WO2008054046A1

WO2008054046A1 - Vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2008054046A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/000957
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kie-Tak Hyun; Kyeong-Seon Jeong; Jong-Kyu Jang; Chung-Ook Chong; Jinhyouk Shin; Geunbae Hwang; Youngsoo Kim
Original assignee: Lg Electronics, Inc.
Priority date: 2006-10-31
Filing date: 2007-02-23
Publication date: 2008-05-08
Also published as: EP2094142A1; DE602007011319D1; ATE491383T1; EP2094142B1; EP2094142A4; US20100005617A1

Abstract

The present invention discloses a vacuum cleaner which can improve the cleaning performance by filtering off impurities from the sucked air twice according to a cyclone method, and allow the user to easily discharge the collected impurities. The vacuum cleaner includes a primary cyclone unit (100), a secondary cyclone unit (120), and a passage partition unit (131) formed between the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit. The sucked air is primarily filtered in the primary cyclone unit (110), and secondarily filtered in the secondary cyclone unit (120), thereby improving the cleaning performance. In addition, a dust container (140) is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit (110) or the secondary cyclone unit (120). Therefore, the user can easily remove the impurities collected in the dust container (140) by separating the dust container (140) from the primary and secondary cyclone units.

Description

Description VACUUM CLEANER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner which can filter off impurities from the sucked air twice according to a cyclone method. Background Art

[2] In general, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus for cleaning an indoor space, by sucking the air by a vacuum suction force and filtering off dust from the air through various filters.

[3] The vacuum cleaners are classified into a cylindrical floor type, an upright type and a hand type according to uses and movement methods. The floor type vacuum cleaner, which is intended for home use, can efficiently remove small particles such as dust, the upright type vacuum cleaner can clean the floor such as a carpet, and the hand type vacuum cleaner can efficiently clean a narrow space such as stairs and desks.

[4] The vacuum cleaners are also classified into a filter type and a cyclone type according to methods of filtering off impurities such as dust and hairs from the sucked air. The filter type vacuum cleaner filters the air including the impurities through a dust bag made of a kind of cloth. That is, the filter type vacuum cleaner needs the dust bag which must be periodically replaced. Meanwhile, the cyclone type vacuum cleaner rotates and lowers the sucked air including the impurities, so that the impurities of the sucked air can be dropped to the bottom due to the self weight. Recently, the cyclone type vacuum cleaner, which does not need the dust bag, has been popularly used.

[5] Moreover, the cyclone type vacuum cleaner filters off the impurities twice through an inner cyclone and an outer cyclone to improve the cleaning performance.

[6] Figs. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side-sectional view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a conventional vacuum cleaner, respectively.

[7] One example of the double cyclone for the conventional vacuum cleaner will now be explained with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. A conical inner cyclone 4 is installed inside a cylindrical outer cyclone 2, a mesh 6 for filtering off impurities from the air rising from the bottom surface of the outer cyclone 2 is installed on the outer circumference of the inner cyclone 4, a scattering prevention unit 6a for preventing re- scattering of the impurities is installed at the bottom end of the mesh 6, and an extension unit 8 is installed at the lower portion of the inner cyclone 4 to contact the inside surface of the outer cyclone 2. Therefore, an outer dust container 9a is formed between the upper portion of the extension unit 8 and the inside surface of the outer cyclone 2, and an inner dust container 9b is formed between the lower portion of the extension unit 8 and the bottom surface of the outer cyclone 2.

[8] A pair of suction passages 2a for introducing the sucked air are formed on the inside upper portion of the outer cyclone 2, and a discharge passage 2b for discharging the filtered air is formed on the top surface of the outer cyclone 2. Both side chambers 4a are formed at the outside upper portion of the inner cyclone 4, so that the air passing through the mesh 6 can flow into the chambers 4a.

[9] When the suction force is generated, the sucked air including the impurities is rotated and lowered along the inside surface of the outer cyclone 2 through the suction passages 2a. The impurities of the sucked air are dropped due to the self weight and collected in the outer dust container 9a. The air primarily filtered in the outer cyclone 2 is lifted. Even if the impurities are re-scattered with the air, they are dropped by the scattering prevention unit 6a.

[10] The air passed through the outer cyclone 2 is rotated and lowered along the inside surface of the inner cyclone 4 through the chambers 4a. The remaining impurities of the air are dropped due to the self weight and collected in the inner dust container 9b. The air secondarily filtered in the inner cyclone 4 is lifted and discharged through the discharge passage 2b.

[11] The impurities filtered off in the outer cyclone 2 and the inner cyclone 4 are collected in the outer dust container 9a and the inner dust container 9b. The impurities can be removed by separating the lower portion of the outer cyclone 2, or discharged through the lower portion.

[12] In the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, the inner cyclone 4 is installed inside the outer cyclone 2, and the mesh 6 is installed between the outer cyclone 2 and the inner cyclone 4. The mesh 6 is operated as a resistance to the cyclone flow in the outer cyclone 2, thereby reducing the cleaning performance.

