WO2006069780A2

WO2006069780A2 - Filtering apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2006069780A2
Application number: PCT/EP2005/014067
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luigi Amoretti
Original assignee: T.P.A. Impex S.P.A.
Priority date: 2004-12-31
Filing date: 2005-12-28
Publication date: 2006-07-06
Also published as: WO2006069780A3; ITMO20040353A1

Abstract

The filtering apparatus (1) comprises a container body defining chamber means (106) provided with an inlet (5) for air to be filtered and an outlet (4) for filtered air, said chamber means (106) being suitable for receiving a filtering liquid in the interior thereof, in said container body (2) there being provided control means of said outlet (4) activatable by said filtering liquid to selectively close or open said outlet (4).

Description

FILTERING APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a filtering apparatus particularly suitable for being fitted in household appliances provided with water filtration. Certain household appliances, like vacuum cleaners, are used in the cleaning of surfaces and objects in general, without removable containers, for example bags, into which to collect the sucked impurities, being provided inside the household appliances. This is possible because in these vacuum cleaners collecting chambers of the impurities are provided that are provided within filters placed along a suction path, which separate the impurities from the flows of sucked air; the impurities are collected in the chambers which, when they are full, can be opened and emptied.

Another type of vacuum cleaner provides for the collecting chambers being partially filled with a preset and constant volume of water in which the sucked impurities are collected, making the flows of sucked air and to be filtered bubble therein.

Both in the latter types of vacuum cleaners and in the former, the sucking action is obtained by means of a motor that drives a fan that generates suction. The motor requires constant cooling to prevent harmful overheating and this cooling is obtained by sending thereto the flows of sucked and filtered from impurities air; these flows of air leave the collecting chambers and are intended generally to traverse a further filter placed to protect the motor and then be again delivered into the environment. These known vacuum cleaners and which are provided with water filtering have some drawbacks.

A first drawback is that ' with use the collecting chambers progressively fill with water and the volume of water mixed with that of the collected dirt, tend to cause dangerous clogging of the filters placed to protect the motor; consequently, the volumes of sucked air that passes through these filters and which is sent to cool the motor is greatly- reduced.

Another drawback is that there is a risk that the water contained in the collecting chambers will exit from the latter through the opening normally provided for the exiting of flows of filtered air that are directed to the motor and will reach the latter, damaging it irreparably. This danger is further increased by the fact that some types of vacuum cleaner are constructed to be maintained, during use, in a substantially vertical position; nevertheless, the latter often have to' be tilted or even laid horizontal in different directions in order to be able to perform their function completely. In order to avoid or reduce this danger of accidental contacts between water and motor, filtering devices have been constructed to be inserted into the vacuum cleaners that have paths of the flows of air directed to the motors that are shaped as labyrinths, so that in the event of accidental leaks of water from the collecting chambers of impurities, the latter is stopped before it reaches the motor.

A further problem is that the collecting chambers of the filtering apparatuses in which the dirt is collected, must have walls that are provided with at least a transparent window and dimensions such as to enable the level of the water to be controlled visually and constantly so that an excessive amount of the volume of the latter caused by the collection of noticeable quantities of impurities does not facilitate the leaking thereof to the seat of the filter located to protect the motor, with the risk that it may in some way reach it when the filter is soaked therewith. Another drawback is that water-filtering apparatuses have to be mounted mainly on vacuum cleaners that during operation maintain a substantially constant position, such as, for example, vacuum cleaners that are slidable on a floor and are dragged by the user, it being risky to provide vacuum cleaners of the vertical type with water-filtering apparatuses due to the fact that during their use they have to be tilted in various directions, thus promoting the possible leaking of water from the impurity-collecting chambers.

Another drawback is that known vacuum cleaners, provided with water-filtering apparatuses, are not provided with means suitable for automatically interrupting the passage of air sucked to the motor in the event of leaking water or the reaching of critical levels of the latter in the collecting chambers.

An object of the present invention is to improve the prior art. An object of the invention is to make a filtering apparatus that is able to automatically avoid any possible passage of water to the motor that is part of the sucking unit of a vacuum cleaner.

Another object of the invention is to make a filtering apparatus that is able to provide the user with a clearly perceptible indication and of an acoustic type when the collecting chamber of a filtering apparatus contains a critical volume of water.

Another object of the invention is to make a filtering apparatus that enables water filtration to be used also in vacuum cleaners that are tiltable with respect to the surfaces to be cleaned without there being the risk of the water moving to the motor.

