TW201909818A - Handheld vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a vacuum motor and a dirt separator. The dirt separator comprises a chamber having an inlet through which dirt-laden fluid enters and an outlet through which cleansed fluid exits the chamber. A disc is located at the outlet and comprises holes through which the cleansed fluid passes, and an electric motor drives the disc about a rotational axis.

Description

 Hand-held vacuum cleaner  

The invention relates to a hand held vacuum cleaner.

Handheld vacuum cleaners can include filters or cyclones as the primary mechanism for removing dirt. However, the two separators have their disadvantages, for example, the filter generally has poor separation efficiency, and the pressure consumed by the cyclone may be high.

The present invention provides a hand-held vacuum cleaner comprising a vacuum motor and a dirt separator, the dirt separator comprising: a chamber through which a fluid containing dirt enters an inlet of the chamber, and is cleaned The fluid passes through an outlet of the chamber; a disk member is located at the outlet and includes a plurality of holes through which the cleaned fluid passes; and an electric motor for driving about an axis of rotation The disc.

The dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber contacts the rotating disk member, which applies a tangential force to the fluid. As the dirt-containing fluid moves radially outward, the tangential force exerted by the disk member increases. The fluid is then drawn through the holes in the disk while the dirt continues to move outwardly due to its greater inertia and collects at the bottom of the chamber.

The hand held vacuum cleaner of the present invention has the advantage over conventional hand held vacuum cleaners that employ a filter or cyclone as the primary mechanism for soil removal. For example, the filter typically has poor separation efficiency and/or can be quickly clogged with dirt. With the hand held vacuum cleaner of the present invention, the size of the aperture in the disk member can be designed to achieve good separation efficiency, while the rotation of the disk member helps to ensure that the holes in the disk member remain substantially clear of dust. Cyclone separators for vacuum cleaners typically contain two or more separation stages. The first stage typically includes a single larger cyclone chamber for removing coarse dirt, and the second stage contains many smaller cyclone chambers for removing fine dirt. As a result, the overall size of the cyclone separator can be large. Another difficulty with this cyclone is that it requires a high fluid velocity to achieve high separation efficiency. Additionally, as fluid travels from the inlet to the outlet, the fluid flowing through the cyclone generally travels along a relatively long path. As a result, the pressure drop associated with the cyclone can be very high. With the hand held vacuum cleaner of the present invention, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved in a smaller manner. In particular, the dirt separator can comprise a single stage with a single chamber. Moreover, the separation occurs primarily due to the application of angular momentum to the dirt by the rotating disk member. As a result, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved at relatively low fluid rates. In addition, the path of fluid movement from the inlet to the outlet of the chamber is relatively short. As a result, the pressure drop across the dirt separator can be less than the pressure drop across the cyclone having the same separation efficiency.

It is known to provide a rotating disk member within a dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner. However, there is a prejudice that the dirt separator must include a cyclone chamber to separate the dirt from the fluid, and then the disk member is only used as an auxiliary filter to extract fluid from the cyclone chamber as it exits the cyclone chamber. Remove residual dirt. As a result, the overall size of the dirt separator is relatively large and unsuitable for use in hand held vacuum cleaners. The present invention is based on the recognition that an effective separation can be achieved using a rotating disk member without the need for cyclonic flow. As a result, a dirt separator having a size suitable for use in a hand held vacuum cleaner can be realized.

The hand held vacuum cleaner includes an electric motor for driving the disc. The inclusion of an electric motor in addition to the vacuum motor in a hand held vacuum cleaner is not intuitively known. The weight of a hand held vacuum cleaner is clearly an important consideration in its design, and the inclusion of an electric motor can add significant weight. In addition, in the case where the hand-held vacuum cleaner is powered by a battery, the power consumed by the electric motor will shorten the running time of the vacuum cleaner. For at least these reasons, the addition of an electric motor to a hand-held vacuum cleaner is not intuitively known. However, by using an electric motor to drive the disk, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved for a fairly modest pressure drop. Therefore, a vacuum motor with a lower power can be used to achieve the same cleaning performance as compared with a conventional hand-held cleaner. Therefore a smaller vacuum motor can be used which consumes less power. As a result, a net reduction in weight and/or power consumption may be possible. At least, the additional weight and/or power consumed by the electric motor can be partially offset by using a less powerful vacuum motor.

The dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber can be directed to the disk. That is, the soil containing fluid can enter the chamber through the inlet along a flow axis that intersects the disk. As noted above, while it is known to provide a rotating disk member within a dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner, there is a prejudice that the dirt separator must include a cyclone chamber to separate dirt from the fluid. A further prejudice is that the rotating disk member must be protected from the large amount of dirt entering the cyclone chamber. As a result, the fluid containing the dirt is introduced into the cyclone chamber in a manner that avoids direct collision with the disk. However, by directing the fluid containing the dirt to the disk member, the dirt is subjected to a relatively high tangential force upon contact with the rotating disk member. The dirt within the fluid is then thrown radially outward while the fluid passes axially through the holes in the disk. As a result, effective dirt separation can be achieved without the need for cyclonic flow.

The dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber can be directed at the center of the disk. That is, the flow axis can intersect the center of the disk. This in turn has the advantage that the flow of the soil containing dirt on the surface of the disc can be more evenly distributed. By contrast, if the soil containing fluid is eccentrically guided to the disk, the fluid will likely be unevenly distributed. Then, the axial velocity of the fluid moving through the holes can be increased at those areas where the disk load is the heaviest, resulting in a decrease in separation efficiency. Additionally, contaminants separated from the fluid can be collected unevenly within the chamber, thereby damaging the capacity of the dirt separator. The re-entrainment of the dirt may also increase, resulting in a further decrease in the separation efficiency. Another disadvantage of eccentrically guiding the soiled fluid is that the disk may be subjected to uneven structural loads. The resulting imbalance can result in increased vibration and noise, and/or can shorten the life of any bearing used to support the rotating disk.