[13] In addition, the inner cyclone 4 is installed inside the outer cyclone 2, and the extension unit 8 is installed at the lower portion of the inner cyclone 4 to individually form the outer dust container 9a and the inner dust container 9b. As volumes of the dust containers 9a and 9b are limited, the impurities must be often removed. In order to remove the impurities, the user must separate the inner cyclone 4 from the outer cyclone 2 and turn the outer cyclone 2 upside down. It causes inconvenience to the user.

[14] Accordingly, in the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, a method of increasing the length of the outer cyclone 2 has been suggested to improve the cleaning performance by installing the mesh 6 and increasing the volumes of the dust containers 9a and 9b. However, as the whole length of the dust collection apparatus increases, it cannot be easily built in the vacuum cleaner.

[15] Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating another example of the dust collection apparatus for the conventional vacuum cleaner. Another example of the double cyclone for the conventional vacuum cleaner will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. A cylindrical inner cyclone 12 smaller than a cylindrical main body

11 is formed at the center portion of the main body 11 , a plurality of conical outer cyclones 14 are arranged between the main body 11 and the inner cyclone 12 in the circumferential direction at predetermined intervals to contact each other, a mesh 16 is installed at the center portion of the inner cyclone 12 to hang down, and a scattering prevention unit 18 is extended from the bottom end of the mesh 16 and downwardly inclined so as to prevent the impurities filtered off in the inner cyclone 12 from being lifted with the rising air current.

[16] An inflow tube 12a for introducing the sucked air to the inside upper portion of the inner cyclone 12 is formed to pass through the main body 11 and the inner cyclone 12, and an outflow tube (not shown) for discharging the air passing through the outer cyclones 14 is formed at the upper portion of the main body 11. Inlets (not shown) for sucking the air and dust discharge holes 14a for discharging the impurities such as dust are formed at the upper portions and bottom ends of the outer cyclones 14, respectively. In addition, outlets 14b for discharging the filtered air are formed on the top surfaces of the outer cyclones 14.

[17] The air filtered in the inner cyclone 12 is lifted and introduced to the upper portions of the outer cyclones 14. Here, passages for externally discharging the air filtered in the outer cyclones 14 are formed to communicate with each other.

[18] An inner dust container 19a for collecting the impurities filtered off in the inner cyclone 12 is formed on the bottom surface of the inner cyclone 12, and an outer dust container 19b for collecting the impurities filtered off in the outer cyclones 14 is formed on the bottom surface between the main body 11 and the inner cyclone 12.

[19] When the suction force is generated, the sucked air including the impurities is rotated and lowered along the inside surface of the inner cyclone 12 through the inflow tube 12a. The impurities of the sucked air are dropped due to the self weight and collected in the inner dust container 19a. The air primarily filtered in the inner cyclone

12 is lifted.

[20] Even if the impurities collected in the inner dust container 19a are lifted with the air rising from the bottom surface of the inner cyclone 12, they are dropped to the inner dust container 19a by the scattering prevention unit 18.

[21] The air passed through the inner cyclone 12 is rotated and lowered along the inside surfaces of the outer cyclones 14 through the inlets of the outer cyclones 14, respectively. The remaining impurities of the air are dropped due to the self weight through the dust discharge holes 14a of the outer cyclones 14, respectively, and collected in the outer dust container 19b. The air secondarily filtered in the outer cyclones 14 is lifted and discharged through the discharge holes 14b of the outer cyclones 14 and the outflow tube.

[22] The impurities filtered off in the inner cyclone 12 and the outer cyclones 14 are collected in the inner dust container 19a and the outer dust container 19b. The impurities can be removed by separating the lower portion of the main body 11, or discharged through the lower portion.

[23] In the double cyclone type dust collection apparatus, when the sucked air passes through the inner cyclone 12, the relatively large impurities are collected in the inner dust container 19a, and when the air passes through the vertically installed mesh 16 and each outer cyclone 14, the relatively small impurities are collected in the outer dust container 19b.

[24] Since the mesh 16 is installed inside the inner cyclone 12 smaller than the outer cyclones 14, the mesh 16 is operated as a resistance to the cyclone flow in the inner cyclone 12, thereby reducing the cleaning performance. The inner dust container 19a is hidden by the outer dust container 19b, so that the user cannot remove the impurities collected in the inner dust container 19a, such as hairs and dust at an appropriate time. On the other hand, the outer dust container 19b for collecting the relatively small impurities is larger than the inner dust container 19a for collecting the relatively large impurities, which reduces spatial efficiency. The mesh 16, which is installed inside the inner dust container 19a, has a small diameter. Therefore, hairs are easily hooked on the mesh 16. The mesh 16 is also hidden by the outer dust container 19a, so that the user cannot directly remove the hairs from the mesh 16. Moreover, the hairs are operated as flow resistances reducing the suction performance.