In a first aspect of the invention, a filtering apparatus is provided, comprising a container body defining a chamber provided with an inlet for air to be filtered and an outlet for filtered air, said chamber being suitable for receiving a filtering liquid therewithin, characterised in that in said container body there is provided control means of said outlet activatable by said filtering liquid to close or selectively open said outlet. In a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided, comprising: causing an interaction of air to be filtered with a filtering liquid in chamber means so as to obtain filtered air,- causing the passage of said filtered air from an outlet of said chamber means; and selectively: enabling the passage of said filtered air through said outlet when said filtering liquid is in an operating condition in which said interaction is permitted; or: closing said outlet when said filtering liquid is in another operating condition in which interrupting said interaction is required.

The filtering apparatus thus enables to eliminate the danger of accidental escape of filtering liquid from chamber means provided in a suction filtering apparatus for containing the latter and the filtered impurities by automatically activating control means of an outlet of said chamber when the filtering apparatus is alternatively placed in a tilted position or when the containing chamber is filled with filtered detritus. Further features and advantages will be clearer from the disclosure of a filtering apparatus illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the attached tables of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view from above of a filtering apparatus; Figure 2 is a side view of the filtering apparatus taken from a point of observation II of figure 1 and devoid of a portion of the side wall of a box body that is part of the filtering apparatus, facing the observation point II; Figure 3 is a side view of the filtering apparatus taken from a point of observation III of figure 1 and devoid of a portion of the side wall of a box body that is part of the filtering apparatus, facing the observation point III; Figure 4 is a vertical section of the filtering apparatus in Figure 1, taken along a plane IV-IV; Figure 5 is a vertical section of the filtering apparatus in Figure 1, taken along a plane V-V; Figure 6 is a schematic transverse section of the filtering apparatus in Figure 1 taken along a plane rotated 90° with respect to the section plane of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view on an enlarged scale of the vertical section of Figure 4, taken along a upright position of the filtering apparatus;

Figure 8 is a view on an enlarged scale of the vertical section of Figure 4, taken along a tilted position of the filtering apparatus. With reference to Figure 1, 1 indicates overall a filtering apparatus, particularly suited for installation in household appliances, specifically a vacuum cleaner.

The filtering apparatus 1 comprises a body 2 that has a box shape and which, in the preferred form of embodiment, is cylindrical.

The body 2 has a wall 3 considered to be the upper wall that, in the preferred embodiment, is a lid that is sealingly mounted on the latter and has at least an outlet opening 4 for flows of aspirated and filtered air and an inlet 5 for air to be filtered.

Within the box body 2 chamber means 106 is defined that comprises a chamber 6 for containing the sucked detritus and the sucked dirt, in which a preset volume 7 of liquid, preferably water, is contained, the level plane of which is indicated by 107.

The inlet opening 5 is provided with an extension conduit 8 that extends inside the chamber 6 and which has a first mouth 9 that is connected to the inlet opening 5 and a second mouth 10, opposite the first 9, that is located near a bottom wall 102 of the chamber 6, in such.a way as always to be below the level plane 107.

The extension conduit 8 is divided into at least two consecutive segments, indicated respectively by 108 and 208, that are connected together by rotating joint means 12. The latter comprises a convex collar 112 that has a semicircular section and extends upwards perimeterally from one of the segments, specifically the segment 108, near an end thereof opposite the opening 5, and from a corresponding concave collar 212 that also has a semicircular section that extends perimeterally from an end of the other segment, in the. specific case the segment 208, that extends towards the convex collar 108 and which is arranged to contain it therein with a slight space, so that it can rotate with respect to it by a preset angle that is a function of the curvature radius of the semicircular sections of the two collars 112 and 212.

The latter can be interchanged indifferently, i.e. the convex collar 112 can be received in the segment 208 and the concave collar 212 can be obtained in the segment 108 without the operation of the rotating means 8 being thereby compromised.

The segment 208 is also provided, near the second mouth 10, with a weight 13 that has the shape of a ring and surrounds it, preferably completely: the weight 13 keeps the segment 208 facing the filtering liquid in such a way that the second mouth 10 is constantly immersed in the latter, rotating it spontaneously with respect to the segment 108 when the container body 2 is tilted, and with it also the filtering apparatus 1, as indicated in Figures 6 and 8, or returning it to an axially aligned position when the container body 2 is returned to the vertical position, as shown in Figures 1, 5, 7.

Within the chamber 6 automatic control means 14 of the outlet opening 4 is also mounted, in given states, which is better specified below. The control means 14 comprises a floating shutter member 15 that is joined to the internal walls of the chamber 6 by joining means 117.

The latter comprises hinge means 16 that enables oscillation of the member 15 around the hinge axes 116 that are orthogonal to the internal walls of the chamber 6. The floating shutter member 15 is connected to the hinge means 16 by a corresponding first arm 17 and second arms 18 that converge on a common converging point 19. Between the arm 17 and a wall of the container body 2 elastic means 217 is interposed arranged to keep the first articulated arm 17 normally facing the level plane 107. From the common point 19 a further arm 20 extends that faces the outlet opening 4 and which, at the end 120 facing the latter, is provided with a cap 21 having dimensions and a shape such as to close completely the outlet opening 4 when it is pushed against the latter.

