WO2004105568A1

WO2004105568A1 - A dust collector, and vacuum cleaner using the same

Info

Publication number: WO2004105568A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/001259
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yun-Kee Kang; Hoon-Kee Kang
Original assignee: Yun-Kee Kang; Hoon-Kee Kang
Priority date: 2003-05-30
Filing date: 2004-05-28
Publication date: 2004-12-09
Also published as: KR20040103068A; KR100496163B1

Abstract

A dust collector of vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The body of the dust collector includes a suction duct at one side thereof for suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-discharging hole disposed at a position toward which the suctioned dirt travels straight, and at least one exhaust duct disposed in an orientation different from that of dirt-travelling. A filter is installed inside the body and constitutes a filtering portion at the side wall thereof. The filter communicates the suction duct with the dirt-discharging hole. A dirt-collecting container is provided for collecting dirt discharged through the dirt-discharging hole. Sucked-in air is exhausted through the exhaust duct, and dirt is collected in the separate dirt-collecting container, thereby enabling an easy treatment of dirt and preventing from weakening of suction force due to dirt.

Description

A DUST COLLECTOR, AND VACUUM CLEANER USING THE SAME

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dust collector and a vacuum cleaner using the same, particularly such dust collector and vacuum cleaner, in which dust or dirt can be collected in a separate dirt-collecting container while exhausting the sucked-in air through an exhausting duct, thereby enabling easy disposal of dust and dirt.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

In general, a household vacuum cleaner uses a dust envelope in order to store sucked-in dust or dirt. This dust envelope must be periodically replaced with a new one when it is filled, which leads to users' inconvenience. In addition, when purchasing a new vacuum cleaner, the purchasers must pay a separate additional price for the dust envelope . Furthermore, the dust envelope differs, depending on the manufacturers of vacuum cleaners and their models.

Therefore, the user must purchase a dust envelope fit for his or her vacuum cleaner, which causes some troublesomeness . Besides, when the user fails to find a dust envelope fit for his vacuum cleaner, he cannot use the vacuum cleaner until purchasing an appropriate one.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic construction of a conventional vacuum cleaner. As shown in FIG. 6, the conventional vacuum cleaner 10 is composed of a main body 11 with a motor (not shown) provided thereinside, a dust envelope supporter 12 disposed in the inner space of the main body 11, a dust envelope 13 coupled to the dust envelope supporter 12, a cover 14 covering the main body 11, and a suction hose 15 for suctioning dust or dirt.

The above conventional vacuum cleaner 10 is not very convenient in that dirt sucked-in through a brush (not shown) is collected in a dust envelope 13, which must be detached from the dust envelope supporter 12 and replaced with a new one when it is filled.

Furthermore, as the dust is collected in the dust envelope, the suction force become weak, thereby deteriorating the performance of the vacuum cleaner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in order

to solve the above problems in the prior art, and it is an

object of the present invention to provide a dust collector

and a vacuum cleaner using the same, in which dust or dirt

can be collected in a separate dirt-collecting container while exhausting the sucked-in air through an exhausting

duct, thereby enabling easy disposal of dust and dirt,

without necessity of replacing a dust envelope.

In order to accomplish the above object, according to

one aspect of the invention, there is provided a dust

collector comprising: a body including a suction duct at

one side thereof for suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-

discharging hole disposed at a position toward which the

suctioned dirt travels straight, and at least one exhaust

duct disposed in an orientation different from that of

dirt-travelling; a filter installed inside the body, the

filter constituting a filtering portion at the side wall

thereof and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole; and a dirt-collecting container for

collecting dirt discharged through the dirt-discharging

hole; wherein, when air and dirt is sucked in through the

suction duct by means ^' of suction force of a suction motor

installed at the exhaust duct, the dirt travels straight

inside the filter and is collected in the dirt-collecting

container via the dirt-discharging hole, and the air passes

through the filtering portion of the filter and is

exhausted through the exhaust duct .

The filter may have a cylinder-like shape, a corrugated cylinder shape, a truncated conical shape, a truncated

corrugated conical shape, or the like. The filter has a

diameter larger than that of the suction duct. The filter

is detachable from the body of the dust collector.

