RU2322175C2 - Dust separation device and vacuum cleaner with such device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: dust separation device that may be mounted in installation chamber of vacuum cleaner with possibility of dismounting.

SUBSTANCE: device includes casing, cyclone unit arranged in casing and used for filtering contaminations of sucked air and for discharging cleaned air; dust trap arranged in parallel relative to cyclone unit in casing in such a way that it is surrounded by inner wall of casing and by outer wall of cyclone body and used for trapping contaminations separated from air by means of cyclone unit. Casing is semicircular one according to chamber of vacuum cleaner. Cyclone unit includes cyclone body forming cyclone chamber and having height less than height of casing; opening for air inlet and opening for discharging air, both openings are formed on lower surface of cyclone body. Dust trap is formed on outer peripheral surface of cyclone body and it surrounds cyclone body. Vacuum cleaner has housing and arranged in said housing installation chamber where dust separation device is mounted with possibility of dismounting in such a way that dust trap may use dead zone between cyclone unit and installation chamber.

EFFECT: increased volume of trapped dust, increased time period of vacuum cleaner operation without discharge of dust, enhanced efficiency of dust separation due to possibility of increasing diameter of cyclone unit at constant volume of dust trap promoting increase of centrifugal force acting in cyclone upon dust of cleaned air.

8 cl, 6 dwg

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

In accordance with §119 (a) of Section 35 of the US Code, the priority of this application is claimed by Korean Patent Application No. 2005-72796, filed August 9, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The priority of this application is also claimed by provisional application US No. 60/698388, which was filed July 12, 2005 and the full contents of which are also incorporated into this application by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a dust separator for a vacuum cleaner that draws in contaminated air from a surface to be cleaned, separates and collects contaminants from the air, and releases clean air.

Description of the prior art

There are various types of dust separators. Recently, a cyclone-type dust separator is widely used, which is convenient and can be used continuously while the vacuum cleaner is in operation, compared with a dust separator containing a traditional disposable dust bag or dust filter. Figure 1 c shows in a perspective view a cylinder-type vacuum cleaner containing a cyclone-type dust separator.

Figure 1 shows a vacuum cleaner 10, generally consisting of a housing 11 having a camera 12 for an engine with an engine (not shown) and an installation chamber 13 in which a dust separator 30, a suction tip 21, an extension tube 22 and a flexible hose 23 are installed. A vacuum cleaner 10 drives an engine (not shown) that draws in suction force and draws in contaminated air from the surface being cleaned through the suction tip 21, extension pipe 22 and flexible hose 23 into the cleaner body 11. In the vacuum cleaner 10, the dust separator 30 used to separate and collect dust or contaminants (hereinafter referred to as contaminants) from the intake air, while the air purified from contaminants is discharged out through the chamber 12.

The cyclone-type dust separator 30 generates a rotating flow that separates contaminants from the intake air due to centrifugal force. A cyclone-type dust separator 30 typically has a cylindrical cyclone body 31 for locating a rotating flow, an air inlet 33 and an air outlet (not shown) at the top of the cyclone body 31. The air inlet port 33 is connected to the flexible hose 23 through the inlet 14, and the air outlet (not shown) is connected to the chamber 12 through the outlet 15. A reservoir 32 is connected to the bottom of the cyclone body 31 to collect contaminants separated from the intake air in the cyclone body 31, and this tank also has a cylindrical shape in accordance with the cyclone body 31. In other words, the conventional dust separator 30 typically has a cylindrical shape.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the chamber 13 includes a “dead zone” S formed around the space where the dust separating device 30 is mounted. Typically, the chamber 12 in the vacuum cleaner body 11 is substantially rectangular in shape and the chamber 13 connected with the camera 12, has a substantially semicircular shape. Due to the cylindrical shape of the dust separating device 30, structural difficulties arise, namely, the inevitable occurrence of a “dead zone” in the chamber 13. In addition, the pollution tank 32 cannot be made larger than a certain height due to the limited height of the dust separating device 30 installed in chamber 13. Due to the limited height of the tank 32, the capacity of the dust separating device is also limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is conceived to solve the above problems inherent in the prior art, and the aim of the present invention is to provide a dust separating device that effectively uses the "dead zone" of the vacuum cleaner so that the capacity of the dust separating device can be increased without significant changes in the design of the vacuum cleaner.