Contaminants separated from the soiled fluid may collect at the bottom of the chamber and gradually fill in a direction toward the top of the chamber. The outlet can then be at the top of the chamber or adjoin the top of the chamber, and the bottom of the chamber can be axially spaced from the top of the chamber. By positioning the outlet at or near the top of the chamber, the disk member can be kept away from the separated dirt collected in the chamber. As a result, effective separation can be maintained when the chamber is filled with dirt. The bottom of the chamber is axially spaced from the top of the chamber (i.e., in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation). This in turn has the benefit that dirt and fluid thrown radially outward by the disk member are less likely to interfere with dirt collected at the bottom of the chamber. Additionally, any vortex system within the chamber may move around the chamber rather than moving up and down the chamber. As a result, re-entrainment of the collected dirt in the chamber can be reduced, thereby improving separation efficiency.

The inlet may be defined by an end of an inlet conduit that extends linearly within the chamber. This in turn has the advantage that the fluid containing the dirt moves along the straight path through the inlet duct and thus the pressure loss can be reduced.

The inlet may be defined by an end extending through an inlet conduit of one of the walls of the chamber, and an opposite end of the inlet conduit may be a different attachment that can be attached to the vacuum cleaner. In particular, the inlet conduit can be a different accessory tool that can be attached to the vacuum cleaner. By providing an inlet conduit to which different attachments can be attached directly, a relatively short path can be provided between the different attachments and the dirt separator. As a result, the pressure loss can be reduced.

The inlet may be defined by an end of an inlet conduit, the wall of the chamber being movable between an open position and a closed position, and the inlet conduit may be attached to the wall and may be associated with the wall Move together. Having a wall that moves between an open position and a closed position simplifies the emptying of the dirt separator. An inlet duct having an attachment to the wall and movable with the wall helps to remove dirt as the wall moves to the open position. For example, when the wall is moved to the open position, the moving inlet duct can push or pull the dirt out of the chamber. Further, when the wall is moved to the open position, if the inlet duct remains within the chamber, dirt can be retained between the inlet duct and the surrounding wall of the chamber.

The disk member can be formed of metal, which has at least two advantages over a disk member formed, for example, from plastic. First, a relatively thin disk member having a relatively high rigidity can be achieved; secondly, the disk member is not susceptible to damage by a hard or sharp object carried by the fluid, which is particularly important because of the dirt-containing entry into the chamber. Fluid is directed at the disk.

The present invention also provides a stick vacuum cleaner comprising a hand held vacuum cleaner as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, attached to a cleaner head by an elongated tubular member, the elongated tubular member being parallel to the axis of rotation The axis extends.

By having an elongated tubular member extending parallel to the axis of rotation, fluid containing dirt can be carried from the cleaner head to the dirt separator and the rotating disk member along a relatively straight path. As a result, the pressure loss can be reduced.

The dirt separator can include an inlet conduit extending through a wall of the chamber, the inlet being defined by a first end of the inlet conduit, and the elongated tubular member being attached to one of the inlet conduits Second end. By providing an inlet conduit for the elongated tubular member attached directly thereto, a relatively short path can be provided between the cleaner head and the dirt separator. As a result, the pressure loss can be reduced.

1‧‧‧Vacuum cleaner/stick cleaner

2‧‧‧Handheld unit

3‧‧‧Slim pipe fittings

4‧‧‧ cleaner head

10‧‧‧Soil separator

11‧‧‧Motor front filter

12‧‧‧ vacuum motor

13‧‧‧Motor rear filter

14‧‧‧ vents

20‧‧‧ container

21‧‧‧Inlet Pipeline

22‧‧‧Disc assembly

23‧‧‧Disc assembly

30‧‧‧ top wall

31‧‧‧ side wall

32‧‧‧Bottom wall

33‧‧‧ Hinges

34‧‧‧ hooking

36‧‧‧ chamber

37‧‧‧ entrance

38‧‧‧Export

40‧‧‧Distribution

41‧‧‧Electric motor/motor

45‧‧‧Non-perforated area/central area

46‧‧‧Perforated area

47‧‧‧ hole

48‧‧‧Rotation axis

49‧‧‧Flow axis

50‧‧‧Stain

70‧‧‧ Vehicles

71‧‧‧Center hub

72‧‧ rim

73‧‧‧ spokes

74‧‧‧孔口

101‧‧‧Stain separator

102‧‧‧Stain separator

103‧‧‧Stain separator

For a better understanding of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through a portion of the vacuum cleaner; A cross-sectional view of the dirt separator passing through the vacuum cleaner; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the disk member of the dirt separator; Fig. 5 illustrates the flow of the fluid containing the dirt through the dirt separator; Emptying of the separator; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view through a portion of the vacuum cleaner when used for cleaning above the floor; Figure 8 illustrates the application of the fluid to the fluid containing the dirt at the circumference of the inlet conduit by the disk member Tangential force, the inlet duct (a) is guided at the center of the disc and (b) is eccentrically guided; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first alternative dirt separator; Figure 10 is followed by a second alternative stain A cross-sectional view of a portion of a vacuum cleaner of the separator; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view through a third alternative dirt separator; and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view through a portion of a vacuum cleaner having the third alternative dirt separator Figure 13 illustrates the third Generation of emptying the dirt separator; FIG. 14 line cross-sectional view through a fourth alternative dirt separator; and a portion of an alternative description of the disk assembly, the dirt separator can be formed any one of FIG. 15.

The vacuum cleaner 1 of Figure 1 includes a hand held unit 2 attached to a cleaner head 4 by means of an elongated tubular member 3. The elongated tubular member 3 is separable from the handheld unit 2 such that the handheld unit 2 can be used as a stand-alone vacuum cleaner.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-7, the handheld unit 2 includes a dirt separator 10, a pre-motor filter 11, a vacuum motor 12, and a post-motor filter. )13. The pre-motor filter 11 is located downstream of the dirt separator 10 but upstream of the vacuum motor 12, and the post-motor filter 13 is located downstream of the vacuum motor 12. During use, the vacuum motor 12 causes fluids containing contaminants to be drawn through the suction opening in the underside of the cleaner head 4. From the cleaner head 4, the dirt-containing flow system is drawn in along the elongated tubular member 3 and enters the dirt separator 10. The dirt is then separated from the fluid and retained within the dirt separator 10. The cleaned fluid exits the dirt separator 10 and is withdrawn through the pre-motor filter 11, which removes residual contaminants from the fluid prior to passing through the vacuum motor 12. Finally, the fluid discharged by the vacuum motor 12 passes through the motor rear filter 13 and is discharged from the vacuum cleaner 1 via the vent 14 in the hand-held unit 2.