[25] To remove the impurities, the user must carry the whole dust collection apparatus to a refuse bin, open a bottom cover for covering the bottom surfaces of the inner dust container 19a and the outer dust container 19b, and discharge the impurities. That is, it causes inconvenience to the user. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[26] The present invention is achieved to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can improve the cleaning performance by filtering off impurities from the sucked air twice according to a cyclone method.

[27] Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can reduce the whole length and improve the cleaning performance, by widening a cyclone flow generation space in a limited space.

[28] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can reduce the whole length and improve the cleaning performance, by suppressing a flow resistance in a cyclone flow generation space. [29] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can allow the user to easily remove impurities by separating only a dust container for collecting the impurities. [30] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which can allow the user to remove impurities at an appropriate time and easily approach and remove hairs from a passage, by forming a dust container for collecting secondarily filtered impurities inside a dust container for collecting primarily filtered impurities.

Technical Solution [31] In order to achieve the above-described objects of the invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, including: a primary cyclone unit for primarily separating impurities from the sucked air by primary cyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating impurities from the air passed through the primary cyclone unit by secondary cyclone flow inside a plurality of secondary cyclones, and collecting the impurities at the center portion of the primary cyclone unit; and a first passage partition unit for guiding the flow of the primary cyclone unit to inlets of the secondary cyclones, respectively. [32] The secondary cyclones are formed in an inclined conical shape with outlets and dust discharge holes at both axial direction ends, the surfaces of which contacting the first passage partition unit being horizontal. [33] The vacuum cleaner includes vortex prevention units for partitioning the outlets of the secondary cyclones in order to prevent a vortex of the air discharged through the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [34] The vortex prevention units are partition walls installed to cross the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [35] The vortex prevention units are cylindrical members installed on the outlets of the secondary cyclones in the axial direction. [36] The first passage partition unit seals up the gap between the inlet of the primary cyclone unit and the outlets of the secondary cyclones, and partially covers the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones. [37] The vacuum cleaner further includes a mesh unit upwardly isolated from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit at a predetermined interval. [38] The first passage partition unit further includes a region with a plurality of through holes. [39] The inlets of the secondary cyclones are adjacent to the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones covered by the first passage partition unit. [40] The inlets of the secondary cyclones are opened in the same direction.

[41] The vacuum cleaner further includes a second passage partition unit for isolating the inside flow of the primary cyclone unit from passages from the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [42] The second passage partition unit seals up the spaces between the secondary cyclones in order to increase the sectional area of the passages from the outlets of the secondary cyclones.

[43] The secondary cyclones are formed inside the inlet of the primary cyclone unit.

[44] The first passage partition unit isolates the outlets of the secondary cyclones from the inlet of the primary cyclone unit, and has its section downwardly inclined toward the center portion. [45] The primary cyclone unit includes a primary dust container for collecting impurities, and the secondary cyclone unit includes a secondary dust container installed at the center portion of the primary dust container to communicate with the dust discharge holes of the secondary cyclones. The first passage partition unit is integrally formed with the secondary dust container. [46] The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust container detachably coupled to at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit. [47] The dust container includes a primary dust container for collecting the impurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust container formed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities from the secondary cyclone unit. [48] The vacuum cleaner further includes a sealing member installed between at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit and the dust container. [49] A handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, and the dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit. [50] The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust separation plate installed between the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container.

[51] The dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passing dust.

[52] The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container.

[53] The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit. [54] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, including: a primary cyclone unit for primarily separating and collecting impurities from the sucked air by primary cyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating and collecting impurities from the air passed through the primary cyclone unit by secondary cyclone flow; and a dust container detachably coupled to at least one of the primary and secondary cyclone units, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary and secondary cyclone units. [55] The dust container includes a primary dust container for collecting the impurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust container formed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities from the secondary cyclone unit. [56] The vacuum cleaner further includes a sealing member installed between at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit and the dust container. [57] A handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, and the dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit. [58] The vacuum cleaner further includes a dust separation plate installed between the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container.

[59] The dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passing dust.

[60] The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container.

[61] The dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[62] The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein: [63] Figs. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side-sectional view illustrating one example of a dust collection apparatus for a conventional vacuum cleaner, respectively; [64] Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating another example of the dust collection apparatus for the conventional vacuum cleaner, [65] Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; [66] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; [67] Fig. 6 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; [68] Fig. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; [69] Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; [70] Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; [71] Fig. 10 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; [72] Fig. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; [73] Fig. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; [74] Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; [75] Fig. 14 is a side-sectional view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; [76] Fig. 15 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; [77] Fig. 16 is a upper view illustrating major elements of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; and [78] Fig. 17 is a lower view illustrating the major elements of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for the Invention [79] A vacuum cleaner in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [80] Figs. 4 to 7 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, a side-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. [81] In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs.