In addition, the dust collector of the invention may

further comprise an electric-charging unit for releasing

fine dust attached to the filter. The electric-charging

unit comprises: an insulation portion made of insulation

material; a plurality of outer electrodes supported by the

insulation portion and disposed downwardly in a vertical

direction, the outer electrode having the shape of a rod;

and a plurality of inner electrodes disposed inside the

outer electrode and disposed downwardly in a vertical

direction, the inner electrode having the shape of a rod;

wherein the outer electrode is placed near a corrugated

portion of the filter, and a positive voltage is applied to

the outer electrode and a negative voltage is applied to

the inner electrode; and wherein, when the applied voltage

is shut off, the fine dust adsorbed in the inner electrode

is released. Preferably, the electric-charging unit is

installed at the inner side the filter in a cylinder-like

form.

Furthermore, the dirt-collecting container may have a view window made of transparent material, and have a handle

formed at the side thereof. The dirt-collecting container

may be provided with a dirt-blocking screen installed

thereinside .

In addition, the dust collector of the invention may

further comprise an air-recirculating duct communicating

the dirt-collecting container with the suction duct,

thereby returning part of air inside the dirt-collecting

container to the suction duct.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is

provided a vacuum cleaner comprising: a dust collector

being composed of a body including a suction duct at one

side thereof for suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-

discharging hole disposed at a position toward which the

suctioned dirt travels straight, and at least one exhaust

duct disposed in an orientation different from that of

dirt-travelling, a filter installed inside the body, the

filter constituting a filtering portion at the side wall

thereof and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole, and a dirt-collecting container for

collecting dirt discharged through the dirt-discharging

hole; and a case for accommodating the dust collector.

The vacuum cleaner of the invention may further comprise a water suction duct capable of suctioning water

into the case, wherein the end portion of the water suction

duct is bent at a certain angle such that the suctioned

water can be circulated along the inner wall .

Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner of the invention may further comprise a cap for closing the suction duct or the water suction duct . The suction duct may be provided with an air-recirculating hole, thereby allowing for a smooth air-flow through the suction duct.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the invention can be

more fully understood from the following detailed

description taken in conjunction with the accompanying

drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a dust collector having

one exhausting duct according to the first embodiment of

the invention;

FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c illustrate various embodiments of

a filter used in the dust collector of the invention;

FIG. 3a shows a configuration of an electric-charging

unit according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3b depicts a principle of releasing fine dust inside the filter by means of the electric-charging unit;

FIG. 3c shows fine dust adsorbed to an electrode of the

electric-charging unit;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a dust collector having

two exhausting ducts according to a second embodiment of

the invention;

FIG. 5a is a cross-section of a vacuum cleaner using

the dust collector of the invention;

FIG. 5b shows a principle of water-cleaning using the

vacuum cleaner of the invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a schematic construction of a conventional vacuum cleaner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the accompanying drawings, the preferred

embodiments according to the present invention are

hereafter described in detail .

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a dust collector having

one exhausting duct according to the first embodiment of

the invention, in which the dust collector is denoted by a

reference numeral 100. FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 2c illustrate

various embodiments of a .filter used in the dust collector

of the invention. FIG. 3a shows a configuration of an

electric-charging unit, FIG. 3b depicts a principle of releasing fine dust inside the filter by means of the

electric-charging unit, and FIG. 3c shows fine dust

adsorbed to an electrode. FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a

dust collector having two exhausting ducts according to a

second embodiment of the invention, in which the dust

collector is denoted at 200. FIG. 5a is a cross-section of

a vacuum cleaner using the dust collector of the invention,

and FIG. 5b shows a principle of water-cleaning using the

vacuum cleaner of the invention.

[First Embodiment]

As shown in FIG. 1, in the dust collector 100 of the

invention, air a sucked in through a suction duct 112 is

exhausted into an exhaust duct 114 via a filter 130 of a

predetermined length installed inside the body 110 of the

dust collector 100. Dirt b having various sizes travels

straight inside the filter 130 and is collected in the

dirt-collecting container 150, which is detachably

installed below the body 110 of the dust collector 100.

The travelling path of the air a and the dirt b in the

above dust collector 100 will be hereafter explained in

greater detail .

First, air a is sucked in through the suction duct 112 by suction force of a suction motor, which is mounted in

the exhaust duct 114, although not shown in the drawings.