The dirt separator includes a container 20, an inlet conduit 21, and a disk assembly 22. The container 20 includes a top wall surface 30, a side wall surface 31 and a bottom wall surface 32 that collectively define a chamber 36. The opening in the center of the top wall defines an outlet 38 of the chamber 36. The bottom wall 32 is attached to the side wall surface 31 by a hinge 33. A catch 34 attached to the bottom wall 32 engages a recess in the side wall surface 31 to retain the bottom wall 32 in a closed position. The hook portion 34 is then released causing the bottom wall 32 to swing to an open position, as illustrated in FIG.

The inlet duct 21 extends upwardly through the bottom wall 32 of the vessel 20. The inlet duct 21 extends centrally within the chamber 36 and terminates at a small distance from the disc assembly 22. One end of the inlet duct 21 defines an inlet 37 of the chamber 36. When the hand-held unit 2 is used as a stand-alone cleaner, one of the opposite ends of the inlet duct 21 can be attached to the elongated tubular member 3 or an accessory tool.

The disk assembly 22 includes a disk member 40 that is coupled to an electric motor 41. The electric motor 41 is positioned on the outside of the chamber 36, and the disk member 40 is located at the outlet 38 of the chamber 36 and covers the outlet 38. When energized, the electric motor 41 causes the disk member 40 to rotate about an axis of rotation 48. The disk member 40 is formed from a metal and includes a central non-perforated region 45 surrounded by a perforated region 46. The periphery of the disk member 40 is overlaid on the top wall 30 of the container 20. As the disk member 40 rotates, the periphery of the disk member 40 contacts the top wall surface 30 and forms a seal with the top wall surface 30. To reduce friction between the disk member 40 and the top wall surface 30, a ring of low friction material (e.g., PTFE) may be provided around the top wall surface 30.

During use, the vacuum motor 12 causes fluid containing dirt to be drawn into the chamber 36 via the inlet 37. The inlet duct 21 extends centrally within the chamber 36 along an axis that coincides with the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. As a result, the dirt-containing fluid enters the chamber 36 in an axial direction (i.e., in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation 48). Again, the soiled fluid is directed at the center of the disk member 40. The central non-perforated area of the disk member 40 causes the soiled fluid to rotate and move radially outward (i.e., in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation). The rotating disk member 40 applies a tangential force to the soiled fluid, causing the fluid to vortex. The tangential force exerted by the disk member 40 increases as the dirt-containing fluid moves radially outward. Upon reaching the perforated region 46 of the disk member 40, the fluid is axially drawn through the plurality of holes 47 in the disk member 40. This requires further rotation in the direction of the fluid. The inertia of the larger and heavier dirt is too large to allow the dirt to follow the fluid. As a result, rather than being drawn through the holes 47, the dirt continues to move radially outward and eventually collects at the bottom of the chamber 36. Smaller and lighter dirt can follow the fluid through the disk member 40. Most of this dirt is then removed by the pre-motor filter 11 and the post-motor filter 13. In order to empty the dirt separator 10, the hook portion 34 is released and the bottom wall surface 32 of the container 20 is swung open. As shown in Figure 6, the container 20 and the inlet conduit 21 are constructed such that the inlet conduit 21 does not prevent or otherwise impede movement of the bottom wall 32.

In addition to cleaning the floor surface, the vacuum cleaner 1 can be used to clean surfaces above the floor, such as shelves, curtains or ceilings. When cleaning these surfaces, the hand-held unit 2 can be inverted as shown in FIG. The dirt 50 collected in the chamber 36 can then fall toward the disk member 40. Any dirt that falls on the disk member 40 is likely to be drawn through some of the holes 47 in the perforated area 46 or block some of the holes 47 in the perforated area 46. As a result, the available open area of the disk member 40 will decrease and the rate of fluid moving axially through the disk member 40 will increase. More dirt may then be carried through the disk member 40 by the fluid, and thus the separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 may be reduced. The top wall surface 30 of the container 20 is not flat but is stepped. As a result, the chamber 36 includes a gulley between the side wall surface 31 and the stepped portion of the top wall surface 30, the deep groove surrounding the disk member 40 and acting to collect and fall into the chamber 36. The dirt 50. As a result, when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted, less dirt may fall on the disk member 40.

The dirt separator 10 has several advantages over conventional separators that use multiple orifice bags. The pores of the bag quickly block the dirt during use. This then reduces the suction at the cleaning head. In addition, the bag must usually be replaced when it is full, and it is not always easy to decide when the bag is full. With the dirt separator described herein, the rotation of the disk member 40 ensures that the holes 47 in the perforated region 46 remain substantially free of contaminants. As a result, no significant reduction in suction was observed during use. Additionally, the dirt separator 10 can be emptied by opening the bottom wall 32 of the container 20, thereby avoiding the need to replace the bag. Furthermore, by using the side wall surface 31 of the container 20 of transparent material, the user can determine relatively easily when the dirt separator 10 is full and needs to be emptied. The aforementioned disadvantages of multi-pore bags are well known and these disadvantages are equally well addressed by the use of cyclone separators. However, the dirt separator 10 described herein also has the advantage over the cyclone separator.