4 to 7, the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner includes a primary cyclone unit 110 for filtering off impurities of the sucked air flowing in the vertical direction according to a cyclone method, a secondary cyclone unit 120 for filtering off impurities of the air passed through the primary cyclone unit 110 and flowing in the horizontal direction according to the cyclone method, first and second passage partition units 131 and 132 installed between the primary cyclone unit 110 and the secondary cyclone unit 120, for guiding/partitioning the flow, a mesh unit 133 for filtering off large impurities such as hairs from the flow, and a dust container 140 detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit 110 or the secondary cyclone unit 120, for collecting the impurities.

[82] In more detail, the primary cyclone unit 110 includes an inlet (not shown) for introducing the sucked air, and an outlet (not shown) for discharging the filtered air. An inflow tube 111 and an outflow tube 112 for guiding the flow are connected to the inlet and the outlet.

[83] The inflow tube 111 is connected to a vertical cylindrical cyclone main body 113 in the tangential direction, for generating spiral flow, and the outflow tube 112 is connected to a cap-shaped cyclone cover 114 for covering the cyclone main body 113.

[84] In the secondary cyclone unit 120, a plurality of cyclone units 121 are horizontally arranged in a circumferential direction of a vertical cylindrical dust guide unit 122. The plurality of cyclone units 121 and the dust guide unit 122 are disposed to communicate with each other, and the top end of the dust guide unit 122 is blocked.

[85] The cyclone units 121 and the upper portion of the dust guide unit 122 are disposed inside the cyclone cover 114, and the lower portion of the dust guide unit 122 is disposed inside the cyclone main body 113.

[86] Especially, the cyclone units 121 are formed in a conical shape with their diameters reduced from the outside ends to the inside ends in the axial direction, namely, toward the dust guide unit 122. As the bottom surfaces of the cyclone units 121 are horizontal, the cyclone units 121 form the inclined conical shapes.

[87] Inlets 121a for sucking the air are formed on the outside end bottom surfaces of the cyclone units 121, dust discharge holes 121b for discharging impurities are formed on the inside ends of the cyclone units 121, and outlets 121c for discharging the filtered air are formed on the outside ends of the cyclone units 121. Here, one inlet 121a is formed on each cyclone unit 121 and opened in the same direction.

[88] Vortex prevention units 123 for preventing an vortex of the air are formed on the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121, respectively. The vortex prevention units 123 can be formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than that of the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121, and installed in the same axial direction with the cyclone units 121, for partitioning the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121. For easy production, the vortex prevention units 123 can be formed as partition walls for partitioning the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121. In this case, the vortex prevention units 123 can prevent the vortex of the air.

[89] The first passage partition unit 131 is a ring-shaped flat plate for guiding the flow of the cyclone main body 113 to the inlets 121a of the cyclone units 121, respectively, and sealing up the gap between the inflow tube 111 of the primary cyclone unit 110 and the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121. [90] That is, the inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131 covers the inlet formed portions 121a of the cyclone units 121, and the outer circumferential end thereof is interlocked with the inner circumference of the cyclone main body 113 or the cyclone cover 114 to partition the inflow tube 111 and the outflow tube 112 of the primary cyclone unit 110.

[91] The inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131 contacts the outside end bottom surfaces of the cyclone units 121. The inlets 121a of the cyclone units 121 are extended from the inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131. The air is guided by the inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131, and sucked into the inlets 121a of the cyclone units 121.

[92] The second passage partition unit 132 serves to isolate the inside flow of the primary cyclone unit 110 from the flow from the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121.

[93] More preferably, the second passage partition unit 132 seals up the spaces between the cyclone units 121 so as to increase the sectional area of the passages from the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121 inside the cyclone cover 114. The second passage partition unit 132 connects each cyclone unit 121 to the dust guide unit 122 in the circumferential direction, and also connects the outside ends of the cyclone units 121.

[94] The edges of the second passage partition unit 132 can be smoothed to guide the flow passing through the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121. If the second passage partition unit 132 is formed in a lower position than the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121, a flow resistance of the air discharged from the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121 can be more reduced.

[95] The mesh unit 133, which is a member having through holes, is upwardly isolated from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit 110 at a predetermined interval. The mesh unit 133 filters off impurities such as hairs from the flow rising from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit 110.

[96] The diameter of the mesh unit 133 is reduced from the top to bottom end, so that the mesh unit 133 cannot be operated as a resistance to the cyclone flow of the primary cyclone unit 110. The top end of the mesh unit 133 contacts the inner circumferential end of the first passage partition unit 131, and the bottom end thereof contacts the dust guide unit 122.

[97] The dust container 140 includes a primary dust container 141 for collecting the impurities separated in the primary cyclone unit 110, and a secondary dust container 142 installed at the center portion of the primary dust container 141, for collecting the impurities separated in the secondary cyclone unit 120. The primary dust container 141 and the secondary dust container 142 can be integrally formed.

