WO2011051344A1

WO2011051344A1 - Sealing element

Info

Publication number: WO2011051344A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/066266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephan Husnik; Julian Kastner; Herbert Pecat
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2009-10-30
Filing date: 2010-10-27
Publication date: 2011-05-05
Also published as: DE102009046223B3; EP2493359B1; CN102573591A; EP2493359A1; CN102573591B

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing element (10) for a vacuum cleaner (40) for sealing between a first (41) and a second vacuum cleaner element (42), wherein the second vacuum cleaner element (42) is movable relative to the first vacuum cleaner element (41). The sealing element (10) has a fixing unit (20) for fixing on the first vacuum cleaner element (41). A sealing lip (30) with a sealing surface (31) for sealing can be moved on the fixing unit (20), and an inner bead (32) lies on the sealing lip (30). An outer bead (33) also lies on the sealing lip (30). The invention enables providing a sealing element with simply designed and inexpensive means, said sealing element forming an improved seal. In particular, the sealing element can ensure a reliable sealing effect at any time during the operation of the vacuum cleaner and in the event of faults so that a vacuum cleaner chamber can be sealed against leakage.

Description

sealing element

description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a sealing element for a vacuum cleaner for sealing between a first and a second vacuum cleaner element, wherein the second vacuum cleaner to the first is relatively movable, the sealing element has a fixing unit for attachment to the first vacuum cleaner element, on the fixing unit a sealing lip with a sealing surface for Seal is movably arranged, and on the sealing lip an inner bead is arranged.

For example, German Utility Model DE 20 2009 006 370 U1 discloses a vacuum cleaner with a groove-shaped seal for sealing a vacuum cleaner room. The groove-shaped seal is attached to a first housing part and has a groove base element and two groove wall elements arranged on the groove base element. At the seal, a sealing lip is also arranged on the groove base element.

Japanese Patent Application JP 06-133901 A also discloses a seal for a vacuum cleaner. The seal is arranged between a vacuum cleaner body and a lid and has a sealing lip, at the end of which a bead is formed.

Next, a bumper for a vacuum cleaner is known from Japanese Patent Application JP 08-196483 A, which also acts as a seal. The bumper is disposed between the contact surfaces of the vacuum cleaner base and a wall of the dust box dust container, the bumper sealing the lower part and the dust box. For this purpose, the bumper strip on a sealing part, on which a bead and a sealing lip is arranged with a sealing surface. The problem underlying the invention

The invention has for its object to provide a comparison with the prior art improved sealing element. In particular, the improved sealing element should ensure a reliable sealing effect at all times during a vacuum cleaner operation. Next, the sealing effect should be ensured even in case of accidents. Finally, the stability of the seal should be increased.

Solution According to the Invention The reference numbers in all claims have no limiting effect but are merely intended to improve their readability.

The solution of the problem is achieved by a sealing element having the features of claim 1.

By the sealing element according to the invention, a vacuum cleaner room of a vacuum cleaner, which is formed by the first and the second vacuum cleaner element and in which there is a negative or positive pressure during the vacuum cleaner operation, are sealed. The sealing element according to the invention is particularly suitable for sealing a vacuum cleaner room in which there is negative pressure during the vacuum cleaner operation. By the sealing element of the vacuum cleaner room can be sealed so that the negative pressure is maintained in the vacuum cleaner room, and no leaks can occur. The sealing effect of the sealing element can be achieved through the sealing surface of the sealing lip. For this purpose, the sealing surface can be touched in an operating position of the second vacuum cleaner element. The operating position is the location occupied by the second vacuum cleaner element during a trouble-free vacuuming operation with respect to the sealing element. Achieving the operating position can be made possible by the sealing lip movably arranged on the fixing unit. Movable here means that a change in position of the sealing lip relative to the fixing unit is possible. It is an achievable advantage of the outer bead according to the invention that a springback movement of the second vacuum cleaner element can be intercepted after a so-called pumping operation and thus the sealing effect of the sealing element can be obtained. Under a pumping operation is to be understood as a malfunction of the vacuum cleaner operation, in which a negative or positive pressure in the first and second vacuum cleaner formed vacuum cleaner first increases abruptly and then reduced or first reduced abruptly and then increased. Such a process can eg by a blockage, which dissolves again or by suction on soft surfaces and subsequent release arise, causing the negative pressure in the vacuum cleaner room to increase abruptly, and then suddenly can reduce. This process will now be briefly explained in the following paragraph.