In order to achieve a relatively high separation efficiency, a cyclone of a vacuum cleaner typically comprises two or more separation stages. The first stage typically includes a single, relatively large cyclone chamber for removing coarse contaminants, and the second stage includes a plurality of relatively small cyclonic chambers for removing fine contaminants. As a result, the overall size of the cyclonic separator can be relatively large. Another difficulty with this cyclone is that it requires a high fluid velocity in order to achieve high separation efficiency. Again, as fluid travels from the inlet to the outlet, the fluid flowing through the cyclone generally travels along a relatively long path. This long path and high rate result in high aerodynamic losses. As a result, the pressure drop associated with the cyclone can be very high. With the dirt separator described herein, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved in a more compact manner. In particular, the dirt separator comprises a single stage with a single chamber. Again, the separation occurs primarily by the application of angular momentum to the soiled fluid by the rotating disk member 40. As a result, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved at relatively low fluid rates. Additionally, the path taken by the fluid from the inlet 37 of the dirt separator 10 to the outlet 38 is relatively short. Due to this lower fluid velocity and shorter path, the aerodynamic losses are smaller. As a result, for the same separation efficiency, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 is less than the pressure drop across the cyclone. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner 1 is capable of achieving the same cleaning performance as a cyclone vacuum cleaner using a vacuum motor having a lower power. This is especially important if the vacuum cleaner 1 is powered by a battery, as any reduction in the power consumption of the vacuum motor 11 can be used to increase the operating time of the vacuum cleaner 1.

It is known to provide a rotating disk member within the dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner. For example, DE19637431 and US Pat. No. 4,382,804 each describe a dirt separator having a rotating disk member. However, there is a prejudice that the dirt separator must include a cyclone chamber to separate the dirt from the fluid. The disk member is then only used as an auxiliary filter to remove residual dirt from the fluid as it exits the cyclone chamber. A further prejudice is that the rotating disk member must be protected from the large amount of dirt entering the cyclone chamber. Thus, the dirt-containing flow system is introduced into the cyclone chamber in a manner that avoids direct collision with the disk.

The dirt separator described herein takes advantage of the discovery that dirt separation can be achieved with a rotating disk member without the need for a cyclone chamber. The dirt separator further utilizes the discovery that effective soil separation can be achieved by introducing the soiled fluid into the chamber in a direction directly toward the disk. By directing the soiled fluid to the disk member, the soil experiences a relatively high amount of force upon contact with the rotating disk member. The dirt within the fluid is then thrown radially outward while the fluid passes axially through the holes in the disk. As a result, effective dirt separation is achieved without the need for cyclonic flow.

The separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 and the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 are sensitive to the size of the holes 47 in the disk member 40. For a given total open area, the separation efficiency of the soil separator 10 increases as the size of the hole decreases. However, as the hole size decreases, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 also increases. The separation efficiency and the pressure drop are also sensitive to the total open area of the disk member 40. In particular, as the total opening area increases, the axial velocity of the fluid moving through the disk member 40 decreases. As a result, the separation efficiency increases and the pressure drop decreases. Therefore, it is advantageous to have a large total opening area. However, increasing the total opening area of the disk member 40 is not without difficulty. For example, as has been pointed out, increasing the size of the hole to increase the total opening area actually reduces separation efficiency. Alternatively, the total opening area can be increased by increasing the size of the perforated area 46, which can be achieved by increasing the size of the disk member 40 or by reducing the size of the non-perforated area 45. However, each of these options has its drawbacks. For example, since a contact seal is formed between the periphery of the disk member 40 and the top wall surface 30, more power will be required to drive the disk member 40 having a larger diameter. Additionally, the larger diameter rotating disk member 40 can create more agitation within the chamber 36. As a result, the re-entrainment of the dirt that has been collected in the chamber 36 can be increased, and thus the separation efficiency can be a net decrease. On the other hand, if the diameter of the non-perforated region 45 is reduced, the axial velocity of the fluid moving through the disk member 40 may actually increase for reasons detailed below. Another way to increase the total open area of the disk member 40 is to reduce the platform between the holes 47. However, reducing the platform has its own difficulties, for example, the rigidity of the disk member 40 may be reduced, and the perforated region 46 may become more fragile and therefore more susceptible to damage. In addition, reducing the platform between the holes may introduce manufacturing difficulties. Therefore, many factors need to be considered in the design of the disk member 40.

The disk member 40 includes a central non-perforated region 45 surrounded by a perforated region 46. The arrangement of the central non-perforated area 45 has several advantages, which will now be described.

The rigidity of the disk member 40 may be important to achieve an effective contact seal between the disk member 40 and the top wall surface 30 of the container 20. The central region 45 having a non-perforation increases the rigidity of the disk member 40. As a result, thinner discs can be used. This in turn has the benefit that the disk 40 can be manufactured in a more timely and cost effective manner. Moreover, for certain manufacturing methods (e.g., chemical etching), the thickness of the disk member 40 can define the smallest possible size for the holes 47 and the platform. Thus, thinner discs have the benefit that such a method can be used to fabricate discs having relatively small holes and/or platform sizes. Moreover, the cost and/or weight of the disk member 40, as well as the mechanical power required to drive the disk member 40, can be reduced. Thus, the disk 40 can be driven using a motor 41 that is less powerful and may be smaller and less expensive.

By having a central non-perforated region 45, the dirt-containing fluid entering the chamber 36 is forced to turn radially from the axial direction. The soil containing fluid then moves outwardly over the surface of the disk member 40. This in turn has at least two benefits. First, as the soil containing fluid moves over the perforated region 46, the fluid needs to be rotated through a substantial angle (about 90 degrees) to pass through the aperture 47 in the disk member 40. As a result, less dirt carried by the fluid can match the turn and pass through the hole 47. Second, the soiled fluid helps scrub the perforated area 46 as the soiled fluid moves outwardly over the surface of the disk member 40. Therefore, any dirt that may have been trapped at the hole 47 is removed by the fluid.

The tangential velocity of the disk member 40 decreases from the circumference of the disk member 40 to the center. As a result, the tangential force applied to the dirt-containing fluid by the disk member 40 decreases from the periphery to the center. If the central portion 45 of the disk member 40 is perforated, more dirt may pass through the disk member 40. By having a central non-perforated area 45, the holes 47 are provided at the area of the disk member 40, where the tangential velocity and thus the tangential force applied to the dirt is relatively high.