Then, the air a travels the inside of the filter 130 of a

cylinder shape, which has a larger diameter than that of

the suction duct 112. While travelling inside the filter

130, the air a is not affected by the gravity, and thus

passes through the filter 130 and is exhausted through the

exhaust duct 114.

On the other hand, dirt b is suctioned to the inside of

the filter 130 through the suction duct 112, together with

the air a. The dirt b has a certain mass, and thus is

affected by the gravity. Therefore, the dirt b travels

straight inside the filter 130 due to its momentum, and

finally is collected in the dirt-collecting container 150

through a dirt-discharging hole 116 provided in the lower

portion of the body 110. In FIG. 1, various dirt is

denoted by a reference numeral 180.

Here, the filter 130 communicates between the suction

duct 112 and the dirt-discharging hole 116. The filter 130

has a cylinder-like shape, and is provided with a filtering

portion in the side wall thereof. Therefore, air passes

through the filtering portion and is exited through the

exhaust duct, and dirt travels straight toward the dirt- discharging hole.

In addition, the filter 130 can be detachably installed

in the dust collector 100. In other words, when required,

the filter 130 may be detached and reinstalled, after

detaching the dirt-collecting container 150.

Furthermore, the filter 130 may have a cylinder-like

shape as shown in FIG. 1, a corrugated cylinder shape 130',

a truncated conical shape 130", a truncated corrugated

conical shape 130''', or the like as shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b,

and 2c. Here, the corrugation may be formed in the

vertical direction so that the dirt is not stuck to the

inside wall of the filter. In the drawings, several

preferred shapes of the filter are illustrated, but it is

understood to those skilled in the art that various other

shapes of the filter may be included in the scope of the

invention.

In addition, the dust collector 100 of the invention is

provided with an electric-charging unit 135 disposed inside

the filter 130 in order to release fine dust adsorbed in

the corrugated portion of the filter 130. That is, as

shown in FIG. 3a, the electric-charging unit 135 is

inserted inside the filter 130. The filter 130 of FIG. 3a

illustrates a vertically formed corrugation. The electric- charging unit 135 is composed of an insulation portion 135a

made of insulation materials, a plurality of outer

electrodes 135b supported by the insulation portion 135 and

disposed downwardly in a vertical direction, and a

plurality of inner electrodes 135 c disposed downwardly

inside the outer electrode 135b in a vertical direction and

supported by the insulation portion 135a. Each of the

outer and inner electrodes is preferred to have the shape

of a rod, such as an iron bar. Furthermore, the electric-

charging unit 135, in general, has a cylinder-like shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 3b, the electric-charging unit

135 is configured such that the outer electrode 135b is

aligned near the corrugated portion X of the filter 130,

and the inner electrode 135C is placed inside the outer

electrode 135b, when the filter 130 is inserted. At the

above state, a high voltage generator 190 is electrically

connected to the electric-charging unit 135. I.e., the

positive side of the high voltage generator 190 is

connected to the outer electrode 135b and the negative side

is connected to the inner electrode 135c. As shown in FIG.

3c, when a high voltage is applied to the electric-charging

unit 135, fine dust adsorbed in the corrugated portion X is

released therefrom and is collected in the inner electrode 135c. In other words, the fine dust is adsorbed in the

inner electrode (a negative electrode) .

Thereafter, when the voltage being applied to the

electric-charging unit 135 is shut off, the fine dust

adsorbed on the inner electrode 135c is released therefrom

and falls down toward the dirt-collecting container 150

disposed below the filter 130.

Preferably, the electric-charging unit 135 may serve as

a guard for preventing a large sized dirt from damaging the

filter 130. Therefore, in case where the electric-charging

unit 135 is not installed, a cylinder-like guard (a filter

protector) having a shape similar to the electric-charging

unit 135 may be provided in the similar position to that of

the electric-charging unit 135.

As described above, the electric-charging unit 135 can

easily treat fine dust, which will be otherwise stuck to

the filter 130.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, the dust collector 100 of

the invention is further provided with an air-recirculating

duct 160, which connects the dirt-collecting container 150

with the suction duct 112. Part of the air introduced into

the dirt-collecting container 150 is returned to the

suction duct 112, so that the pressurized air-flow can be alleviated inside the dirt-collecting container 150, which

is airtight or closed up, thereby enabling a smooth air-

suction through the suction duct 112. Furthermore, a dirt-

blocking screen 155 is provided in the dirt-collecting

container 150 such that the dirt collected therein can be

prevented from travelling to the suction duct 112 through

the air-recirculating duct 160.

