JP4750164B2 - Cyclone separator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cyclone separation device that centrifuges a collection target, and more particularly to a cyclone separation device that can easily discharge a collected collection target.

Conventionally, the air in the collection container is exhausted from the exhaust part provided in the central part of the substantially cylindrical collection container, and is sucked in from the air suction part provided in the circumferential part of the collection container. The collected air is swung along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container, and then exhausted from the exhaust part through the filter means, so that relatively large dust contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container. In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a cyclone dust collector as an example of a cyclone separator that collects relatively small dust in the filter means.
This cyclone dust collecting device collects relatively large dust by centrifugal force by swirling relatively large dust, and collects relatively small dust flying on an air flow by a filter means placed in the air flow. Therefore, noise is low and dust collection efficiency is improved.

  When the above cyclone dust collector is used in a general household, cotton dust generated from futons and clothing occupies most of the dust collection volume. Since the fibers constituting the cotton dust itself have elasticity, the density of the dust is small, and it is necessary to frequently remove (throw away) it from the dust collecting part. In addition, since such dust is light and easily scattered, there is a problem that the user feels uncomfortable when the dust is scattered and re-scattered when disposed in an external trash can.

  However, since the cyclone dust collector described in Patent Document 1 collects dust by relying solely on the flow of air, it compresses low-density dust such as collected fibers to a certain level or more. It is not possible to improve the degree of dust accumulation in a limited dust collection space. Therefore, if the collected dust is not thrown away frequently, the collection efficiency will be reduced. Therefore, it takes time and effort to throw away the dust. Since it is easy to dispose of it in a trash can, it is impossible to solve the problem that it is impossible to eliminate the discomfort caused by dust scattering and re-scattering.

In order to solve such problems, it is necessary to compress the collected dust as hard as possible. As such a conventional dust collector equipped with dust compressing means, there is a dust collector equipped with mechanical compressing means described in Patent Document 2.
In the dust collector provided with such a mechanical compression means, the collected dust can be compressed hard, so that the dust collection efficiency does not decrease even when used continuously for a long time.
JP 2006-75584 A JP 2005-13312 A

However, in the dust collector described in Patent Document 2, the dust is compressed by pushing down a donut-shaped compression disk from above the dust collector via a handle operated by a person. This causes a new problem of bothering the user.
Moreover, in the dust collector of the said patent document 2, since the dust etc. are simply compressed linearly (without rotation) by pushing down the said compression disk, the said donut-shaped compression disk is started at the next operation start. When the height is increased, dust such as cotton dust whose shape is easily restored has a volume close to that before compression, and the effect of the compression operation is eventually lost.

  The above-mentioned problems are not limited to dust collectors such as vacuum cleaners, but materials from air containing various materials such as powders and fibers contained in the air, or various types of materials depending on the particle size. It is a problem that occurs equally in cyclone separators.

  In order to solve such a problem, the applicant of the present application has a collection container whose inner peripheral surface is substantially cylindrical, and is sucked from an air inlet provided in the circumferential direction of the collection container at its circumferential portion. The air is swirled along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface, and then exhausted through the filter means from the central portion of the collection container, whereby a relatively large collection target contained in the air is A cyclone separator for collecting at the bottom of the collection container and collecting relatively small collection objects by the filter means is improved, and a vertical central axis of the collection container is provided in the collection container. A cyclone separation device having a helically curved surface as a center and a compression member that is rotatable around the vertical central axis has been developed and has already been filed as Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-072942.

In this cyclone separation device, by opening the bottom cover of the collection container, it is possible to throw away the collected objects such as dust collected in the collection container. The object is entangled with the helical compression member and cannot be easily taken out by simply opening the bottom cover.
Such a problem is not only a dust collector such as an electric vacuum cleaner, which is a typical application target of the present invention, but also a problem in a cyclone separator that widely separates various materials.