When the dirt-containing fluid introduced into the chamber 36 is turned from the axial direction to the radial direction, relatively heavy dirt can continue to travel axially and strike the disk member 40. If the central region 45 of the disk member 40 is perforated, a relatively stiff object that strikes the disk member 40 can pierce or otherwise damage the platform between the holes 47. By having a non-perforated central region 45, the risk of damaging the disk member 40 is reduced.

The diameter of the non-perforated region 45 is greater than the diameter of the inlet 37. As a result, the hard body system carried by the fluid is less likely to hit the perforated area 46 and damage the disk member 40. In addition, the dirt-containing fluid is better urged from the axial direction to the radial direction as it enters the chamber 36. The separation distance between the inlet 37 and the disk member 40 plays an important role in achieving these two benefits. As the separation distance between the inlet 37 and the disk member 40 increases, the radial component of the rate of the dirt-containing fluid at the perforated region 46 of the disk member 40 may be reduced. As a result, more dirt can be carried through the holes 47 in the disk member 40. Additionally, as the separation distance increases, the hard system carried by the fluid is more likely to strike the perforated region 46 and damage the disk member 40. Therefore, a relatively small separation distance is required. However, if the separation distance is too small, dirt larger than the separation distance will not pass between the inlet duct 21 and the disk member 40, and thus will be caught. The size of the dirt carried by the fluid will be limited by the diameter of the inlet duct 21 and the like, among other things. In particular, the size of the dirt cannot be larger than the diameter of the inlet duct 21. Accordingly, the above benefits can be achieved by employing a separation distance not greater than the diameter of the inlet 37 while providing sufficient space for dirt to pass between the inlet conduit 21 and the disk member 40.

Regardless of the separation distance selected, the non-perforated region 45 of the disk member 40 continues to provide advantages. In particular, the non-perforated region 45 ensures that the hole 47 in the disk member 40 is disposed in a region where the tangential force applied to the dirt by the disk member 40 is relatively high. Additionally, although the soiled fluid follows a more divergent path as the separation distance increases, relatively heavy objects may continue along a fairly straight path as they enter the chamber 36. Thus, the central non-perforated region 45 continues to protect the disk member 40 from potential damage.

Despite these advantages, the diameter of the non-perforated region 45 need not be greater than the diameter of the inlet 37. By reducing the size of the non-perforated region 45, the size of the perforated region 46 and thus the total open area of the disk member 40 can be increased. As a result, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 may be reduced. Additionally, a decrease in the axial velocity of the soiled fluid moving through the perforated region 46 can be observed. However, as the size of the non-perforated region 45 decreases, it will reach a point where fluid entering the chamber 36 will no longer be forced to turn radially from the axial direction before encountering the perforated region 46. Therefore, it will be to a point where the decrease in the axial velocity due to the larger opening area is offset by an increase in the axial velocity due to the smaller corner.

It is envisioned that the central region 45 of the disk member 40 can be perforated. While many of the advantages described above will be lost, it is still advantageous to have a fully perforated disk member 40. For example, the disk 40 can be manufactured for simplicity and/or cheaper. In particular, the disk member 40 can be cut from a continuously perforated sheet. That is, if the central region 45 is perforated, the disk member 40 will continue to apply a tangential force to the contaminated fluid entering the chamber 36, although the force at the center of the disk member 40 is less. Thus the disc 40 will continue to separate the dirt from the fluid, although the separation efficiency is reduced. Additionally, if the central region 45 of the disk member 40 is perforated, dirt may clog the hole in the exact center of the disk member 40 due to the relatively low tangential force exerted by the disk member 40. When the hole at the center is blocked, the disk member 40 will then behave as if the center of the disk member 40 is non-perforated. Alternatively, the central region 45 can be perforated but have an open area that is smaller than the peripheral perforated region 46. Furthermore, the opening area of the central region 45 may increase as it moves radially outward from the center of the disk member 40. This in turn has the benefit that the open area of the central region 45 increases as the tangential velocity of the disk member 40 increases.

The inlet duct 21 extends along an axis that coincides with the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. As a result, the dirt-containing fluid entering the chamber 36 is guided at the center of the disk member 40. This in turn has the advantage that the dirt-containing fluid is evenly distributed over the surface of the disk member 40. Conversely, if the inlet duct 21 is eccentrically guided at the disc member 40, the fluid will be unevenly distributed. To illustrate this, Figure 8 shows that a tangential force is applied to the dirt-containing fluid by the disk at the circumference of the inlet conduit 21, the inlet conduit 21 being (a) guided at the center of the disk member 40 ( b) is guided eccentrically. It can be seen that when the inlet duct 21 is eccentrically guided, the dirt-containing fluid does not flow uniformly over the surface of the disc member 40. In the example shown in Figure 8(b), the lower half of the disk member 40 sees very little dirt-containing fluid. This uneven distribution of fluid over the disk member 40 may have one or more adverse effects. For example, the axial velocity of the fluid passing through the disk member 40 may increase at those regions that are most severely exposed to the soiled fluid. As a result, the separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 may be lowered. In addition, dirt separated by the disk member 40 can be unevenly collected in the container 20. As a result, the capacity of the dirt separator 10 may be impaired. The re-entrainment of the dirt 50 that has been collected in the container 20 may also increase, resulting in a further reduction in the separation efficiency. Another disadvantage of eccentrically guiding the soiled fluid is that the disk member 40 suffers from uneven structural loads, and the resulting imbalance can result in poor sealing with the top wall 30 of the container 20 and can be reduced The life of any bearing used to support the disk assembly 22 within the vacuum cleaner 1.