[98] The primary dust container 141 is formed in a container shape and coupled to the bottom end of the cyclone main body 113, and the secondary dust container 142 is formed in a cylindrical shape and coupled to the bottom end of the dust guide unit 122. The primary dust container 141 and the secondary dust container 142 can be made of a transparent or semitransparent material to be externally shown.

[99] A dust separation plate 143 is provided to prevent re-scattering of the impurities collected in the primary dust container 141 and the secondary dust container 142. At least one opening unit (not shown) for passing the impurities is formed on the dust separation plate 143.

[100] More preferably, the inner circumference of the dust separation plate 143 is coupled to the outer circumference of the top end of the secondary dust container 142, and the outer circumference thereof is installed with a predetermined interval 143h from the inner circumference of the top end of the primary dust container 141 in the radial direction. Otherwise, the inner circumference of the dust separation plate 143 is disposed with a predetermined interval from the outer circumference of the top end of the secondary dust container 142 in the radial direction, and the outer circumference thereof is coupled to the inner circumference of the top end of the primary dust container 141.

[101] Since the dust separation plate 143 is detachably coupled to the dust container 140, when the dust container 140 is separated and moved, the dust collected in the dust container 140 is not scattered by the dust separation plate 143. However, the user must separate the dust separation plate 143 in person.

[102] On the other hand, the dust separation plate 143 can be coupled to the outer circumference of the bottom end of the dust guide unit 122 or the inner circumference of the bottom end of the cyclone main body 113. In the case that the dust separation plate 143 is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit 110 or the secondary cyclone unit 120, when the dust container 140 is separated and moved, some impurities may be scattered. Nevertheless, the user can directly discharge the impurities without separating the dust separation plate 143.

[103] A handle unit 144 which the user can hold is integrally formed on the outer circumference of the primary dust container 141. If the primary dust container 141 and the secondary dust container 142 are integrally formed and the bottom surfaces thereof are downwardly opened from one side hinge end, the impurities can be easily discharged.

[104] The dust container 140 can be coupled to the primary cyclone unit 110 and the secondary cyclone unit 120 at the same time. Preferably, at least one sealing member 145 and 146 is disposed at the coupling portions, for preventing leakage of fine dust from the coupling portions. The large ring-shaped sealing member 145 is interposed between the cyclone main body 113 and the primary dust container 141, and the small ring-shaped sealing member 146 is interposed between the dust guide unit 122 and the secondary dust container 142.

[105] The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[106] When the suction force is generated, the air sucked through the inflow tube 111 is guided toward the inner wall of the cyclone main body 113, and thus spirally downwardly moved. The relatively large impurities of the cyclone flow are dropped due to the self weight, and collected in the primary dust container 141 through the space between the cyclone main body 113 and the dust separation plate 143.

[107] Even if the impurities collected in the primary dust container 141 are re-scattered by the rising air current of the cyclone flow in the cyclone main body 113, the impurities are settled by the dust separation plate 143. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted and passed through the mesh unit 133. The impurities such as hairs are filtered off through the mesh unit 133.

[108] The air passed through the mesh unit 133 is guided to the inlets 121a of the cyclone units 121 by the first passage partition unit 131. The air introduced through the inlets 121a of the cyclone units 121 are spirally moved to the center portions along the inside surfaces of the cyclone units 121. The impurities are collected in the dust guide unit 122 and the secondary dust container 142 through the dust discharge holes 121b of the cyclone units 121. The secondarily filtered air is outwardly horizontally moved in the cyclone units 121, and discharged through the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121.

[109] The air discharged through the outlets 121c of the cyclone units 121 is not mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 113 by the second passage partition unit 132, but passed through the space between the second passage partition unit 132 and the cyclone cover 114 and completely externally discharged through the outflow tube 112.

[110] As a result, the impurities are filtered off twice according to the cyclone method, which improves the cleaning performance. The user can easily remove the impurities collected in the dust container 140 by separating the dust container 140 from the primary cyclone unit 110 and the secondary cyclone unit 120.

[Ill] Figs. 8 to 11 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, a side-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

[112] As illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11, the second embodiment of the present invention is identical to the first embodiment described above except that an inflow tube 211 is formed in a higher position and cyclone units 221 are disposed inside the inflow tube 211. Therefore, a shape of a first passage partition unit 231 is changed to isolate the air sucked through the inflow tube 211 from the cyclone units 221.

[113] In more detail, a primary cyclone unit 210 includes the inflow tube 211, an outflow tube 212, a cyclone main body 213 and a cyclone cover 214. The inflow tube 211 and the outflow tube 212 are disposed on the cyclone cover 214.

[114] The inflow tube 211 is connected to the cyclone cover 214 in the tangential direction, so that the sucked air can be spirally downwardly moved along the inner walls of the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclone main body 213.