  Therefore, the present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and the collection object collected by the rotation of the helical compression unit and entangled with the compression unit can be easily taken out from the collection container. It aims at providing a cyclone dust collector.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a collection container having an inner peripheral surface of a substantially cylindrical shape, and air sucked from an air inlet provided in the circumferential direction of the circumferential part of the collection container. Is swung along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface, and then exhausted from the central portion of the collection container through a filter means, thereby collecting a relatively large collection target contained in the air. A cyclone separation device that collects a relatively small collection object in the filter means while collecting at the bottom of the container, and is supported in a housing provided with the filter means in the collection container , In the cyclone separating apparatus having a helically curved surface centered on the vertical central axis of the collection container and having a compression member rotatable around the vertical central axis, the compression member is provided on the upper surface of the casing And rotate around the vertical center axis From outside operable handle cyclonic separating apparatus in standing by rotational operation around the vertical central axis and is configured as a cyclone separator, characterized in that it is rotated.
The compression member may be driven using a drive motor as well as the operation member. In that case, it is desirable to ensure the safety of the operator by preventing the operation member from rotating while being driven by the drive motor. Therefore, when the compression member is driven to rotate by the drive motor, it is desirable to provide a connection blocking means for blocking the connection between the operation member and the compression member.
As a preferred example of the connection blocking means, a normally open clutch can be provided.
That is, the clutch can be engaged when the operation member is operated, and the compression member can be rotated by scanning the operation member.
It can be assumed that the drive motor also serves as a dust removing member driving means for removing dust adhering to the filter means or dust adhering to each part.
Furthermore, the cyclone separator according to the present invention has an opening for discharging the collection object compressed by the compression member to the outside at the bottom of the collection container, and the opening is formed in the collection container. It is preferably adapted in the case where it can be opened and closed by a bottom lid provided on the bottom of the door.
When the collection object is dust, the cyclone separator according to the present invention is configured as a cyclone dust collector. A typical example of a cyclone dust collector is a vacuum cleaner.

Dust such as hair entangled by the rotation of the compression member as described above is not easily released to the outside even if the collection container is opened by entanglement with the compression member. Moreover, if dust is discharged vigorously, fine dust contained in the dust is scattered in the air, and the room is soiled. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that slowly releases dust to the outside by some simple method.
In the present invention, as described above, since the compression member can be rotated by operating the operation member that can be operated from the outside of the cyclone separator, the compression member can be operated by a simple operation in which the operator turns the operation member. Thus, dust such as hair entangled with the compression portion by the screw carrying action by the spiral portion can be released from the compression portion and released to the outside very easily and reliably. Further, since this operation is performed by a human, the dust is slowly discharged to the outside, and the inconvenience that fine dust or the like again scatters into the room and contaminates the indoor environment is avoided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be understood. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
Here, FIG. 1 is an external view of the vacuum cleaner X according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are for explaining the internal structure of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a spiral rotary compression unit provided in the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cyclone according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the upper lid of the dust collector is opened, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y according to the embodiment of the present invention centering on the helical rotary compression unit. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a spiral shape of the cyclone dust collector Y according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a rotational force transmission path to the rotary compression unit. By the rotation of the spiral rotary compression section, a cross-sectional view of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y describing a situation in which dust is compressed and laminated.

First, the schematic configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner X according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vacuum cleaner X is schematically configured to include a vacuum cleaner main body 1, an intake port 2, a connection pipe 3, a connection hose 4, an operation handle 5 and the like. The vacuum cleaner body 1 incorporates an electric blower (not shown), a cyclone dust collector Y, a control device (not shown), and the like. The cyclone dust collector Y will be described in detail later.
The electric blower has a blower fan for performing intake air and a blower drive motor that rotationally drives the blower fan. The control device includes control devices such as a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, and comprehensively controls the electric vacuum cleaner X. Specifically, in the control device, the CPU executes various processes according to a control program stored in the ROM.
The operation handle 5 is provided with an operation switch (not shown) for allowing the user to operate the vacuum cleaner X and to select an operation mode. A display unit (not shown) such as an LED for displaying the current state of the electric vacuum cleaner X is also provided in the vicinity of the operation switch.

The cleaner body 1 is connected to the intake port 2 via the connection hose 4 connected to the front end of the cleaner body 1 and the connection pipe 3 connected to the connection hose 4. ing.
Therefore, in the electric vacuum cleaner X, the electric blower (not shown) built in the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is operated, whereby intake from the intake port 2 is performed. Then, the air sucked from the intake port portion 2 flows into the cyclone dust collector Y through the connection pipe 3 and the connection hose 4. In the cyclone dust collector Y, dust is centrifuged from the sucked air. The air after the dust is separated by the cyclone dust collector Y is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) provided at the rear end of the cleaner body 1.