The inlet duct 21 is attached to the bottom wall 32 and is integrally formed with the bottom wall 32. The inlet duct 21 is thus supported within the chamber by the bottom wall 32. Alternatively, the inlet duct 21 can be supported by the side wall surface 31 of the container 20, for example using one or more brackets extending radially between the inlet duct 21 and the side wall surface 31. This configuration has the advantage that the bottom wall 32 is free to open and close without moving the inlet duct 21. As a result, a taller container 20 having a larger dirt capacity can be employed. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage that when the bottom wall 32 is open, the bracket used to support the inlet duct 21 may inhibit dirt from falling from the chamber 36, thus making the emptying of the container 20 more difficult.

The inlet duct 21 extends linearly within the chamber 36. This in turn has the advantage that the fluid containing the dirt moves along the straight path through the inlet duct 21. However, this configuration is not without difficulty. The bottom wall surface 32 is configured to open and close and is attached to the side wall surface 31 by a hinge 33 and a hook portion 34. Accordingly, when the user applies force to the hand-held unit 2 to manipulate the cleaner head 4 (for example, for pushing the thrust or tension of the cleaner head 4 forward and backward, for left or right The right to manipulate the torsional force of the cleaner head 4 or the lifting force for lifting the cleaner head 4 off the floor, the force being transmitted to the cleaner head 4 via the hinge 33 and the hook portion 34 . The hinge 33 and the hook portion 34 must therefore be designed to withstand the required forces. Alternatively, the bottom wall 32 can be secured to the side wall face 31 and the side wall face 31 can be removably attached to the top wall face 30. The container 20 then removes the side wall surface 31 and the bottom wall surface 32 from the top wall surface 30 and inverts to empty. While this configuration has the advantage of not requiring the design of hinges and hooks that can withstand the required forces, the dirt separator 10 is less convenient for emptying.

An alternative dirt separator 101 is illustrated in FIG. A portion of the inlet duct 21 extends along the side wall surface 31 of the container 20 and is attached to the side wall surface or integrally formed with the side wall surface. The bottom wall surface 32 is reattached to the side wall surface 31 by a hinge 33 and a hooking portion (not shown). However, the inlet duct 21 no longer extends through the bottom wall surface 32. Accordingly, when the bottom wall 32 is moved between the closed position and the open position, the position of the inlet duct 21 is unchanged. This in turn has the advantage that the container 20 is easy to empty without the need to design hinges and hooks that can withstand the required forces. However, as is apparent from Figure 9, the inlet duct 21 is no longer straight. As a result, the loss in the inlet duct 21 will result in increased losses, and thus the pressure drop associated with the dirt separator 10 may increase. Although the inlet conduit 21 of the configuration shown in FIG. 9 is no longer straight, the end of the inlet conduit 21 continues to extend along an axis that coincides with the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. As a result, the dirt-containing fluid continues into the chamber 36 in the axial direction, which is directed at the center of the disk member 40.

FIG. 10 illustrates another dirt separator 102 in which the inlet conduit 21 extends linearly through the side wall face 31 of the container 20. The bottom wall 32 is then attached to the side wall surface 31 by a hinge 33 and held closed by the hook portion 34. In the configuration illustrated in Figures 3 and 9, the chamber 36 of the dirt separator 10, 101 is substantially cylindrical in shape such that the longitudinal axis of the chamber 36 coincides with the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member. The disk member 40 is then positioned toward the top of the chamber 36 and the inlet conduit 21 extends upwardly from the bottom of the chamber 36. Reference to the top and bottom is understood to mean that dirt separated from the fluid is preferentially collected at the bottom of the chamber 36 and gradually filled in a direction towards the top of the chamber 36. With the configuration shown in Figure 10, the shape of the chamber 36 can be considered a combination of a cylindrical top and a cube bottom. Both the disk member 40 and the inlet conduit 21 are then positioned toward the top of the chamber 36. Since the inlet duct 21 extends through the side wall 31 of the container 20, this configuration has the advantage that the container 20 can be conveniently emptied via the bottom wall 32 without the need to be able to withstand the manipulation of the cleaner head 4. The hinge and hook of the force. In addition, since the inlet duct 21 is linear, the pressure loss associated with the inlet duct 21 is reduced. This configuration has at least three further advantages. First, the dirt capacity of the dirt separator 102 is significantly increased. Second, when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted to perform cleaning over the floor, dirt within the container 20 is less likely to fall onto the disk member 40, and therefore, the chamber 36 need not include surrounding The protective deep groove of the disk member 40, and thus a larger disk member 40 having a larger total opening area can be used. Third, the bottom wall 32 of the container 20 can be used to support the handheld unit 2 when resting on a horizontal surface. However, this configuration is not without its drawbacks. For example, a larger container 20 can obstruct access to a confined space, such as between items of furniture or appliances. Additionally, the bottom of the chamber 36 is radially spaced from the top of the chamber 36, that is, the bottom of the chamber 36 is from the chamber in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. The top of chamber 36 is spaced apart. As a result, dirt and fluid thrown radially outward by the disk member 40 can interfere with dirt collected in the bottom of the chamber 36. Additionally, any eddy currents within the chamber 36 will tend to move up and down the chamber 36. Therefore, re-entrainment of dirt may increase, resulting in a decrease in separation efficiency. By contrast, in the configuration illustrated in Figures 3 and 9, the bottom of the chamber 36 is axially spaced from the top of the chamber 36. Therefore, the dirt and flow system thrown radially outward by the disk member 40 is less likely to interfere with the dirt collected in the bottom of the chamber 36. Additionally, any eddy currents within the chamber 36 move around the chamber 36 rather than moving up and down the chamber 36.

