JP4941425B2 - Cyclone dust collector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cyclone dust collector, and more particularly to a cyclone dust collector suitable for a vacuum cleaner.

A cyclone dust collector is a device that swirls air mixed with dust (hereinafter referred to as air-fuel mixture) in a cylinder and separates dust and air using a specific gravity difference, and is used in various fields. ing. For example, home appliances are mainly installed in vacuum cleaners.
Further, it has been found that the cyclone dust collector can obtain a sufficient collection performance by setting the inflow velocity of the air-fuel mixture at the intake port in the range of 15 to 25 m / s.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional electric vacuum cleaner. In FIG. 10, the air-fuel mixture is sucked from the suction port body 102 having the suction port 101 facing the floor surface F, and installed in the cleaner main body 104 via the connection pipe 103 connected to the suction port body 101. It flows into the intake pipe 1 of the cyclone dust collector.

The air-fuel mixture flows into the cyclone chamber 2 from the intake port 3 provided so as to be in contact with the inner wall of the cylindrical cyclone chamber 2, and swirls in the cyclone chamber 2.
Therefore, dust having a large specific gravity mixed in the air-fuel mixture is blown to the wall surface side by centrifugal force, and falls and accumulates in the dust collection chamber 4 at the bottom of the cyclone chamber 2.
On the other hand, air that does not contain dust flows into the exhaust pipe 6 through the exhaust port 5 provided in the center of the cyclone chamber 2, and is discharged from the cleaner main body 104 to the outside by the blower motor 105.

Further, in the middle of the connecting pipe 103 of the vacuum cleaner, a hand switch 106 constituted by a power on / off switch and a strength switch for adjusting the strength of the energized power is provided.
From this, when cleaning persistent stains such as carpets, the rotational speed of the motor is increased by increasing the energization power to generate a strong suction force. On the other hand, at night when the sound is worrisome or when cleaning the mat, the number of rotations of the motor is reduced by reducing the energization power to lower the noise value or to eliminate the sticking to the mat. Thus, the vacuum cleaner is used by changing the air volume.

  However, when the amount of air flowing into the cyclone dust collector decreases, the inflow air velocity at the intake port 3 becomes slow and the dust is difficult to separate, and the collection performance of the cyclone dust collector is reduced. On the other hand, when the amount of air flowing into the cyclone dust collector increases, the inflow air velocity at the intake port 3 increases, and the dust is easily separated and the collection performance of the cyclone dust collector increases, but the pressure loss is excessive. Get higher. For this reason, the following techniques have been proposed.

  FIG. 11 is a plan sectional view showing a conventional inlet flow path variable type separator. In FIG. 11, a slide gate 210 for adjusting the inflow area is disposed in the inflow path 202 of the cyclone main body 201. That is, in the case of a large flow rate, the slide gate 210 is opened, and the slide gate 210 is closed as the flow rate becomes smaller, so that the inflow speed is kept substantially constant. Therefore, the separation performance is sufficiently exhibited from a large flow rate to a small flow rate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a conventional cyclone device. In FIG. 12, a movable vane plate 310 is provided at the inlet 307 of the cyclone 301 so as to be openable about the axis of the support shaft 311. A driving arm 312 is fixed to the support shaft 311, a cylinder device 313 (driving the movable blade 310) is connected to the driving arm 312, and a PID control device 314 that controls the driving is connected to the cylinder device 313. It is connected.
A differential pressure gauge 315 is provided for measuring a pressure difference between the inflow gas pressure at the inlet 307 and the outflow gas pressure at the outlet 309 (corresponding to the pressure loss of the cyclone device), and the measured value is input to the PID control device 314. Is done.
Accordingly, the fact that the measured value falls below (or exceeds) the set value indicates that the inflow amount of the inflow gas 306 has decreased (increased) and the gas flow velocity at the inlet 307 has decreased (increased). The PID control device 314 operates the cylinder device 313 according to the measured value to close (open) the movable blade 310.
That is, the flow path width at the inlet portion 307 is narrowed (widened) to increase (drop) the pressure loss with respect to the inflowing gas 306 to a set value, and the flow rate of the inflowing gas 306 at the inlet portion 307 is recovered to stabilize the dust recovery rate. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-187259 (page 3-4, Fig. 1) JP 11-90274 A (page 2-3, FIG. 1)

However, any of the prior arts
(1) a differential pressure gauge for measuring the pressure difference between the inflow gas pressure and the outflow gas pressure;
(2) a driving means for driving a slide gate or a movable blade plate for changing the flow path width;
(3) Control means for controlling the drive means based on the measured value of the differential pressure gauge is required.