[115] A secondary cyclone unit 220 includes the cyclone units 221 and a dust guide unit

222. A dust container 240 includes a primary dust container 241, a secondary dust container 242, a dust separation plate 243, a handle unit 244 and sealing members 245 and 246. Besides the secondary cyclone unit 220 and the dust container 240, a second passage partition unit 232 and a mesh unit 233 are identical to those of the first embodiment, and thus are not explained.

[116] The first passage partition unit 231 is installed between the inflow tube 211 and the cyclone units 221. The top end of the first passage partition unit 231 contacts the inside top end of the cyclone cover 214, and the bottom end thereof partially covers the outside ends of the cyclone units 221 at the lower portion. Accordingly, the first passage partition unit 231 has its section downwardly inclined toward the center portion.

[117] Here, inlets 221a of the cyclone units 221 are opened from the bottom surfaces of the cyclone units 221 contacting the bottom end of the first passage partition unit 231. Since the bottom end of the first passage partition unit 231 is adjacent to the inlets 221a of the cyclone units 221, the first passage partition unit 231 guides the flow to the inlets 221a of the cyclone units 221, respectively.

[118] The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. When the suction force is generated, the air sucked through the inflow tube 211 generates primary cyclone flow along the inner walls of the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclone main body 213. The impurities are separated and collected in the primary dust container 241. Re-scattering of the impurities is prevented by the dust separation plate 243.

[119] While the air sucked through the inflow tube 211 generates the cyclone flow along the cyclone cover 214 and the cyclone main body 213, the impurities are separated from the air. As a result, the space of primarily generating the cyclone flow is widened to improve the cleaning performance. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted and passed through the mesh unit 233. The impurities such as hairs are filtered off through the mesh unit 233. The air passing through the mesh unit 233 is guided to the inlets 221a of the cyclone units 221 by the bottom end of the first passage partition unit 231.

[120] The impurities of the air introduced to the cyclone units 221 are secondarily separated by the cyclone flow. The impurities are collected in the dust guide unit 222 and the secondary dust container 242 through dust discharge holes 221b of the cyclone units 221. The secondarily filtered air is discharged through outlets 221c of the cyclone units 221.

[121] The air discharged through the outlets 221c of the cyclone units 221 is not mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 213 by the first and second passage partition units 231 and 232, but passed through the space between the first and second passage partition units 231 and 232 and the cyclone cover 214 and completely externally discharged through the outflow tube 212. The user can easily remove the impurities collected in the dust container 240 by separating the dust container 240 from the primary cyclone unit 210 and the secondary cyclone unit 220.

[122] Figs. 12 to 15 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, a side-sectional view and a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a dust collection apparatus for a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 16 and 17 are a upper view and a lower view illustrating the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention.

[123] In accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figs.

12 to 17, the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner includes a primary cyclone unit 310 for filtering off impurities of the sucked air flowing in the vertical direction according to a cyclone method, a secondary cyclone unit 320 for filtering off impurities of the air passed through the primary cyclone unit 310 and flowing in the horizontal direction according to the cyclone method, first and second passage partition units 331 and 332 installed between the primary cyclone unit 310 and the secondary cyclone unit 320, for guiding/partitioning the flow, and a dust container 340 detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit 310 or the secondary cyclone unit 320, for collecting the impurities.

[124] In more detail, the primary cyclone unit 310 includes an inlet (not shown) for introducing the sucked air, and an outlet (not shown) for discharging the filtered air. An inflow tube 311 and an outflow tube 312 for guiding the flow are connected to the inlet and the outlet.

[ 125] The inflow tube 311 is connected to a vertical cylindrical cyclone main body 313 in the tangential direction, for generating spiral flow, and the outflow tube 312 is connected to a cap-shaped cyclone cover 314 for covering the cyclone main body 313.

[126] In the secondary cyclone unit 320, a plurality of cyclone units 321 are horizontally arranged in a circumferential direction of a vertical cylindrical dust guide unit 322. The plurality of cyclone units 321 and the dust guide unit 322 are disposed to communicate with each other, and the top end of the dust guide unit 322 is blocked. [127] The cyclone units 321 and the upper portion of the dust guide unit 322 are disposed inside the cyclone cover 314, and the lower portion of the dust guide unit 322 is disposed inside the cyclone main body 313. The cyclone units 321, inlets 321a, dust discharge holes 321b and outlets 321c of the cyclone units 321, and vortex prevention units 323 are identical to those of the first and second embodiments, and thus explanations thereof are omitted.

[128] The first passage partition unit 331 is a ring-shaped flat plate for guiding the flow of the cyclone main body 313 to the inlets 321a of the cyclone units 321, respectively, and sealing up the gap between the inflow tube 311 of the primary cyclone unit 310 and the outlets 321c of the cyclone units 321. Through hole are formed at the center portion of the first passage partition unit 331.