Hereinafter, the cyclone dust collector Y which is an example of the cyclone dust collector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y includes a housing 10, a dust collecting container 11 (an example of a collecting container), and the like. The casing 10 is generally configured to include an inner cylinder 12, an upper filter unit 13, a dust receiving portion 14, a dust removal drive mechanism 15, a lid portion 16, and the like.
In the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y, the dust collecting container 11, the inner cylinder 12, the upper filter unit 13, and the dust receiving portion 14 are arranged coaxially around a vertical central axis P. The cyclone dust collector Y is configured to be detachable from the cleaner body 1.
The housing 10, which is an example of the upper lid, includes an inner cylinder 12 that includes a filter 122.
In the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y, the air in the dust collecting container 11 is exhausted from the inner cylinder 12 provided at the center of the substantially cylindrical dust collecting container 11, so that the circumference of the dust collecting container 11 is increased. After the air sucked from the air inlet 111a (see FIG. 7) provided in the section is swung along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11, the air passes through the upper filter unit 13 as an example of the filter means. The air is exhausted through the inner cylinder 12, and a relatively heavy collection target contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the dust collecting container 11, and a relatively small collection target is collected in the upper filter. It is collected in the unit 13 or the like.

The dust collecting container 11 is a container having an inner peripheral surface for accommodating dust separated from the sucked air and having a substantially cylindrical outer shape. The dust container 11 is configured to be detachable from the casing 10 of the cyclone dust collector Y.
As shown in FIG. 2, a bottom cover 310 is attached to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 so as to be freely opened and closed. 2 shows a state in which the bottom lid 310 is closed, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the bottom lid 310 is opened. After the user removes the cyclone dust collecting device Y from the cleaner body 1, the user opens the bottom cover 310 as shown in FIG. 3 and discards the dust in the dust collecting container 11. The opening / closing mechanism of the bottom lid 310 will be described in detail later.
An annular seal member 161 is provided between the casing 10 of the cyclone dust collector Y and the dust container 11. The seal member 161 prevents air leakage between the housing 10 and the dust collecting container 11.
Further, the bottom cover 310 of the dust collecting container 11 is provided with a fitting portion 11a that fits into a rotating shaft portion 123b described later provided on the inner cylinder 12. An annular seal member 11b for filling a gap with the rotary shaft portion 123b of the inner cylinder 12 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the fitting portion 11a. The seal member 11b prevents air leakage between the rotary shaft portion 123b and the dust collecting container 11.

Further, the dust collecting container 11 is provided with a connecting portion 111 provided so as to communicate with the connecting hose 4 (see FIG. 1). Air sucked from the intake port 2 through the connection pipe 3 and the connection hose 4 flows into the dust collecting container 11 from the connection unit 111.
Here, the air inlet 111 a of the connecting portion 111 to the dust collecting container 11 is formed so that air from the connection hose 4 swirls within the dust collecting container 11. Specifically, the air inlet 111 a is formed so as to face the tangential direction of the dust collecting container 11, so that the air sucked from the inlet 111 a extends along the inner periphery of the dust collecting container 11. Turn. Accordingly, the dust contained in the swirling air is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11 by the centrifugal force caused by the swirling, and therefore, the swirling speed is lost and falls to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 and separated from the swirling air. (Centrifugation). The dust centrifuged in the dust collection container 11 is accommodated in the bottom of the dust collection container 11.
On the other hand, the air after the dust is separated is discharged from the exhaust port (not shown) provided in the cleaner body 1 along the exhaust path 112 indicated by the arrow 112a (FIG. 2) from the dust collecting container 11 to the outside. Exhausted. Here, on the exhaust path 112 from the dust collecting container 11 to the exhaust port (not shown), the inner cylinder 12, the dust receiving portion 14, the upper filter unit 13, and the lid portion 16 are sequentially arranged. Thus, relatively fine dust in the air flow is removed by filters provided in the inner cylinder 12 and the upper filter unit 13.

The inner cylinder 12 is a cylindrical member disposed in the dust collecting container 11. Here, the inner cylinder 12 is rotatably supported by the dust receiver 14. Specifically, the inner cylinder 12 is configured such that an annular concave portion 12a provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 is supported by an annular support portion 14c provided at the lower end of the dust receiving portion 14, thereby causing dust. It is suspended so that it can rotate integrally with the receiving part 14. In addition, the structure which supports the said inner cylinder 12 rotatably is not restricted to this. For example, it is conceivable as an example that the upper and lower ends of the inner cylinder 12 are pivotally supported.
Specifically, the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 is provided with a plurality of connecting portions 12b that engage with engaging portions 134c provided on an inclined dust removing member 134 described later. The connecting portion 12b is a rib provided so as to protrude upward at the opening edge of the upper end of the inner cylinder 12.
The inner cylinder 12 is connected to the inclined dust removing member 134 so as to be integrally rotatable by the engagement of the connecting portion 12b and the engaging portion 134c. As a result, the inner cylinder 12 rotates in conjunction with the inclined dust removing member 134. The connection structure of the inner cylinder 12 and the inclined dust removing member 134 is not limited to this. For example, the structure connected so that integral rotation is possible by fitting the fitting part provided in each of the said inner cylinder 12 and the said inclination dust removal member 134 is considered.