In each of the above-described dirt separators 10, 101, 102, at least the end of the inlet duct 21 (i.e., the portion having the inlet 37) extends along an axis coincident with the rotational axis 48 of the disk member 40. As a result, the dirt-containing fluid enters the chamber 36 in an axial direction that is guided in the center of the disk member 40. The advantages have been described above. However, there may be situations where it is desirable to have an alternate configuration. For example, FIGS. 11-13 illustrate a dirt separator 103 in which the inlet conduit 21 extends along an axis that is at an angle relative to the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. That is, the inlet duct 21 extends along an axis that is not parallel to the axis of rotation 48. As a result of this configuration, the soiled fluid enters the chamber in a direction that is not parallel to the axis of rotation 48. Nonetheless, the contaminated fluid entering the chamber 36 is continuously directed to the disk member 40. In fact, with the dirt separator 103 shown in Figures 11-13, the dirt-containing fluid continues to be directed to the center of the disk member 40. This particular configuration may be advantageous for several reasons. First, when the vacuum cleaner 1 is used for floor cleaning, as shown in FIG. 1, the hand-held unit 2 is guided downward at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. As a result, dirt can be collected unevenly in the dirt separator. In particular, dirt can be preferentially collected along one side of the chamber 36. For the soil separator 10 shown in Figure 3, such uneven collection of dirt may mean that the dirt fills the top of the chamber 36 along one side, thereby triggering a chamber full state (chamber-full conition) ), even though the opposite side of the chamber 36 may be relatively free of contaminants. As illustrated in Figure 12, the dirt separator 103 of Figures 11-13 can make better use of the available space. As a result, the capacity of the dirt separator 10 can be improved. It can also be said that the dirt separator 101 of Fig. 9 has such an advantage. However, the inlet duct 21 of the dirt separator 101 includes two bent portions. In contrast, the inlet duct 21 of the dirt separator 103 of Figures 11-13 is substantially linear and thus the pressure loss is small. Another advantage of the configuration shown in Figures 11 through 13 is related to emptying. As with the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the inlet duct 21 is attached to the bottom wall 32 and is movable with the bottom wall 32. As shown in Figure 6, the inlet duct 21 extends horizontally when the dirt separator 10 of Figure 3 is held vertically and the bottom wall 32 is in the open position. By contrast, as shown in Fig. 13, when the dirt separator 103 of Figs. 11 to 13 is vertically held and the bottom wall surface 32 is opened, the inlet duct 21 is inclined downward. As a result, it is better to cause the dirt to slip off the inlet duct 21.

In the configuration shown in Figures 11-13, the contaminated fluid entering the chamber 36 is continuously directed to the center of the disk member 40. Despite the advantages in this configuration, effective soil separation can still be achieved by eccentrically directing the soiled fluid. Furthermore, there may be situations where it is desirable to guide the fluid containing the dirt eccentrically. For example, if the central region of the disk member 40 is perforated, the soiled fluid can be deflected eccentrically to avoid the region where the tangential rate of the disk member 40 is the slowest. As a result, a net gain in the separation efficiency can be observed. As an example, FIG. 14 illustrates a configuration in which the contaminated fluid entering the chamber 36 is eccentrically guided to the disk member 40. Similar to the configuration shown in Figure 9, the inlet duct 21 is integrally formed with the side wall surface 31 of the container 20, and the bottom wall surface 32 is attached to the side by a hinge 33 and a hook (not shown). Wall 31. When the bottom wall 32 is moved between the closed position and the open position, the position of the inlet duct 21 remains fixed. This in turn has the advantage that the container 20 is easy to empty without the need to design hinges and hooks that can withstand the forces required to manipulate the cleaner head 4. Further, the inlet duct 21 is straight compared to the dirt separator 101 of Fig. 9, and thus the pressure loss caused by the movement of the dirt-containing fluid through the inlet duct 21 is reduced.

In a more general sense, it can be said that the fluid containing dirt enters the chamber 36 along a flow axis 49. The flow axis 49 then intersects the disk member 40 such that the dirt-containing fluid 10 is directed at the disk member 40. This then has the benefit that the soil containing fluid impacts the disk member 40 shortly after entering the chamber 36, and then the disk member 40 applies a tangential force to the fluid containing the dirt. The flow system is drawn through the holes 47 in the disk member 40, and due to its greater inertia, the dirt moves radially outward and collects in the chamber 36. In the configuration shown in Figures 3, 9, 10 and 11, the flow axis 49 intersects the center of the disk member 40, and in the configuration shown in Figure 14, the flow axis 49 is eccentrically associated with the disk member 40. intersect. While having an advantage in intersecting the flow axis 49 with the center of the disk member 40, effective soil separation can still be achieved by eccentrically intersecting the flow axis 49 with the disk member 40.

In each of the above configurations, the inlet duct 21 has a circular cross section, and thus the inlet 37 has a circular shape. It is envisaged that the inlet duct 21 and the inlet 37 may have an alternative shape. Likewise, the shape of the disk member 40 need not be circular. However, since the disk member 40 is rotated, it does not know what the benefits of having a non-circular disk member are. The perforated region 46 and the non-perforated region 45 of the disk member 40 can also have different shapes. In particular, the non-perforated region 45 need not be circular or located at the center of the disk member 40. For example, where the inlet conduit 21 is eccentrically guided to the disk member 40, the non-perforated region 45 can take the form of a ring. In the above discussion, sometimes reference is made to the diameter of a particular element, where the element has a non-circular shape, the diameter corresponding to the maximum width of the element. For example, if the shape of the inlet 37 is rectangular or square, the diameter of the inlet 37 will correspond to the diagonal of the inlet 37. Alternatively, if the shape of the inlet is elliptical, the diameter of the inlet 37 will correspond to the width of the inlet 37 along the major axis.

The disk member 40 is formed from a metal, such as stainless steel, which has at least two advantages over, for example, plastic. First, a relatively thin disk member 40 having a relatively high rigidity can be achieved. Secondly, a relatively stiff disk member 40 can be achieved which, when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted, is less susceptible to damage from or falling onto the disk member 40 by a hard or sharp object carried by the fluid. , as shown in Figure 7. However, despite these advantages, the disk member 40 is imaginarily formed from alternative materials such as plastic. In practice, the use of plastic can have advantages over metals, for example, by forming a low friction plastic, disk member 40 such as polyoxymethylene, the low friction material (e.g., PTFE) provided around the top wall 30 of the container 20 can be omitted. Ring piece.