The above goal is achieved by creating a dust separating device installed with the possibility of removal in the installation chamber in the housing of a vacuum cleaner containing a casing, a cyclone assembly made in the casing and designed to filter contaminants from the intake air and exhaust air cleaned from contamination; and a dust collector mounted parallel to the cyclone assembly in the casing and designed to collect contaminants separated from the air by the cyclone assembly. The casing may have a substantially semicircular shape in accordance with the mounting chamber provided in the cleaner body.

The cyclone assembly includes a cyclone body that forms a cyclone chamber and whose height is less than the height of the casing, and air inlet and outlet openings made on the lower surface of the cyclone body. The dust collector may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cyclone body and surround the cyclone body.

The cyclone body may also include a guide element formed on the inner wall, having the shape of a spiral and designed to direct the drawn air through the air inlet to form an upward flow in the cyclone chamber.

The device may also include a cover that is removably connected to the upper part of the casing.

As described above, in accordance with the dust separating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cyclone assembly and the dust collector are arranged in parallel, while the dust collector is made in a dead zone surrounding the cyclone assembly in a semicircular casing, thereby increasing its capacity in comparison with the prior art. Accordingly, in the present invention, the “dead zone” of the vacuum cleaner body where the dust separating device is located is occupied by the dust collector, thereby increasing the capacity of the dust collector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other properties and advantages of the invention will be more apparent and more likely evaluated from the following detailed description of the implementation of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 depicts in a perspective view of a known vacuum cleaner with a conventional dust separation device;

figure 2 depicts a schematic top view of the housing of the vacuum cleaner shown in figure 1;

figure 3 depicts in a perspective view of the appearance of the dust separation device corresponding to a variant implementation of the present invention;

figure 4 depicts a perspective view of the dust separation device shown in figure 3, in disassembled form;

figure 5 depicts a bottom view in a perspective view of the casing of the dust separation device shown in figure 3;

Fig.6 depicts a section of the dust separation device shown in Fig.3, along the lines VI-VI.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numbers. In the following description, detailed descriptions of known functions and constructions are omitted for brevity and clarity.

Figure 3 shows the proposed dust separation device 100, comprising a casing 110, a cyclone assembly 120, a dust collector 130 and a cover 140.

The casing 110 has a certain height and is essentially semicircular in cross section. In other words, the casing 110 is semicircular in accordance with the installation chamber 13 (see FIG. 1) in the vacuum cleaner body 11 in which the dust separating device 100 is located. The lower surface of the casing 110 is connected to the inlet 111 and the outlet (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner, in this case, the inlet 111 is connected to the suction tip (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner and the outlet (not shown) is connected to the camera 12 for the engine (see figure 1) of the vacuum cleaner 10.

Figures 4 and 5 show that the casing 110 comprises a cyclone assembly 120 and a dust collector 130.

The cyclone assembly 120 is formed essentially in the central part of the casing 110 and is designed to separate the contaminants from the air drawn into the cyclone assembly 120 and to discharge the air purified from the contaminants into the air outlet 125. The cyclone assembly 120 includes a cyclone body 121 defining a cyclone chamber 122, an air inlet 123 and an air guide tube 124 with an air outlet 125.

The cyclone body 121 has a cylindrical shape, which allows air and contaminants to form a rotating stream, and its height is slightly less than the height of the casing 110 (see Fig.6). A hole 123 is provided on the lower surface of the cyclone body 121 to form a flow communication with the inlet 111. As the contaminated air enters through the inlet 111, the hole 123 allows air to enter the cyclone body 121. On the inner wall of the cyclone body 121, there is installed a spiral shaped guide member 126 of a predetermined length, which has a gradually increasing height when viewed from below, whereby the contaminated air forms a rotating stream as it rises up the cyclone body 121.

The guide tube 124 is located essentially in the central part of the cyclone body 121 and protrudes a predetermined length from the bottom surface of the cyclone body 121. The hole 125 is located in the lower part of the guide tube 124 and is designed to exhaust the air purified from contaminants in the cyclone chamber.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hole 123 and the hole 125 are arranged in parallel on the lower surface of the cyclone body 121. The hole 125 is in fluid communication with the motor (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner 10. In other words, the dust separating device 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention has a suction and discharge configuration through the lower part. A filter element (not shown), such as a grill, may be installed in the upper part of the guide tube 124 to filter out impurities from the intake air.

The dust collector 130 collects contaminants from the intake air through the cyclone assembly 120. The dust collector 130 is mounted parallel to the cyclone assembly 120, except for the area where the cyclone assembly 120 is mounted in the housing 110. In other words, the dust collector 130 is surrounded by an inner wall of the housing 110 and an outer wall of the cyclone body 121.