Further, an inner cylinder exhaust port 121 for exhausting the air after the dust is separated in the dust collecting container 11 toward the upper filter unit 13 is formed in the upper part of the inner cylinder 12. The inner cylinder exhaust port 121 is provided with a cylindrical inner cylinder filter 122 that covers the entire inner cylinder exhaust port 121. The inner cylinder filter 122 filters air passing through the inner cylinder exhaust port 121.
For example, the inner cylinder filter 122 is a mesh air filter or the like. The inner cylinder filter 122 may be provided either inside or outside the inner cylinder exhaust port 121. Further, a configuration in which a mesh-like hole is formed in the inner cylinder 12 instead of the exhaust port 121 and the inner cylinder filter 122 is also conceivable. In that case, the mesh holes function as the inner cylinder exhaust port 121 and the inner cylinder filter 122.

On the other hand, at the lower part of the inner cylinder 12, a spiral rotary compression part 123 that is rotatable around a vertical central axis for compressing dust in the dust collecting container 11 is provided.
Here, in addition to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the spiral rotation compression unit 123 will be described with reference to FIG. 4, which is a perspective view of the spiral rotation compression unit 123.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the spiral rotation compression portion 123 is provided with a spiral portion 123 a having a spiral curved surface, a rotation shaft portion 123 b, and a disk-shaped shielding member 123 c.
The rotating shaft portion 123b is a hollow cylinder fitted to the fitting portion 11a provided at the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. As described above, the seal member 11b (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is interposed between the rotating shaft portion 123b and the fitting portion 11a.

  The disk-shaped shielding member 123c is provided in the dust collection container 11 so as to separate the upper space (separation unit 104) that separates dust by centrifugal force of the swirling flow described later, and the lower space (collection unit) that accumulates dust. It serves as a partition with the dust part 105). This prevents the collected dust from rolling up and clogging the inner cylinder filter 122. Moreover, since it is disk-shaped, dust contained in the cyclone air current is not caught, and the dust can be efficiently guided to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11.

Further, the rotating shaft portion 123b extends spirally around the rotating shaft portion 123b toward the bottom surface of the dust collecting portion 105, and the upper and lower surfaces thereof are spirals centered on the vertical central axis P. A plate-shaped spiral portion 123a (an example of a compression member) that is curved with a curved surface is provided. As will be described later, the spiral portion 123a accumulates in the dust collecting container 11 when the inner cylinder 12 is rotated, and has a resistance to rotating in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11. Is moved toward the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 by carrying the screw. At this time, the helical curved surface of the compression member is formed so that the screw is retracted by rotation of the compression member when the helical curved surface is assumed to be a screw. Can be compressed.
At this time, it is preferable that the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a is formed with an inclination direction similar to the swirling airflow indicated by the arrow A in FIG. By rotating the spiral portion 123a in the direction opposite to the rotation of the arrow A in FIG. 6, the dust in the dust collecting container 11 moves to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 by friction with the inner surface of the dust collecting container 11. Will do.
However, it is also possible to incline the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the airflow swirling along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11. At this time, the rotation direction of the spiral portion 123a is the same as the rotation direction of the swirling airflow indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 6, that is, when the spiral portion 123a is assumed to be a screw, the screw is retracted by the rotation of the spiral portion 123a.
Further, when the inner cylinder 12 is rotated, the spiral portion 123a is brought into contact with the bottom surface by the friction with the bottom portion of the dust collecting container 11 against the dust that has moved to the bottom portion of the dust collecting container 11. The dust is pushed out and compressed from the center of the rotation axis to the outside by rotation. According to such a configuration, since the dust is firmly compressed by the rotation, the amount of dust that can be accumulated in the dust collecting container 11 can be increased. Therefore, for example, the dust container 11 can be downsized. In addition, since the hardly compressed dust cannot be easily dissolved, there is no problem of scattering into the air even when it is taken out, and it can be discarded as it is.