With a sudden increase in the negative pressure, the second vacuum cleaner element deforms from its operating position in the direction of the inner bead, and can be supported on reaching the inner bead of this. In this way it can be prevented that the second vacuum cleaner element is deformed so that it falls inwards, ie in the direction of the negative pressure, and has no contact with the sealing surface of the sealing lip. Now, if the negative pressure is suddenly reduced, the deformed second vacuum cleaner element can relax again, and spring over the operating position addition. This spring movement can be advantageously supported by the outer bead. In other words, the springback of the second vacuum cleaner element can advantageously be limited by the outer bead, so that the contact between the second vacuum cleaner element and the sealing surface of the sealing lip can be ensured.

Advantageously, it can be ensured by the outer bead, that the sealing effect of the sealing lip is not lost, so the second vacuum cleaner element touched at any time during the vacuum cleaner operation, the sealing lip on the sealing surface between the inner and outer bead. The invention may be particularly suitable for vacuum cleaners with a flexible second vacuum cleaner element, in which the springback can be particularly pronounced. In other words, the second vacuum cleaner element can be made more flexible by the invention, whereby further advantages can be achieved. For example, the wall thickness of the second vacuum cleaner element be reduced, thereby advantageously material savings and / or reductions of sink marks on adjacent walls of the second vacuum cleaner element, such. B. a lid surface can be made possible.

It is another achievable advantage of the outer bead according to the invention that the flexural rigidity in the longitudinal extent of the sealing element can be increased. The longitudinal extent is to be understood as meaning the direction along which the sealing element seals the first and the second vacuum cleaner element. By increasing the bending stiffness is advantageously achievable that a soft sealing material can be selected, which allows low closing forces, and yet a reliable operating position of the sealing element and thus a reliable sealing effect can be achieved. A closing force here is to be understood as meaning the force with which the second vacuum cleaner element presses on the sealing lip in its operating position.

By the invention can be further achieved that the volume of a vacuum cleaner room, for. B. the dust chamber volume of the dust chamber can be increased because the sealing element according to the invention can be made very narrow. Further, a sealing element can be reached by the outer bead, which can be made particularly reliable due to its cross section. Because of the outer bead can be prevented that irregularities in the manufacturing process can lead to damage to the sealing surface. Thus, e.g. a manufactured by injection molding edge have a wavy contour. Advantageously, the sealing surface of such an irregularity is not affected, so that a regular shape of the sealing surface and thus a reliable sealing effect can be achieved. Preferred embodiment of the invention