For this reason, there were the following problems:
(i) The number of parts constituting the cyclone dust collector is increased, the mechanism becomes complicated, and the cyclone dust collector itself becomes large and heavy.
(ii) In addition, the manufacturing cost of the cyclone dust collector increases.
(iii) In particular, when installed in a vacuum cleaner, the degree of freedom in the external design of the vacuum cleaner is hindered.
(iv) Furthermore, when large dust is sucked in a small flow rate and the large dust is caught in the gap between the slide gate or the movable blade plate and the inner surface of the inflow passage, it is difficult to remove.
(v) When the cyclone dust collector is used in the horizontal position, the separated and collected dust enters the inflow channel from the entrance.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and a cyclone capable of maintaining dust collection performance (recovery performance) even when the amount of air to be sucked is changed by a simple structure. The object is to obtain a dust collector.

A cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to the present invention is a cyclone chamber that separates dust and air by swirling an intake air composed of air mixed with dust,
An intake pipe installed at the intake port of the cyclone chamber for sucking the intake air;
An exhaust pipe that is installed at the exhaust port of the cyclone chamber and exhausts the exhaust of air from which dust has been separated;
A connecting pipe connecting the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe;
It is movably arranged inside the connecting pipe and moves according to the pressure difference between the pressure of the intake air in the intake pipe and the pressure of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe, and changes the opening area of the intake port according to the amount of movement. A moving object ,
When the pressure difference becomes zero, and means for closing the intake port by moving the movable body,
The provided and is characterized in Rukoto.

  According to the present invention, when the pressure difference becomes zero, the moving body moved by the actuator closes the intake port, so that dust caught in the gap between the moving body and the suction port is removed.

[Referenced form]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cyclone dust collector used as a reference of the present invention. Air mixed with dust flowing from the intake pipe 1 (hereinafter referred to as intake air) flows into the cyclone chamber 2 through the intake port 3 provided so as to be in contact with the cylindrical cyclone chamber 2 and swirls within the cyclone chamber 2. To do.
Here, dust (granular, lump, etc.) having a large specific gravity is blown to the wall surface side of the cyclone chamber 2 by centrifugal force and separated from air. The separated dust falls and accumulates in the dust collection chamber 4 at the bottom of the cyclone chamber 2. On the other hand, the air after the dust is separated (hereinafter referred to as exhaust) flows into the exhaust pipe 6 through the exhaust port 5 provided in the center of the cyclone chamber 2.

In addition, a connecting pipe 16 that connects the intake pipe 1 and the exhaust pipe 6 is provided, and the moving body 7 is disposed in the connecting pipe 16.
The moving body 7 is urged by a spring 8 in a direction protruding toward the intake pipe 1, and the opening area S3 of the intake port 3 varies depending on the protruding amount. Note that the spring 8 may be a compression spring (using a repulsive force) that pushes out the moving body 7 or a tension spring (using a contracting force) that pulls the moving body 7. The spring 8 is not limited to a coil spring, and may be a leaf spring. Furthermore, it may be an elastic body block such as a urethane resin that exhibits the action.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the force acting on the moving body in FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to this same part as FIG. 1, and one part description is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 2, since the moving body 7 is disposed in an airtight and slidable manner on the connecting pipe 16, the moving body 7 includes an exhaust pressure P <b> 6 (hereinafter referred to as exhaust pressure P <b> 6) and an intake pipe. The pressure P1 of the intake air at 1 (hereinafter referred to as the intake pressure P1) acts in the opposite direction.
That is, the pressure difference P16 (P16 = P1-P6, hereinafter referred to as differential pressure P16) acts on the moving body 7. Here, since the differential pressure P16 is equal to the pressure difference across the cyclone dust collector, it can be considered as a pressure loss of the cyclone dust collector.