Further, as described above, a part of the dust compressed by the spiral portion 123a by the rotation of the spiral rotary compression portion 123 includes long hairs and the like, and thus entangles with the spiral portion 123a. Therefore, even if the bottom lid 310 is opened as described above and dust is released from the opening 330 formed in the bottom of the dust collecting container 11, it is not easily released to the outside. In addition, when dust is released vigorously, fine dust contained in the dust is scattered in the air, and the room is soiled. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that slowly releases dust to the outside by some simple method. A mechanism for slowly releasing dust provided for that purpose to the outside by a simple operation will be described below.
A handle 314 is provided on the upper surface of the lid portion 16 constituting the upper portion of the housing 10. The handle 314 is an example of an operation member that can be operated from the outside.
The handle 314 is rotatable around the vertical axis independently of the upper housing 312. The handle 314 has a built-in upper handle gear 316 that forms a slope, and the upper handle built-in gear 316 and the lower handle built-in gear 318 that also form a slope are inclined in the same direction. Facing each other. Since the upper handle built-in gear 316 and the lower handle built-in gear 318 are inclined surfaces as described above, when the upper handle built-in gear 316 rotates, the lower handle built-in gear 318 is pushed by the slope and moves downward. Moving. Therefore, by rotating the handle 314, the upper handle built-in gear 316 meshes with the lower handle built-in gear 318, and the rotation of the handle 314 is transmitted to the lower handle built-in gear 318.
The lower handle built-in gear 318 is formed on the upper surface of the intermediate body 320, and the clutch gear 322 is formed on the lower surface of the intermediate body 320. The clutch gear 322 also moves downward together with the body 320.
Below the intermediate body 320 is provided a clutch receiving portion 326 that is integrally fixed to the filter dust removing member 132 through a gap outside the figure, and the clutch is moved in accordance with the downward movement of the intermediate body 320. The gear 322 and the clutch receiving portion 326 are engaged with each other, and the rotation of the handle 314 is transmitted to the filter dust removing member 132 via the clutch mechanism including the clutch gear 322 and the clutch receiving portion 326, and is connected to the filter dust removing member 132. The inner cylinder 12 and the helical rotary compression member 123 connected integrally therewith rotate, and the spiral portion 123a rotates. As a result, the dust entangled with the spiral portion 123a is slowly conveyed toward the tip of the spiral portion 123a by the carrying action of the screw of the spiral portion 123a, and from the bottom opening of the dust collecting container 11 opened by opening the bottom lid 310. Released to the outside.
As the handle 314 is rotated by the operator in this manner, the dust is slowly discharged to the outside, so that the fine dust contained in the dust does not rise or scatter, and the room is contaminated with dust. There is nothing to do.
When the hand is released from the handle 314, the intermediate pair 320 is pushed up by a spring (not shown) built in the spring accommodating portion 328, and the clutch mechanism including the clutch gear 322 and the clutch receiving portion 326 is released. Thus, since the clutch mechanism is in an open state unless the handle 314 is operated, even if the filter dust removing member 132 is rotated by the slow dust driving motor 151, the handle 314 does not rotate, which is safe.

On the other hand, the air after being filtered by the inner cylinder filter 122 of the inner cylinder 12 is guided to the upper filter unit 13 through the inner cylinder 12.
Here, the upper filter unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIGS. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the lid 16 viewed from below, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the upper filter unit 13 viewed from above.
The upper filter unit 13 includes a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 131, a filter dust removing member 132, an inclined dust removing member 134, and the like.

The HEPA filter 131 is a kind of air filter that further filters the air exhausted from the inner cylinder 12 and flowing on the exhaust path 112.
The HEPA filter 131 is composed of a set of a plurality of filters arranged and fixed in an annular shape around the vertical central axis P. Each of the plurality of filters is fixed to a framework as shown in FIG. 5B, for example. Further, the plurality of filters included in the HEPA filter 131 are arranged in a pleat shape in which unevenness is repeated in a substantially horizontal direction. Thereby, the filter area in the HEPA filter 131 is sufficiently secured. An annular seal member 162 is provided between the lower end of the HEPA filter 131 and the housing 10. Thereby, air leakage between the HEPA filter 131 and the housing 10 is prevented.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a hollow portion 131 a into which a connecting portion 133 provided in a filter dust removing member 132 described later is fitted is formed in the center of the HEPA filter 131. The hollow portion 131a is provided with a support portion 131b that rotatably supports the connecting portion 133.

As described above, in the cyclone dust collector Y, the dust collecting power is enhanced by filtering the air in two stages of the inner cylinder filter 122 and the HEPA filter 131.
However, if dust accumulates on the HEPA filter 131 and becomes clogged, the air passage resistance increases. For this reason, the load on the electric blower (not shown) is increased, and there is a possibility that the dust absorption force is reduced. Therefore, the upper filter unit 13 is provided with the filter dust removing member 132 for removing dust adhering to the HEPA filter 131.