[129] That is, a partition unit 331a which does not have the through holes is formed on the circumference of the first passage partition unit 331, and a through hole unit 331b having the through holes is formed at the center portion of the first passage partition unit 331.

[130] Here, the partition unit 331a is interlocked with the inner circumference of the cyclone main body 313 or the cyclone cover 314 to partition the inflow tube 311 and the outflow tube 312 of the primary cyclone unit 310. In addition, the partition unit 331a covers the inlets 321a formed at the lower portion of the cyclone units 321. Part of the partition unit 331a guides the air passing through the cyclone main body 313 to the inlets 312a of the cyclone units 321.

[131] The through hole unit 331 b cover s the inlet non-formed portions of the cyclone units 321 at the lower portion. The dust guide unit 322 passes through the center portion of the through hole unit 331b. The through hole unit 331b filters off impurities such as hairs from the flow rising from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit 310.

[132] The partition unit 331a and the through hole unit 331b are integrally formed and horizontally installed at the lower portions of the cyclone units 321, thereby remarkably reducing the installation space in the primary cyclone unit 310. This structure is not operated as a resistance to the cyclone flow, thereby improving the cleaning performance.

[133] The second passage partition unit 332 serves to isolate the inside flow of the primary cyclone unit 310 from the flow from the outlets 321c of the cyclone units 321. The second passage partition unit 332 is identical to that of the first and second embodiments, and thus explanations thereof are omitted.

[134] The dust container 340 includes a primary dust container 341 for collecting impurities from the primary cyclone unit 310, a secondary dust container 342 for collecting impurities from the secondary cyclone unit 320, a dust separation plate 343 for preventing re-scattering of the impurities, and at least one sealing member 345 and 346 disposed at the coupling portions, for preventing leakage of fine dust from the coupling portions. These elements are also identical to those of the first and second embodiments, and thus detailed explanations thereof are omitted.

[ 135] The operation of the dust collection apparatus for the vacuum cleaner in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[136] When the suction force is generated, the air sucked through the inflow tube 311 is guided toward the inner wall of the cyclone main body 313, and thus spirally downwardly moved. The relatively large impurities of the cyclone flow are dropped due to the self weight, and collected in the primary dust container 341 through the space between the cyclone main body 313 and the dust separation plate 343.

[137] Even if the impurities collected in the primary dust container 341 are re-scattered by the rising air current of the cyclone flow in the cyclone main body 313, the impurities are settled by the dust separation plate 343. Only the primarily filtered air is vertically lifted and passed through the through hole unit 331b of the first passage partition unit 331. The impurities such as hairs are filtered off through the through hole unit 331b of the first passage partition unit 331.

[ 138] The through hole unit 33 Ib is formed in the first passage partition unit 331 to occupy a small area in the primary cyclone unit 310, thereby suppressing the flow resistance in the primary cyclone unit 310 and improving the cleaning performance.

[ 139] The air passed through the through hole unit 33 Ib of the first passage partition unit

331 is guided to the inlets 321a of the cyclone units 321 by the partition unit 331a of the first passage partition unit 331. The air introduced through the inlets 321a of the cyclone units 321 is spirally moved to the center portions along the inside surfaces of the cyclone units 321. The impurities are collected in the dust guide unit 322 and the secondary dust container 342 through the dust discharge holes 321b of the cyclone units 321. The secondarily filtered air is outwardly horizontally moved in the cyclone units 321, and discharged through the outlets 321c of the cyclone units 321.

[140] The air discharged through the outlets 321c of the cyclone units 321 is not mixed with the flow of the cyclone main body 313 by the second passage partition unit 332, but passed through the space between the second passage partition unit 332 and the cyclone cover 314 and completely externally discharged through the outflow tube 312.

[141] As a result, the impurities are filtered off twice according to the cyclone method, which improves the cleaning performance. The user can easily remove the impurities collected in the dust container 340 by separating the dust container 340 from the primary cyclone unit 310 and the secondary cyclone unit 320.

[142] As discussed earlier, in accordance with the present invention, the sucked air is primarily filtered in the primary cyclone unit, and secondarily filtered in the secondary cyclone unit. That is, the impurities are filtered off twice according to the cyclone method, thereby improving the cleaning performance.

[143] The primary cyclone flow of the sucked air is generated in the cyclone cover and the cyclone main body, by forming the inflow tube in the higher position and changing the shape of the passage partition unit. Accordingly, the cyclone flow generation space is widened in the limited space, thereby reducing the length of the product and improving the cleaning performance.

[144] In addition, the flat plate shaped passage partition unit consisting of the partition unit and the through hole unit is installed between the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit, for filtering off the impurities such as hairs. Since the special mesh unit is not needed, the size of the product can be reduced by omitting the installation space of the mesh unit, or the cleaning performance can be improved by lowering the flow resistance in the installation space of the mesh unit.