Further, since the moving body 7 is pushed into the intake pipe 1 by the spring 8 in the direction in which the intake port 3 closes (the same as the direction in which the opening area S3 decreases), the moving body 7 has the force of the spring 8 (hereinafter referred to as the moving body 7). , Referred to as spring force F8).
That is, when the air volume W1 of the intake air flowing into the cyclone dust collector is constant, the force F7 acting on the moving body 7 is balanced with the spring force F8, so that the area receiving the pressure of the moving body 7 is S7 (exhaust). Assuming that the area receiving the atmospheric pressure P6 and the area receiving the intake pressure P1 are equal), the following relational expression holds.
F8 = F7 = P16 × S7 (1)
On the other hand, the differential pressure P16 is displayed as a function by the intake air volume W1 (P16 increases as W1 increases), and the intake air inlet velocity V3 at the intake port 3 (hereinafter referred to as intake port wind speed V3) is the air volume. Since the function is represented by W1 and the opening area S3 (V3 increases as W1 increases and decreases as S3 increases), the following relational expression holds.
P16 = f (W1) (2)
V3 = g (W1, S3) (3)
Further, the opening area S3 is expressed as a function by the movement amount δ7 of the moving body 7 (same as the compression amount δ8 of the spring 8) (S3 decreases as δ7 increases, for example, proportionally when the opening area is rectangular) Therefore, the following relational expression holds.
S3 = h (δ7) = h (δ8) (4)
From the above, since the opening area S3 for assuring a predetermined intake port wind speed V3 with respect to the intake air volume W1 is obtained, the compression amount δ8 of the spring 8 is determined.
On the other hand, since the differential pressure P16 is determined from the air volume W1, the spring coefficient K is calculated by the following equation.
F8 = K × δ8 (5)
Therefore, the spring coefficient K is selected such that the inlet speed V3 is in the range of 15 m / s to 25 m / s. Thereby, even if the air volume W1 changes, the moving body 7 automatically moves, so that the inlet wind speed V3 is always maintained at an optimum value.

For example, when the air volume of the intake air increases to W1 + ΔW1, the differential pressure P16 increases to greatly compress the spring 8 (the spring force increases to F8 + ΔF8), and the opening area increases to S3 + ΔS3. Therefore, V3 = g (W1 + ΔW1, From S3 + ΔS3), the inlet air velocity V3 can be maintained at a substantially constant value (same as suppressing further increase).
Therefore, since excessive swirl wind speed in the cyclone chamber 2 can be suppressed, the amount of increase in pressure loss of the cyclone dust collector can be reduced.
FIG. 3 is a correlation diagram showing the relationship between the air volume and the pressure loss of the cyclone dust collector referred to in the present invention. In the form referred to in FIG. 3, the pressure loss gradually increases with the increase in the air volume. On the other hand, in the case where the moving object indicated by the black triangle is not provided, the pressure loss rapidly increases.

On the other hand, when the air volume of the intake air decreases to W1-ΔW1, the differential pressure P16 decreases, the spring 8 expands (spring force decreases to F8-ΔF8), and the opening area decreases to S3-ΔS3. = G (W1-ΔW1, S3-ΔS3), the intake air inlet wind speed V3 can be maintained at a substantially constant value (same as suppressing so as not to further decrease).
That is, since the decrease in the inlet air velocity V3 is automatically prevented, the turning force in the cyclone chamber 2 can be maintained. Therefore, even if there is little air volume, dust can fully be isolate | separated and the collection performance of a cyclone dust collector can be maintained high.
FIG. 4 is a correlation diagram showing the relationship between the air volume of the cyclone dust collector referred to in the present invention and the inlet air velocity. In the form referred to in FIG. 4 and indicated by a black circle, the inlet wind speed is a constant value regardless of the increase or decrease of the air volume. On the other hand, in the thing which does not comprise what corresponds to the moving body shown by the black triangle, the air inlet wind speed increases proportionally with the increase in the air volume.

  Note that, when large dust blocks the gap between the intake port 3 and the moving body 7, the exhaust pressure P6 decreases (negative pressure increases), so the differential pressure P16 acting on the moving body 7 increases. For this reason, the force (spring force F8) acting on the spring 8 is increased and the spring 8 is contracted (the same as when the moving body 7 is pulled toward the discharge pipe 6), and the opening area of the intake port 3 is increased. Therefore, the dust is automatically removed.