The filter dust removing member 132 is rotatably supported by the support portion 131 b provided at the center of the HEPA filter 131. Specifically, the filter dust removing member 132 is provided with a connecting member 133 that is rotatably supported by the support portion 131b.
In addition, the inclined dust removing member 134 is screwed into the connecting portion 133 with a screw 133b in a screw hole 133a provided in the connecting portion 133. Accordingly, the filter dust removing member 132 and the inclined dust removing member 134 are connected so as to be integrally rotatable. An annular seal member 163 that fills the gap is provided between the inclined dust removing member 134 and the HEPA filter 131. Accordingly, air leakage between the inclined dust removing member 134 and the HEPA filter 131 is prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A, the filter dust removing member 132 has three contact portions 132a arranged along the HEPA filter 131 at predetermined intervals so as to contact the upper end portion of the HEPA filter 131. have. The contact portion 132a is a leaf spring-like elastic member. The contact portion 132a is not limited to a leaf spring-like elastic member. The contact portion 132a may be one or more.
The filter dust removing member 132 is formed with a gear 132b on the outer periphery thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, the gear 132 b is meshed with a gear 15 a provided on the rotation shaft of the dust removal drive motor 151 provided in the dust removal drive mechanism 15 provided in the cyclone dust collector Y.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the dust removal drive mechanism 15 has a gradual dust drive motor 151 (an example of a drive motor) provided on the cleaner body 1 side. In the dust removal drive mechanism 15, the rotational force of the dust removal drive motor 151 is transmitted to the gear 15a. The rotational force of the gear 15a of the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is transmitted to the gear 132b. Thereby, the filter dust removing member 132 is rotated.
The rotation of the filter dust removing member 132 is transmitted to the inclined dust removing member 134 as described above, and the inner cylinder 12 rotating integrally with the inclined dust removing member 134 and the helical rotation compression unit 123 integral with the inner cylinder 12 are provided. Rotate around the vertical central axis P.
In this embodiment, the case where the filter dust removal member 132 is rotated by the dust removal drive motor will be described as an example. However, the filter dust removal member 132 is manually rotated instead of the dust removal drive motor 151. It is also conceivable as another embodiment to provide a mechanism that can be made to operate.
Further, it is naturally conceivable to rotate the helical rotary compression unit 123 by another motor other than the dust removal drive motor. In the case where it is desired to separately perform dust removal of the upper filter unit 13 and rotation of the spiral rotary compression unit 123, it is conceivable to employ such a separate drive.

  When the filter dust removing member 132 is rotated, each of the three contact portions 132a provided on the filter dust removing member 132 intermittently collides with the HEPA filter 131 formed in a pleat shape to give vibration. Accordingly, the dust adhering to the HEPA filter 131 is knocked down by the vibration applied from the filter dust removing member 132. Note that the timing at which the dust removal drive motor (not shown) is operated is preferably, for example, before or after the start of the dust collection operation in the electric vacuum cleaner X. Thereby, the dust removal of the HEPA filter 131 can be effectively performed in the state where there is no airflow downstream in the HEPA filter 131 due to the intake air by the electric blower.

  As described above, the dust receiving portion 14 supports the inner cylinder 12 in a rotatable manner. Specifically, at the lower end of the edge portion of the opening 14a of the dust receiving portion 14, the annular support portion 14c that is fitted into the annular recess 12a provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 is provided. . Thereby, the inner cylinder 12 is suspended in a rotatable state by the dust receiver 14.

Next, the structure of the helical rotation compression unit 123 will be described in more detail.
As described above, the cyclone dust collector Y is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and includes the upper filter unit 13 disposed in the upper portion and the dust collecting container 11 disposed in the lower portion.

  A disc-shaped shielding member 123 c that is a boundary portion between the separation portion 104 and the dust collection portion 105 is integrally joined to the lower end of the inner cylinder 12 housed in the dust collection container 11. The outer diameter of the disk-shaped shielding member 123c and the spiral portion 123a below the disk-shaped shielding member 123c is substantially the same and smaller than the inner diameter of the separation portion 104, and is between the outer periphery of the disk-shaped shielding member 123c and the inner wall of the dust collecting container 11. There is a gap (clearance) 106 (FIG. 2). The clearance (clearance) 106 can smoothly move even when dust having a certain volume is transferred to the dust collection unit 105 when the dust separated in the separation unit 104 is moved to the dust collection unit 105. This value is suitable for rolling up the accumulated dust and preventing the inner cylinder filter 122 from being clogged. According to experiments, it was found that about 13 mm is desirable.