The arms 17, 18 and 20 are rotationally fixed to one another and oscillate together with the floating shutter member 15 around the hinge axes 116. In detail, the floating shutter member 15 has, in a cross section, an arc shape with a convex surface 115 that is kept constantly facing the level plane 107 of filtering liquid and in contact with the latter, while the concave internal surface 215 faces the common joining point 19 to which it is connected by radially arranged arms 18.

In the chamber 6 filtering means 22 is also mounted. The latter comprises a box element 23 that is attached to the internal face of the lid 3 by means of supporting members 24 and inside which a filter 25 is housed, preferably made of wired polyamide fabric.

The box element 23 comprises an upper portion 123 that is superimposed thereupon and which is connected thereto with snap-in joining means 26 arranged perimeterally. The upper portion 123 is preferably obtained in a single piece with the lid 3 and faces inside the chamber 6, while the lower box element 23 is provided with a third mouth 27 that is obtained near the base 28 and passing from which the flows of aspirated air can enter the box element 23 to traverse the filter 25, after bubbling in the volume 7 of water. The supporting members 24 comprises a transverse element 29 that is placed below the base 28 and which is coupled with the latter by means of a concave guide 30 that copies as a section the cross section of the transverse element 29. The latter has ends that are provided with corresponding plates 31 that face the wall 3 and have hooking eyelets for being able to hook converging ends of spiral springs -32; the spiral springs 32 are preloaded by traction and have the opposite ends connected to further plates 33 that extend from the lower face 103 of the wall 3, i.e. the one facing the chamber 6 and indicated by 103 in the Figures. The joining means 26 comprises a collar 126 that in cross section forms two opposite grooves 34 and 35 in which the converging edges of the upper portion 123 and of the box element 23 engage.

Operation of the filtering apparatus 1 is indicated below by referring by way of example to a sucking domestic appliance, i.e. a vacuum cleaner on which it is mounted. The air that is sucked from the vacuum cleaner and is full of dirt and impurities enters the filtering apparatus 1 through the inlet 5, as indicated by the arrow "A" in Figure 3.

From the latter it descends the extension conduit 8, as indicated in Figure 1 by the arrow "B" and leaves by the second mouth 10, as indicated by the arrow ^XλC", kept immersed in the volume of water 7 and bubbling therein, below the level plane 107, releasing the impurities and the aspirated dirt. Subsequently, the air passes through the filtering means 22; more precisely, the air enters through the further mouth 27, as indicated by the arrow "D" in Figure 4, into the box element 23, which is maintained in contact with the upper portion 123 by the traction action exerted by the spiral springs 32 and by the thrust provided by the transverse element 29 kept in contact with the lower face of the base 28. When the air has entered the box element 23, it traverses the filter 25 mounted on the latter, as indicated by the arrows "E" in Figure 2, and moves towards the outlet 4, as indicated by the arrows ^λλF" in Figure 4. In normal operating conditions of the vacuum cleaner, the filtering apparatus 1 has a constantly open outlet 4 as the first articulated arm 17 is normally kept facing the base 28 by the elastic means 217 that is loadable by compression and the floating shutter member 15 floats on the level plane 107 of the water that is substantially low: the arms 17, 18 therefore keep the floating shutter member 15 rotated around the hinge axis 116 in such a way that normally the arm 20 and the cap 21 remain far from the outlet 4. When particular operating conditions occur, for example when in a first condition the vacuum cleaner is tilted excessively, and with this the also the filtering apparatus 1, as illustrated in figure 8, or when in a second condition the volume 7 of water increases due to the progressive accumulation of dirt released into the latter, ^• and reach a maximum level plane 107 provided inside the chamber 6, as illustrated in Figure 7, the floating shutter member 15 receives a thrust from the volume 7 of water due to which it rotates around the hinge axis 116 of the arm 17 in the direction of the outlet 4, overcoming the resistance of the elastic means 217 and bringing to rest against the latter the cap 21 that occludes it completely, stopping the passage of air and thus preventing parts of the volume 7 of water being able to reach the motor of the vacuum cleaner or pass directly through the outlet 4, or be pushed or conveyed by the air that leaves the outlet 4 to be conveyed to cooling thereof.

When the vacuum cleaner and therefore the suction apparatus 1 are tilted by a few degrees with respect to the normal lying plane, the outlet 4 remains open and the vacuum cleaner continues normal operation. In order to ensure that the collected dirt is released into the volume 7 of water also in this tilted condition, i.e., in other words, that the second mouth 10 remains immersed in the volume 7 of water, the segment 208 of the conduit 8 rotates spontaneously with respect to the segment 108, dragged by the weight 13 and guided by the rotating joint means 12.