As mentioned above, according to the form referred to, since the microcomputer, the actuator, and the measuring device are not used, the number of parts is reduced and the structure is simple, and the collection performance is kept high regardless of the increase / decrease in the air volume. Thus, it is possible to obtain a small and inexpensive cyclone dust collector.
For example, when installed in a vacuum cleaner, the air volume is reduced not only when the air volume changes due to the operation mode change operation, but also due to disturbance such as suction of foreign matter at the suction port 101 (see FIG. 10) or sticking to the carpet. Even in this case, since the collection performance of the cyclone dust collector can be maintained high, a comfortable use environment can be provided.
Furthermore, since the vacuum cleaner is reduced in size, weight, ease of arrangement in the machine, and the degree of freedom in appearance design is increased, the commercial value is improved.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the moving body 7 is moved by the actuator 11. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to this same part as the form (FIG. 1) referred, and one part description is abbreviate | omitted.
The moving body 7 is disposed in the intake pipe 6 so as to protrude freely, and the opening area S3 of the intake port 3 increases or decreases depending on the protruding amount.
Further, the air volume W6 of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 6 is measured by an air volume measuring device 9 provided in the exhaust pipe 6. The measurement information is transmitted to the microcomputer 10, and the microcomputer 10 determines the moving amount δ 7 of the moving body 7 so that the intake port speed V 3 (the intake air flow velocity at the intake port 3) becomes an optimum value, and sends it to the actuator 11. Tell. Then, the actuator 11 moves the moving body 7 by the optimum movement amount δ7.
That is, when the air volume W6 is small, the moving body 7 is projected so that the opening area S3 of the intake port 3 is small, and when the air volume W6 is large, the moving body 7 is pulled back so that the opening area S3 of the air inlet 3 is large.

Further, when large dust 99 is sucked when the air volume W6 is relatively small, the dust 99 is caught in the gap between the air inlet 3 and the moving body 7 as shown in FIG. At this time, since the opening area S3 of the intake port 3 is blocked by the dust 99, the air volume W6 flowing through the exhaust pipe 6 is rapidly reduced.
If the microcomputer 10 determines that dust clogging has occurred based on this information (the amount of change (differential value) of the airflow W6 has reached a predetermined value or more), the microcomputer 10 sucks the moving body 7 into the actuator 11. A command is given to pull back once to the position where the opening area S3 of the mouth 3 is maximized, and then push out to the optimum position. Thereby, the dust 99 caught in the gap between the moving body 7 and the suction port 3 is removed.

Note that the dust clogging detection means in FIG. 5 is not limited to the means for measuring the air volume W6 by the air volume measuring device 9, and even if the air volume is measured from the wind speed or pressure information or the air volume is estimated from the energized power. good.
Further, instead of the air volume measuring device 9, a differential pressure gauge for measuring the differential pressure P16 between the exhaust pressure P6 and the intake pressure P1 may be arranged.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another dust clogging detecting means of the cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description is omitted.
In FIG. 6A, a material confirmation sensor 12 (a so-called material presence sensor) is installed at the intake port 3 to directly detect the presence or absence of dust clogging in the part.
The material confirmation sensor 12 detects capacitance or dielectric constant (or change amount thereof), detects light to detect reflected light (or change amount thereof), or jets gas to inject pressure. Any type may be used, such as one that detects (or the amount of change).
In FIG. 6B, a strain gauge 13 is installed on the connecting rod 11a that connects the actuator 11 and the moving body 7, and the force (or the amount of change) acting on the moving body 7 is monitored to check whether there is dust clogging. Is detected.
When the actuator 11 is a fluid cylinder, the pressure (or the amount of change) of the fluid may be detected. Furthermore, a position detector may be installed on the moving body 7 to detect the amount of movement (or the amount of change).

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the moving body 7 is moved by the actuator 11 only when the gap between the air inlet 3 and the moving body 7 is closed by dust or the like. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to this same part as the form (FIG. 1) or Embodiment 1 (FIG. 5) which was referred, and one part description is abbreviate | omitted.
The moving body 7 is movably disposed in the connecting pipe 16, and the pressure difference 16 and the spring force F7 are balanced. Only when the microcomputer 10 determines that the intake port 3 is clogged with dust based on the detection signal of the material confirmation sensor 12, the connecting rod 11 a of the actuator 11 is locked to the moving body 7 and the intake port 3 The opening area is pulled back to the maximum position.
In FIG. 7, dust clogging is detected by the material confirmation sensor 12, but any dust clogging detection means may be used as in the first embodiment.
Thereby, even if the air volume W1 changes, the moving body 7 automatically moves, and the inlet air velocity V3 is always maintained at an optimum value (the operation and effect of the form referred to). When 99 is caught, this is removed (the operation and effect of the first embodiment).