In addition, a view window 152 made of transparent

materials such as glass is provided in the side wall of the

dirt-collecting container 150 so as to readily inspect the

inside state thereof. Furthermore, a handle 151 is formed

in the side wall of the dirt-collecting container 150 so as

to facilitate the installation and detachment thereof.

The dust collector of the invention as described above

does not necessitate a periodic replacement of a dust

envelope as in the conventional one, since the sucked-in

air is exhausted through the exhaust duct and dirt is

collected in the separate dirt-collecting container.

[Second Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 4, a dust collector according to the

second embodiment of the invention will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dust collector of this embodiment is provided with two suction ducts 214a and 214b

in order to enable a smooth air flow, and the remaining

thereof is the same as in the previous first embodiment.

In the first and second embodiment, one or two suction

ducts are illustrated. It is, however, understood to those

skilled in the art that more than two suction ducts may be

provided in the dust collector of the invention.

Vacuum Cleaner

Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, a vacuum cleaner

according to the invention, to which a dust collector of

the invention is applied, will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 5a, in the vacuum cleaner 1000 of the

invention, air a" is sucked in through a suction duct 512

by a suction motor 350 installed in an upper case 300 of

the vacuum cleaner 1000. The sucked-in air passes through

a filter 530 and is exhausted through an exhaust duct 514

and an outer exhaust hole 320. Dirt b" having a certain

mass travels straight inside the filter 530 due to its

momentum and, via a dirt-discharging hole 516, is collected

in the dirt-collecting container 550 installed in the

bottom of a lower case 600.

Preferably, the vacuum cleaner 1000 of the invention is provided with an air-recirculating hole 560 formed in the

suction duct 512 so as to facilitate the air-flow inside

the airtight or closed-up vacuum cleaner.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner 1000 of the invention

may be further provided with a water suction duct 700,

which is capable of suctioning liquid on the object to be

cleaned, for example, water or drink spilt on a carpet. In

other words, as shown in FIG. 5b, the suction duct 512 can

be blocked by using a cap 720, which has covered the water

suction duct 700 as in FIG. 5a, i.e., the suction duct 512

is closed and the water suction duct 700 is open, when a

water cleaning or liquid suction is required. In the above

state, if the suction motor 350 installed in the upper case

300 is operated, the liquid c is sucked in through the

water suction duct 700 and circulates along the inner wall

of the lower case 600. In FIGS. 5a and 5b, the suction duct

512 and the water suction duct 700 have different diameters,

but may have a same diameter so as to use the single cap

720 alternately between them.

The end portion of the water suction duct 700 is

preferred to be bent at a certain desired angle such that

the suctioned water can be moved downwards and stored in

the dirt -collecting container 550, while circulating along the inner wall of the lower case 600. Simultaneously,

light air a" passes through the filter 530 and is exhausted

through the exhaust duct 514.

In the vacuum cleaner of FIGS. 5a and 5b, the dust

collector 500 is disposed in a horizontal direction. It is,

however, understood to those skilled in the art that the

dust collector may be installed in a vertical direction

within the scope of the invention.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, according to the present invention,

sucked-in air is exhausted through an exhaust duct, and

dirt is collected in a separate dirt-collecting container,

thereby enabling an easy treatment of dirt and preventing

from weakening of suction force due to dirt.

In addition, a suction duct capable of suctioning water

is further provided so that water-containing dirt can be

easily treated.

Furthermore, the dust collector of the invention can be

applied to a household vacuum cleaner, an industrial vacuum

cleaner, a portable vacuum cleaner, or the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims .

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A dust collector comprising:

a body including a suction duct at one side thereof for

suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-discharging hole disposed

at a position toward which the suctioned dirt travels

straight, and at least one exhaust duct disposed in an

orientation different from that of dirt-travelling;

a filter installed inside the body, the filter

constituting a filtering portion at the side wall thereof

and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole; and

a dirt-collecting container for collecting dirt

discharged through the dirt-discharging hole;

wherein, when air and dirt is sucked in through the

suction duct by means of suction force of a suction motor

installed at the exhaust duct, the dirt travels straight

inside the filter and is collected in the dirt-collecting

container via the dirt-discharging hole, and the air passes

througk the filtering portion of the filter and is

exhausted through the exhaust duct .