  The disc-shaped shielding member 123c has a predetermined thickness in the height direction. The thickness of the disc-shaped shielding member 123c in the height direction affects the centrifugal separation performance in the separation unit 104, and is about 13 mm obtained by experiments in this embodiment.

  Further, as described above, the spiral portion 123a of the spiral rotary compression portion 123 is formed in a curved plate shape sandwiched between upper and lower spiral curved surfaces, and is substantially vertically downward from the disk-shaped shielding member 123c. Centering on the extending rotating shaft portion 123b, from the starting end (connecting portion with the disk-shaped shielding member 123c) to the terminal end (lower end) toward the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11, there is at least one turn around the rotating shaft portion 123b. It is formed to wrap around. A desirable number for the winding angle is 1.6. By such winding, the spiral portion 123a is formed with a spiral swirling surface that is inclined downward along the rotational direction of the cyclonic swirling airflow along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11.

Further, a gap (clearance) 108 (see FIG. 2) is interposed between the terminal end (lower end) of the spiral portion 123a of the spiral rotary compression portion 123 and the bottom surface of the bottom lid 310. As a result, the amount of dust that can be pushed out and compressed outward from the center of the rotating shaft can be greatly increased.
Further, the width of the gap 108 is pressed against the bottom of the dust collecting portion 105, and the compressed dust is damaged between the end of the spiral portion and the bottom of the dust collecting portion 105, or the foreign matter is clogged. It is a value that can prevent. In the present embodiment, the width of the gap 108 obtained by an experiment using 10 g of DMT standard dust TYPE8 based on IEC standards as test dust is set to about 6 to 13 mm.

The operation of the vacuum cleaner configured as described above will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the airflow that enters the separation unit 104 of the dust collecting container 11 from the air inlet 111 a of the connection unit 111 formed in the circumferential direction of the separation unit 104 is a cylindrical shape of the separation unit 104. It turns at high speed along the inner circumference. Centrifugal force acts on relatively large dust in the swirling airflow to be separated from the airflow and pressed against the inner wall of the dust collecting container 11. As shown in FIG. 2, since the air outlet 121 is located below, the airflow then enters the dust collecting unit 105 while turning. The swirling airflow (main flow) turns upward after reaching the bottom surface of the dust collecting unit 105.

  Further, the dust carried by the air current indicated by the arrow A shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 is caught (trapped) in the space 112a between the terminal end (lower end) of the spiral portion 123a and the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11. Accumulated and stacked in order from the bottom along the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a. For this reason, an increase in pressure loss can be further prevented.

  Furthermore, since the rotational direction of the airflow swirling around the gap 107 around the spiral rotary compression unit 123 and the inclination direction of the spiral portion 123a of the spiral rotary compression unit 123 coincide, Is also slightly compressed. As a result, the volume of accumulated and stacked dust is reduced, and more efficient dust collection can be achieved.

Next, the accumulation of dust by the air flow and the action of stacking will be described.
As described above, the sucked dust is separated in the separation unit 104 and guided to the dust collection unit 105 through the gap 106 (FIG. 2). In the dust collection unit 105, the dust is accumulated by passing through the gap 107 and being blocked (trapped) by the gap 108. This accumulation is stacked on the already accumulated dust every time the spiral rotary compression unit 123 is rotated. Therefore, in this dust collector, since the stack grows along the spiral portion 123a without being biased, it is not accumulated unevenly within the dust collector 105, and compared with a dust collector of the same volume. As a result, the dust collection capacity is dramatically improved.
Moreover, the spiral part 123a can be made into the spiral shape with the directionality which inclines below along the rotation direction of a cyclone swirl | vortex airflow. In this case, the compression effect by the cyclone airflow is also obtained. This further improves the dust collection capacity.

Next, the action of rotational compression will be specifically described.
For example, when the drive of the blower drive motor is stopped, the airflow stops turning. When the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is driven after confirming the drive stop of the blower drive motor, as described above, the inner cylinder 12, the exhaust port 121, the disk-shaped shielding member 123c, the spiral rotation compression portion 123, the rotation shaft portion. 123b is integrally rotated about the vertical central axis P in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 8 (counterclockwise as viewed from above). In this way, the rotation by the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is transmitted to the rotation shaft portion 123b via the first rotation axis 152 and the second rotation axis 153 shown in FIG.
When the helical rotation compression unit 123 rotates in this way, thrust is generated in the rotation axis direction (vertical downward direction indicated by arrow E in FIG. 9) based on the principle of the screw. Due to this thrust, the dust 200 of FIG. 9 accumulated in the dust collection unit 105 is pushed out in the direction of the rotation axis and compressed in the direction of the rotation axis by being pressed against the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11.