[Embodiment 3]
8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of a cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to this same part as the form (FIG. 1) referred, and one part description is abbreviate | omitted.
8 and 9, when the operation of the cyclone dust collector stops and the exhaust from the cyclone chamber 2 stops, that is, the exhaust pressure P6 and the intake pressure P1 both become atmospheric pressure and the differential pressure P16 becomes zero. When this happens, the spring 8 expands and the moving body 7 completely closes the intake port 3.
Therefore, for example, when the cyclone dust collector is installed in a vacuum cleaner, dust 90 in the cyclone chamber 2 enters the intake pipe 1 even if the vacuum cleaner rolls over when not in operation as shown in FIG. It is possible to stay in the cyclone chamber 2 without doing so. Therefore, even if the connecting pipe 103 is removed, the dust 90 does not dissipate out of the vacuum cleaner (see FIG. 10).
The means for moving the operating unit 7 to the position where the intake port 3 is completely closed is not limited to a spring, and an actuator may be used as in the first or second embodiment.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain high collection performance regardless of the amount of air sucked. Therefore, it is widely used as various cyclone dust collectors and as cyclone dust collectors mounted on various vacuum cleaners. Can be used.

It is sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector made into reference of invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the force which acts on the moving body in FIG. It is a correlation diagram which shows the relationship between the air volume and pressure loss of the cyclone dust collector made into reference of this invention. It is a correlation diagram which shows the relationship between the air volume of a cyclone dust collector made into reference of this invention, and an inlet-port wind speed. It is sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other dust clogging detection means of the cyclone dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the conventional vacuum cleaner. It is a plane sectional view showing a conventional inlet channel variable type separator. It is a schematic diagram of the conventional cyclone apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  1: intake pipe, 2: cyclone chamber, 3: intake port, 4: dust collection chamber, 5: exhaust port, 6: exhaust pipe, 7: moving body, 8: spring, 9: air volume measuring device, 10: microcomputer, 11: Actuator, 12: Material confirmation sensor, 13: Strain gauge, 16: Connection pipe, P1: Intake pressure, P6: Exhaust pressure, P16: Differential pressure, W1: Intake air volume, V3: Inlet air speed, S3: Opening Area, δ7: moving amount of moving body, δ8: spring expansion / contraction amount, K: spring coefficient of spring.

Claims (9)

A cyclone chamber that separates dust and air by swirling an intake air composed of dust mixed air;
An intake pipe installed at the intake port of the cyclone chamber for sucking the intake air;
An exhaust pipe that is installed at the exhaust port of the cyclone chamber and exhausts the exhaust of air from which dust has been separated;
A connecting pipe connecting the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe;
It is movably arranged inside the connecting pipe and moves according to the pressure difference between the pressure of the intake air in the intake pipe and the pressure of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe, and changes the opening area of the intake port according to the amount of movement. A moving object ,
When the pressure difference becomes zero, and means for closing the intake port by moving the movable body,
Cyclone dust collecting device according to claim Rukoto equipped with. Dust clogging detection means for detecting dust clogging in the gap between the moving body and the air inlet;
An actuator for moving the moving body,
2. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator moves the moving body so as to maximize the opening area based on a dust clogging signal from the dust clogging detection means. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dust clogging detection means includes a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe. The dust clogging detecting means is clogged in a load sensor that detects a force acting on the moving body, a speed sensor that detects a moving speed or a moving acceleration of the moving body, or a gap between the moving body and the intake port. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a material confirmation sensor that directly detects dust. 3. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dust clogging detection means has a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure difference between the pressure of the intake air in the intake pipe and the pressure of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe. A cyclone chamber that separates dust and air by swirling an intake air composed of dust mixed air;
An intake pipe installed at the intake port of the cyclone chamber for sucking the intake air;
An exhaust pipe that is installed at the exhaust port of the cyclone chamber and exhausts the exhaust of air from which dust has been separated;
A connecting pipe connecting the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe;
It is movably arranged inside the connecting pipe and moves according to the pressure difference between the pressure of the intake air in the intake pipe and the pressure of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe, and changes the opening area of the intake port according to the amount of movement. A moving object,
An actuator capable of moving the moving body when said a connecting rod capable of locking the mobile and is engaged with the connecting rod to the movable body,
Anda dust clogging detecting means for detecting a dust clogging in the gap between the moving body and the intake port,
The cyclone moves the moving body so that the connecting rod of the actuator is locked to the moving body and maximizes the opening area only when the dust clogging is detected by the dust clogging detecting means. Dust collector. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the dust clogging detecting means includes a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe. The dust clogging detecting means is clogged in a load sensor that detects a force acting on the moving body, a speed sensor that detects a moving speed or a moving acceleration of the moving body, or a gap between the moving body and the intake port. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a material confirmation sensor that directly detects dust. 7. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the dust clogging detecting means includes a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure difference between an intake pressure in the intake pipe and an exhaust pressure in the exhaust pipe.

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