2. A dust collector according to claim 1, wherein the

filter has a cylinder-like shape, a corrugated cylinder shape, a truncated conical shape, or a truncated corrugated

conical shape.

3. A dust collector according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein

the filter has a diameter larger than that of the suction

duct .

4. A dust collector according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein

the filter is detachably installed.

5. A dust collector according to claim 1, further

comprising an electric-charging unit for releasing fine

dust attached to the filter.

6. A dust collector according to claim 5, wherein the

electric-charging unit comprises:

an insulation portion made of insulation material;

a plurality of outer electrodes supported by the

insulation portion and disposed downwardly in a vertical

direction, the outer electrode having the shape of a rod;

and

a plurality of inner electrodes disposed inside the

outer electrode and disposed downwardly in a vertical direction, the inner electrode having the shape of a rod;

wherein the outer electrode is placed near a corrugated

portion of the filter, and a positive voltage is applied to

the outer electrode and a negative voltage is applied to

the inner electrode; and wherein, when the applied voltage

is shut off, the fine dust adsorbed in the inner electrode

is released.

7. A dust collector according to claim 6, wherein the

electric-charging unit is installed at the inner side of

the filter in a cylinder-like form.

8. A dust collector according to claim 1, wherein the

dirt-collecting container has a view window made of

transparent material for inspecting the inside thereof.

9. A dust collector according to claim 1, wherein the

dirt-collecting container has a handle formed at the side

thereof .

10. A dust collector according to claim 1, wherein the

dirt-collecting container is detachably installed.

11. A dust collector according to claim 1, wherein the

dirt-collecting container is provided with a dirt-blocking

screen installed thereinside.

12. A dust collector according to claim 1, further

comprising an air-recirculating duct communicating the

dirt-collecting container with the suction duct, thereby

returning part of air inside the dirt-collecting container

to the suction duct.

13. A dust collector comprising:

a body including a suction duct at one side thereof for

suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-discharging hole disposed

at a position toward which the suctioned dirt travels

straight, and at least one exhaust duct disposed in an

orientation different from that of dirt-travelling;

a filter installed inside the body, the filter

constituting a filtering portion at the side wall thereof

and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole;

an electric-charging unit installed near the filter,

the electric-charging unit includes an insulation portion

made of insulation material, a plurality of outer electrodes supported by the insulation portion and disposed

downwardly in a vertical direction, the outer electrode

having the shape of a rod, and a plurality of inner

electrodes disposed inside the outer electrode and disposed

downwardly in a vertical direction, the inner electrode

having the shape of a rod; and

a dirt -collecting container for collecting dirt

discharged through the dirt-discharging hole.

14. A dust collector according to claim 13, wherein the

electric-charging unit has a cylinder-like shape or a

truncated conical shape.

15. A dust collector comprising:

a body including a suction duct at one side thereof for

suctioning dirt and air, a dirt-discharging hole disposed

at a position toward which the suctioned dirt travels

straight, and at least one exhaust duct disposed in an

orientation different from that of dirt-travelling;

a filter installed inside the body, the filter

constituting a filtering portion at the side wall thereof

and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole; a filer protector for protecting the filter from dirt,

the filter protector having a cylinder-like shape and

installed inside the filter; and

a dirt-collecting container for collecting dirt

discharged through the dirt-discharging hole.

16. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a dust collector being composed of a body including a

suction duct at one side thereof for suctioning dirt and

air, a dirt-discharging hole disposed at a position toward

which the suctioned dirt travels straight, and at least one

exhaust duct disposed in an orientation different from that

of dirt-travelling; a filter installed inside the body, the

filter constituting a filtering portion at the side wall

thereof and communicating the suction duct with the dirt-

discharging hole; and a dirt-collecting container for

collecting dirt discharged through the dirt-discharging

hole; and

a case for accommodating the dust collector.

17. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, further

comprising a water suction duct capable of suctioning water

into the case, wherein the end portion of the water suction duct is bent at a certain angle such that the suctioned

water can be circulated along the inner wall.

18. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 16 or 17,

further comprising a cap for closing the suction duct or

the water suction duct .

19. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the

suction duct is provided with an air-recirculating hole,

thereby allowing for a smooth air-flow through the suction

duct .