When the filtering apparatus 1 is full, to empty it, it is dismantled from the vacuum cleaner and the lid is then lifted, i.e. the wall 3 considered to be the upper wall, until the ends of the spiral springs 32 can reached to detach them from the respective further plates 33. When this detachment has occurred, the lid coinciding with the wall 3 is completely detached from the box element 23 and can be removed; in this way there is free access to the inside of the chamber 6, both to empty it and to extract the box element 23 therefrom and with it the filter 25 for cleaning or replacement thereof.

Claims

1) Filtering apparatus (1) comprising: a container body (2) defining chamber means (106) provided with an inlet (5) for air to be filtered and an outlet (4) for filtered air, said chamber means (106) being suitable for receiving a filtering liquid inside thereof, characterised in that in said container body (2) there is provided control means (14) of said outlet (4) activatable by said filtering liquid to close or selectively open said outlet (4) .

2) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 1 wherein at least said outlet (4) is obtained in a wall (3)that is considered to be upper of said body (2) .

3) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said inlet (5) is provided with an extending conduit (8) extending inside said chamber means (106) having a first mouth (9) connected to said inlet (5) and an opposite second mouth (19) leading near a wall (102) considered to be the bottom wall of said container body (2) and opposite said wall (3) considered to be the top wall, said second mouth (10) being kept immersed in said filtering liquid.

4) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 3 wherein said extending conduit (8) comprises a first segment (108) fixed to said inlet (5) and a second segment (208) facing said wall (102) considered to be the bottom wall, said first segment (108) and second segment (208) being mutually connected with rotating joint means (12) arranged to enable oscillations of said second segment (208) with respect to said first segment (108) .

5) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 3 or 4 wherein said second segment (208) is provided with a weight (13) arranged to keep said second segment (208) orientated in such a way that said second mouth 10 is immersed in said filtering liquid independently of the orientation of said first segment (108) .

6) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 5 wherein said weight (13) comprises a least a ring body mounted peripherally on said second segment (208) near said second mouth (10) .

7) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 1 wherein said control means (14) comprises: a floating shutter member (15) that is supported oscillating in said chamber means (106) so as to float on said filtering liquid between a closing position of said outlet (4) and an opening position and vice versa; joining means (117) of said floating shutter member (15) floating on said chamber means (106) , and cap means (21) extending from said floating shutter member (15) and facing said outlet (4) .

8) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 7 wherein said floating shutter member (15) has an arc cross section defining a convex external surface (115) facing and in contact with said filtering liquid and an opposing concave internal surface (215) facing said outlet (4) . 9) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 7 or 8 wherein said joining means (117) comprises: a plurality of second arms (18) extending from said concave internal surface (215) and converging at a joining point (19) , and a first articulation arm (17) that has an end converging on said joining point (19) and is rotationally coupled with said second arms (18) , and the opposite end articulated on said container body (2) with hinge means (16) , said first articulated arm (17) being arranged for oscillating on an oscillating plane orthogonal to a level plane (107) defined by said filtering liquid. 10)Filtering apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said container body (2) furthermore comprises filtering means (22) interposed between said inlet (5) and said outlet (4) .

11) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 10 wherein said filtering means (22) comprises: a box element (23) removably supported on a lower face (103) of said wall (3) considered to be the upper wall; support members (24) of said box element (23) to said lower face (103) , and at least a filter (25) housed inside said box element (23) . 12) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 11 wherein said box element (23) comprises an upper portion (123) superimposed on said box element (23) and interposed between the latter and said lower face (103), there being provided joining means (26) for joining said box element (23) of the latter to said upper portion

(123) .

13) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 11 or 12 wherein said box element (23) is provided with at least a third mouth (27) of an inlet for air to be filtered.

14) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 13 wherein said third mouth (27) is located near said wall (102) that is considered to be the bottom wall. 15) Filtering apparatus (1) according to claim 11 wherein said support members (24) comprises: a transverse element (29) placed in contact with a lower face of a base wall (28) of said box element (23) , traction- preloaded elastic means (32) having corresponding ends removably connected to said transverse element (29) and opposite ends removably connected to said wall (3) considered to be the upper wall and arranged to normally keep said box element (23) pressed against said upper portion (123) .

16)Method comprising: causing an interaction of air to be filtered with a filtering liquid in chamber means (106) so as to obtain filtered air; causing the passage of said filtered air from an outlet (4) of said chamber means (106) ; and selectively: allowing the passage of said filtered air through said outlet (4) when said filtering liquid is in an operating position in which said interaction is allowed; or: closing said outlet (4) when said filtering liquid is in another operating condition in which interrupting said interaction is requested.