  Further, since the helical rotation compression unit 123 rotates and performs a compression operation, the rotation of the helical rotation compression unit 123 generates an outward force on the dust from the shaft rotation center. For this reason, the dust tends not to adhere to the cylindrical rotating shaft portion 123b so that the maintainability is remarkably improved. Further, even when dust adheres to the helical rotation compression unit 123, the rotation of the helical rotation compression unit 123 causes the dust to be peeled off when being compressed downward. Thus, the maintainability of the spiral rotary compression unit 123 is very high.

  Furthermore, as described above, since the compressed dust is consolidated into a donut shape and integrated, it is possible to prevent dust from being scattered or spilled at the time of throwing away garbage, and to efficiently throw away garbage.

  By rotating the helical rotation compression unit 123 by a driving means such as a motor, the helical rotation compression unit 123 can be automatically rotated while the blower drive motor is being driven (during suction). By this operation, dust can be collected and collected and simultaneously compressed. Thereby, it can compress more efficiently and the above-mentioned effect further increases. In addition, even if a large amount of dust is sucked at once, it can be compressed, so cleaning can be performed continuously for a long time.

  Further, by intermittently rotating the helical rotation compression unit 123 while the blower drive motor is being driven (during suction), it is possible to perform compression simultaneously with the collection of dust, and the helical rotation compression unit 123 Since it does not continue to drive for a long time, an increase in power consumption can be prevented, and the product life associated with the life of the drive mechanism can be increased. Furthermore, the noise when the compressor drive mechanism is driven can be reduced, and a cyclone dust collector that is quieter and easier to use can be obtained.

The external view of the vacuum cleaner X which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the helical rotation compression part provided in the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The disassembled perspective view which shows the state which opened the upper cover of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention centering on a helical rotation compression part. The disassembled perspective view for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the rotational force transmission path | route to the helical rotation compression part of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector Y explaining the condition where dust is compressed and laminated | stacked by rotation of a helical rotation compression part.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Case (separator main body)
11 ... Dust collection container (collection container)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Inner cylinder 13 ... Upper filter unit 14 ... Dust receiving part 15 ... Dust removal drive mechanism 104 ... Separation part 105 ... Dust collection part 123 ... Spiral rotational compression part 123a ... Spiral part (compression part)
123b ... Rotating shaft 123c ... Disc-shaped shielding member 123d ... Start end 200, 201 ... Dust 400 ... Rib 310 ... Bottom lid 111a ... Inlet 112a ... Arrow (exhaust path)
312 ... Upper housing 314 ... Handle 316 ... Upper handle built-in gear 318 ... Lower handle built-in gear 319 ... Gap 320 ... Intermediate 322 ... Clutch gear 324 ... Gap 326 ... Clutch receiving part

Claims (6)

An inner peripheral surface is provided with a substantially cylindrical collection container, and air sucked from an air inlet provided in the circumferential direction on the circumferential portion of the collection container is disposed along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface. After swirling, the relatively large collection object contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container and is relatively small by exhausting from the center of the collection container through the filter means. A cyclone separation device for collecting an object to be collected in the filter means,
In the collection container, a compression member supported by a housing having the filter means and having a spiral curved surface centered on the vertical center axis of the collection container is rotatable around the vertical center axis. In the cyclone separator
Said compression member, said provided on the upper surface of the housing, by rotating the external from operable handle rotatable cyclonic separating apparatus around the vertical central axis about said vertical center axis, is rotated cyclone separator, characterized in that that. A drive motor for driving the compression member;
The cyclone separation device according to claim 1, further comprising a connection blocking means for cutting off the connection between the operation member and the compression member when the compression member is rotationally driven by the drive motor. The connection blocking means is a normally open clutch;
The cyclone separator according to claim 2, wherein the clutch is coupled by operating the operating member, and the compression member is rotated by operating the operating member.   4. The cyclone separator according to claim 2, wherein the drive motor also serves as a drive means for a dust removing member that removes dust attached to the filter means or dust attached to each portion.   The bottom of the collection container is formed with an opening for discharging the collection object compressed by the compression member to the outside, and the opening is openable and closable at the bottom of the collection container. The cyclone separator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which can be opened and closed by a lid.   The cyclone separator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the collection object is applied to a cyclone dust collector that is dust.

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