[145] As the dust container for collecting the impurities is detachably installed at the lower portion of the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit, the user can discharge the impurities simply by separating the dust container. That is, the user can easily remove the impurities.

[146] Furthermore, the dust container for collecting the secondarily-filtered impurities is disposed in the dust container for collecting the primarily filtered impurities. Thus, the dust container for collecting the relatively large impurities is larger than the dust container for collecting fine dust, thereby efficiently using the space. Moreover, the dust container for collecting the relatively large impurities is externally shown, so that the user can discharge the impurities at an appropriate time. The mesh unit is installed inside the primary cyclone unit connected to the dust container installed at the relatively outer portion. Accordingly, the user can separate the dust container and easily remove hairs hooked on the mesh unit from the lower portion.

[147] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is understood that the present invention should not be limited to these preferred embodiments but various changes and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed.

[148]

Claims

[ 1 ] A vacuum cleaner, comprising : a primary cyclone unit for primarily separating impurities from the sucked air by primary cyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating impurities from the air passed through the primary cyclone unit by secondary cyclone flow inside a plurality of secondary cyclones, and collecting the impurities at the center portion of the primary cyclone unit; and a first passage partition unit for guiding the flow of the primary cyclone unit to inlets of the secondary cyclones, respectively. [2] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the secondary cyclones are formed in an inclined conical shape with outlets and dust discharge holes at both axial direction ends, the surfaces of which contacting the first passage partition unit being horizontal. [3] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, including vortex prevention units for partitioning the outlets of the secondary cyclones in order to prevent a vortex of the air discharged through the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [4] The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the vortex prevention units are partition walls installed to cross the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [5] The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the vortex prevention units are cylindrical members installed on the outlets of the secondary cyclones in the axial direction. [6] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first passage partition unit seals up the gap between the inlet of the primary cyclone unit and the outlets of the secondary cyclones, and partially covers the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones. [7] The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, further including a mesh unit upwardly isolated from the inside bottom surface of the primary cyclone unit at a predetermined interval. [8] The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the first passage partition unit further includes a region with a plurality of through holes. [9] The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the inlets of the secondary cyclones are adjacent to the outside surfaces of the secondary cyclones covered by the first passage partition unit. [10] The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the inlets of the secondary cyclones are opened in the same direction. [11] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , further including a second passage partition unit for isolating the inside flow of the primary cyclone unit from passages from the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [12] The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the second passage partition unit seals up the spaces between the secondary cyclones in order to increase the sectional area of the passages from the outlets of the secondary cyclones. [13] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the secondary cyclones are formed inside the inlet of the primary cyclone unit. [14] The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the first passage partition unit isolates the outlets of the secondary cyclones from the inlet of the primary cyclone unit, and has its section downwardly inclined toward the center portion. [15] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the primary cyclone unit includes a primary dust container for collecting impurities, the secondary cyclone unit includes a secondary dust container installed at the center portion of the primary dust container to communicate with the dust discharge holes of the secondary cyclones, and the first passage partition unit is integrally formed with the secondary dust container. [16] The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further including a dust container detachably coupled to at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit. [17] The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the dust container comprises a primary dust container for collecting the impurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust container formed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities from the secondary cyclone unit. [18] The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, further including a sealing member installed between at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit and the dust container. [19] The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein a handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, and the dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit. [20] The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, further including a dust separation plate installed between the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container. [21] The vacuum cleaner of claim 20, wherein the dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passing dust. [22] The vacuum cleaner of either claim 20 or 21, wherein the dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container. [23] The vacuum cleaner of either claim 20 or 21, wherein the dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit. [24] A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a primary cyclone unit for primarily separating and collecting impurities from the sucked air by primary cyclone flow; a secondary cyclone unit for secondarily separating and collecting impurities from the air passed through the primary cyclone unit by secondary cyclone flow; and a dust container detachably coupled to at least one of the primary and secondary cyclone units, for collecting the impurities separated in the primary and secondary cyclone units. [25] The vacuum cleaner of claim 24, wherein the dust container comprises a primary dust container for collecting the impurities from the primary cyclone unit, and a secondary dust container formed in the primary dust container, for collecting the impurities from the secondary cyclone unit. [26] The vacuum cleaner of claim 24, further including a sealing member installed between at least one of the primary cyclone unit and the secondary cyclone unit and the dust container. [27] The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein a handle unit is formed at the outer portion of the dust container, and the dust container is downwardly separated from the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit by using the handle unit. [28] . The vacuum cleaner of claim 24, further including a dust separation plate installed between the primary and secondary cyclone units and the dust container. [29] The vacuum cleaner of claim 28, wherein the dust separation plate includes at least one opening unit for passing dust. [30] The vacuum cleaner of either claim 28 or 29, wherein the dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the dust container. [31] The vacuum cleaner of either claim 28 or 29, wherein the dust separation plate is detachably coupled to the primary cyclone unit or the secondary cyclone unit.