As described above, the casing 110 has a semicircular shape in accordance with the installation chamber 13 (see FIG. 1), in which the dust separating device 100 of the vacuum cleaner 10 is installed, and the cyclone body 120 is mounted parallel to the dust collector 130 formed in the “dead zone” surrounding the cyclone the assembly 120 in the casing 110, thereby increasing the capacity of the dust collector 130. As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional dust separating device 30, the contaminant tank 32 is located under the cyclone body 31, and thus the capacity of the contaminant tank 32 limited. However, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the casing 110 has a semicircular shape, which allows you to remove the "dead zone" S (see figure 2) from the dust collector 13 in the housing of the vacuum cleaner 11, in which the dust separating device is located, and replace the "dead zone" S dust collector 130. Accordingly, the size of the housing 11 of the vacuum cleaner is not changed, but the capacity of the dust collector 130 is increased.

Figure 4 shows that the cover 140 is removably attached to the upper part of the casing 110. Accordingly, all that is required to repair the casing 110 or to clean the dust collector 130 from the dirt collected therein is to remove the cover 140. The cover 140 and the top a portion 14 of the cyclone body defines an opening 141 for discharging dust. The cyclone body 121 is lower than the casing 110. Accordingly, since the cover 140 is connected to the casing 110, an opening 141 is formed between the inside of the cover 140 and the upper part of the cyclone body 121 (see FIG. 6). From the inside of the lid 140, a backflow prevention member 142 protrudes for a certain length to prevent backflow into the cyclone body 121 of the dirt collected in the dust collector 130. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the diameter D1 of the element 142 is larger than the diameter D2 of the housing 121 cyclones.

The operation and principle of operation of the dust separation device 100 with the structure described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, are explained below with reference to FIG.

The motor (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner creates a suction force that is applied through the dust separator 100 to the hole 123. Air and dirt are drawn in through a suction tip (not shown), which is in fluid communication with the hole 123 and the inlet 111, and the hole 123 to the cyclone body 121 .

When contaminated air enters the hole 123, it creates a rotating stream that rises along the cyclone chamber 122, as shown by arrow A. At the same time, dirt heavier than air is collected on the inner wall of the cyclone body 121 due to centrifugal force. The contaminants travel upward through a rotating flow, fly out through the opening 141, and collect on the bottom surface of the dust collector 130, as shown by arrow B. The contaminants collected in the dust collector 130 cannot pass back into the cyclone chamber due to element 142.

The cleaned air hits the cover 140, which causes the cleaned air to fall back through the cyclone chamber 122 into the guide tube 124 and out through the opening 125 to the outside of the casing 110, as shown by arrow C.

The above embodiments and advantages are illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. The present invention can easily be applied to other types of devices. Also, a description of embodiments of the present invention is intended to illustrate and does not limit the scope of the claims. For a person skilled in the art many variations, modifications and modifications will be apparent.

Claims (8)

1. Dust separating device installed with the possibility of removal in the installation chamber of the vacuum cleaner housing, containing: a casing; made in the casing of the cyclone unit, designed to filter contaminants from the drawn in air and the release of air purified from contamination; and a dust collector located parallel to the cyclone assembly in the casing so that it is surrounded by an inner wall of the casing and the outer wall of the cyclone body, and designed to collect contaminants separated from the air by the cyclone assembly; moreover, the casing has a substantially semicircular shape in accordance with the installation chamber of the vacuum cleaner body. 2. The device according to claim 1, in which the cyclone assembly contains: a cyclone body that forms a cyclone chamber and whose height is less than the height of the casing; and an air inlet opening and an air exhaust opening formed on a lower surface of the cyclone body, moreover, the dust bag is made on the outer peripheral surface of the cyclone body and surrounds the cyclone body. 3. The device according to claim 2, in which the cyclone body also contains a guide element made on the inner wall and having the shape of a spiral for guiding the drawn air through the air inlet to form an upward flow in the cyclone chamber. 4. The device according to claim 1, additionally containing a cover connected with the possibility of removal with the upper part of the casing and forming, together with the cyclone assembly, an opening for dust release. 5. A vacuum cleaner containing: housing; installation camera located in the housing; the dust separating device according to claims 1 to 4, installed with the possibility of removal in the installation chamber in the housing, ensuring the use of a dead zone formed between the cyclone assembly and the installation chamber by the dust collector. 6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, in which the dust collector surrounds the cyclone assembly. 7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, in which the installation chamber and the dust collector each have a substantially semicircular shape. 8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, further comprising an anti-backflow element protruding a predetermined distance from the inside of the lid.

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