge port 54A was flattened. Thereby, the air flow circulation in the dust collecting case 9 with the dust outlet 54A as a base point is reduced, and the dust collection efficiency can be improved.

  That is, in this embodiment, the spiral shape seen from the upper surface of the substantially annular dust separating part 8 of the cleaner body 2 is formed by an algebraic helix, and the opening area of the outlet 41 of the dust separating part 8 is made to flow. The cross-sectional area is equal to or less than the minimum area in the flow path, the shape of the dust outlet 54A of the dust collecting case 9 is trapezoidal, and its upper side is less than three quarters of the lower side. Therefore, it was possible to realize a dust collector with little fluid loss.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the outer shape curve viewed from the upper surface of the outer wall 50 is a curved shape that follows an algebraic helix, and the outer shape curve viewed from the upper surface of the inner wall 51 is described as an example. These relationships may be reversed, and even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the dust collector of the present invention is applied to a vacuum cleaner as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an air conditioner in which the dust collector is used, Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to products using air as a working fluid, such as a dust collecting mechanism of an electric tool, and products using water as a working fluid, such as a dust collecting mechanism of a washing machine.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the vacuum cleaner main body of the vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the flow of the air in the dust separation part and dust collection case part of the dust collector which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the flow of the air in the dust separation part and dust collection case part of the dust collector which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the flow of the air in the dust separation part and dust collection case part of the dust collector which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the aerodynamic performance of the dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention compared with the past. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the dust collection case part of the dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum cleaner, 8 dust separation part, 9 dust collection case, 40 inflow port, 41 outflow port, 54,54A Dust discharge port.

Claims (7)

A dust discharge port is provided on the outer wall of the substantially annular flow path formed between the one or more inflow ports and the outflow port, and the outflow direction of air from the outflow port is between the inflow port and the outflow port. A dust separation part formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the air moving direction, and formed so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path gradually decreases from the inlet to the outlet ,
A dust collection case disposed on the outside of the outer wall of the dust separator, and connected to the dust separator through the dust outlet ;
The shape of the opening surface of the dust discharge port is a trapezoid in which a side in the outflow direction of air from the outflow port is longer than a side in the direction opposite to the outflow direction of air from the outflow port. Dust collector. Wherein A gradually decreases, the dust collecting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inversely with the pressure loss of the gas dust separation unit is obtained by reducing the cross-sectional area of the flow path.   The dust collector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an outer shape or an inner shape of the dust separation portion is a spiral shape.   4. The dust collecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spiral shape is an algebraic spiral. For the minimum area of the cross-sectional area of the pre SL channel, dust collecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the opening area of the outlet were the same or less. It claims 1 to, characterized in that a length of less than three-quarters of the the direction of flow of air from the outlet port is an edge in the opposite direction to the outflow direction of the air from the outlet side The dust collector according to any one of 5 . The vacuum cleaner provided with the dust collector in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 .

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