In the above configuration, the disk assembly 22 includes a disk member 40 that is directly attached to the shaft of the electric motor 41. It is conceivable that the disk 40 can be attached indirectly to an electric motor, for example by means of a gearbox or a drive dog. Further, the disk assembly 22 can include a carrier to which the disk member 40 is attached. As an example, FIG. 15 illustrates a disk assembly 23 having a carrier 70. The carrier 70 can be used to increase the rigidity of the disk member 40. As a result, a thinner disk member 40 or disk member 40 having a larger diameter and/or a larger total opening area can be used. The carrier 70 can also be used to form a seal between the disk assembly 23 and the container 20. In this regard, although the contact seal between the disk member 40 and the top wall surface 30 has been described so far, alternative types of seals, such as labyrinth seals or fluid seals, may be employed. The carrier 70 can also be used to block the central region of the entire perforated disk member. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the carrier 70 includes a central hub portion 71 that is coupled to the rim 72 by radial spokes 73. The fluid then moves past the carrier 70 via an aperture 74 between adjacent spokes 73.

Each of the disk assemblies 22, 23 described above includes an electric motor 41 for driving the disk member 40. It is envisioned that the disk assembly 22, 23 can include an alternative mechanism for driving the disk member 40, for example, the disk member 40 can be driven by the vacuum motor 12. This configuration is particularly feasible for the layout shown in FIG. 1, in which the vacuum motor 12 rotates about an axis that coincides with the axis of rotation 48 of the disk member 40. Alternatively, the disk assemblies 22, 23 can include a turbine that is powered by the flow of fluid moving through the disk assemblies 22, 23. The turbine system is generally less expensive than an electric motor, but the rate of the turbine, and thus the speed of the disk member 40, depends on the flow rate of the fluid moving through the turbine. As a result, it is difficult to achieve high separation efficiency at a low flow rate. Additionally, if dirt blocks any of the holes 47 in the disk member 40, the open area of the disk member 40 will decrease, thereby restricting fluid flow to the turbine. As a result, the rate of the disk member 40 will decrease, and thus the likelihood of clogging will increase. Then there is a runway effect in which the disk 40 becomes slower and slower as it becomes clogged, and the disk 40 becomes more and more clogged as it decelerates. Again, if the suction opening in the cleaner head 4 becomes temporarily blocked, the rate of the disk member 40 will be significantly reduced. Then, dirt can accumulate significantly on the disk member 40. When the obstacle is subsequently removed, the dirt can limit the open area of the disk member 40 to the extent that the turbine system cannot drive the disk member 40 at a sufficient rate to throw the dirt. Electric motors, while generally more expensive, have the advantage that the speed of the disk member 40 is relatively insensitive to flow rates or fluid velocity. As a result, high separation efficiency can be achieved at low flow rates and low fluid rates. In addition, the disk member 40 is less likely to be blocked by dirt. Another advantage of using an electric motor is that it requires less power. That is, for a given flow rate and disk rate, the power drawn by the electric motor 41 is less than the additional power drawn by the vacuum motor 12 to drive the turbine.

So far, the dirt separator 10 has been described as forming part of a hand-held unit 2 that can be used as a stand-alone cleaner or can be attached to a cleaner head 4 via an elongated tubular member 3. Used as a stick cleaner 1. The preparation of the disk assembly in the hand held unit is by no means intuitive. Although it is known to provide a rotating disk member in a dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner, there is a prejudice that the dirt separator must include a cyclone chamber to separate the dirt from the fluid. As a result, the overall size of the dirt separator is quite large and unsuitable for use in a hand held unit. With the dirt separator described herein, efficient separation can be achieved in a relatively compact manner. As a result, the dirt separator is particularly suitable for handheld units.

The weight of the handheld unit is clearly an important consideration in its design. Therefore, the inclusion of an electric motor in addition to a vacuum motor is not an obvious design choice. In addition, in the case where the hand-held unit is powered by a battery, it can be reasonably assumed that the power consumed by the electric motor will shorten the running time of the vacuum cleaner. However, by using an electric motor to drive the disk, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved to achieve a fairly modest pressure drop. Therefore, the same cleaning performance can be achieved by using a less powerful vacuum motor than a conventional hand-held cleaner. Therefore a smaller vacuum motor can be used which consumes less power. As a result, a net reduction in weight and/or power consumption may be possible.

Although the soil separators described herein are particularly suitable for hand held vacuum cleaners, it should be understood that the dirt separators can equally be used in alternative types of vacuum cleaners, such as upright, cans. Canister or machine-in vacuum cleaner.

Claims (10)

 A hand held vacuum cleaner comprising a vacuum motor and a dirt separator, the dirt separator comprising: a chamber through which a fluid containing dirt enters an inlet of the chamber, and a cleaned fluid Passing through an outlet of the chamber; a disk member at the outlet and including a plurality of holes through which the cleaned fluid passes; and an electric motor for driving the disk member about an axis of rotation .    A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dirt-containing fluid entering the chamber is guided to the disk member.    A vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the dirt-containing fluid entering the chamber is guided at the center of the disk member.    A vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dirt separated from the dirt-containing fluid is collected at the bottom of one of the chambers and at the top of one of the chambers. The direction is gradually filled, the outlet being at the top of the chamber or adjacent the top of the chamber, and the bottom of the chamber is axially spaced from the top of the chamber.    The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inlet is defined by an end of an inlet duct that extends linearly within the chamber.    A vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inlet is defined by an end of an inlet duct extending through a wall of the chamber, and the inlet duct An opposite end portion can be attached to a different attachment of the vacuum cleaner.    A vacuum cleaner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet is defined by an end of an inlet duct, one of the walls of the chamber being in an open position and a Movement between the closed positions, and the inlet duct is attached to the wall and movable with the wall.    A vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the disk member is formed of a metal.    A stick vacuum cleaner comprising a hand held vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and attached to a cleaner head by an elongated tubular member, the elongated tubular member Extending about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation.    A vacuum cleaner according to claim 9 wherein the dirt separator comprises an inlet duct extending through a wall of the chamber, the inlet being defined by a first end of the inlet duct And the elongated tubular member is attached to a second end of the inlet conduit.