Advantageous embodiments and developments, which can be used individually or in combination with each other, are the subject of the dependent claims. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, one of the sealing surface facing insertion be arranged on the inner and / or outer bead. An insertion bevel here is a surface of the inner or outer bead, which has a positive angle to the direction of movement of the second vacuum cleaner element, ie an angle at the inner or outer bead has no undercut in the direction of movement of the second vacuum cleaner element. The direction of movement of the second vacuum cleaner element is to be understood as the direction in which the second vacuum cleaner element has to be moved in order to close the vacuum cleaner space to be formed from the first and second vacuum cleaner elements so that the sealing surface of the sealing lip is contacted by the second vacuum cleaner element. Particularly preferably, the insertion of the inner and / or outer bead touches the sealing surface, and forms particularly preferably at the point where it touches the sealing surface with the sealing surface at an angle which exceeds 90 °. It can be achieved by means of the insertion bevel according to the invention that the second vacuum cleaner element can be securely guided in a rest position and / or in the operating position. The rest position is the position that occupies the second vacuum cleaner element with the vacuum cleaner off with respect to the sealing element. Even in the rest position, the second vacuum cleaner element touches the sealing surface, whereby a sealing effect of the sealing element can arise. By the second vacuum cleaner element is guided into the rest position and / or operating position, tolerances can be advantageously compensated so that a precise juxtaposition of the first and second vacuum cleaner element can be made possible. An inventive design of the sealing element can in this case compensate for both particularly high and very low tolerances. So z. B. a fine balance between the first and second vacuum cleaner element can be achieved. The insertion bevel according to the invention is particularly effective for a tapered second vacuum cleaner element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the height of the inner and / or outer bead is at least half the width of the sealing surface. In this case, the height of the inner and outer beads means the length of the extension of the inner and outer beads in the direction of movement of the second vacuum cleaner element. The width of the sealing surface corresponds to the distance between the inner and outer bead. The inventive design of the height of the inner and / or outer bead a material-saving, yet secure holding property for stabilizing the position of the second vacuum cleaner element is reached. Advantageously, when reducing the width of the sealing surface and the height of the inner and / or outer bead can be reduced according to the invention, since the flexibility of the sealing lip decreases in reducing the width of the sealing surface. According to the invention, it is preferably provided that the inner and / or outer bead are made of a material deviating from that of the sealing lip. Advantageously, this achieves that the material of the inner and / or outer bead can be selected with regard to their support function, whereas the material of the sealing lip can be selected with regard to its sealing function. Such a sealing element, which is made of different materials, z. B. in a multi-component injection molding process.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing lip is arranged C-shaped on the fixing unit. Here, the C-shape of the sealing lip and part of the

Fuser formed. This C-shape can also be referred to as U or V shape.

Under a sealing lip, which is arranged c-, u- or v-shaped, according to the invention a

To understand sealing lip, which forms an angle with the fixing unit, or be arranged at her, that a round U- or C-shape is formed. By such a sealing lip is reached that the movement of the sealing lip is not determined by the material properties, but on the geometry of the arrangement of the sealing lip on the

Fuser.

In a further preferred embodiment, the sealing lip on its two sides connections to the fixing unit. Advantageously, the sealing lip can thereby be made stiffer or deformable with respect to their lateral stability. Due to the lateral stability, the strength of the deformation of the sealing element due to a movement of the second vacuum cleaner element, for example during a pumping operation, can be determined. Particularly preferably, the sealing lip is designed as a tubular profile. Advantageously, by hose profiles larger height tolerances can be intercepted. A hose profile can be produced for example as a so-called extrusion profile, whereby particularly low production costs of the sealing element according to the invention can be achieved. The invention further development is preferably provided that the sealing element is a dust chamber seal. Such a sealing element can advantageously the dust chamber of a vacuum cleaner, which is formed by a housing lower part of the vacuum cleaner as the first vacuum cleaner element and a lid as a second vacuum cleaner element, caulk. Particularly preferably, the sealing element is an annularly closed element. Advantageously, this achieves an improved sealing effect, since the sealing element can seamlessly seal a gap between the first and second vacuum cleaner elements. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing lip is movable up to a maximum of 3 mm, but at least 0.5 mm. Such a sealing lip is particularly suitable for sealing vacuum cleaner rooms, such as dust chambers. Advantageously, the sealing effect of the sealing lip can be improved because the sealing lip can compensate for tolerances between the second vacuum cleaner element and the sealing element in the operating position.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing element is made of elastically deformable material. Particularly preferably, the sealing element made of rubber, TPE, hard or soft PVC is made. Particularly preferably, a sealing element made of elastically deformable material has a sealing lip which is firmly connected to the fixing unit. As a result, a movable in the context of their elastic material properties sealing lip is reached. Further, a sealing element made of elastically deformable material may have the advantage that the sealing lip presses in the operating position on the second vacuum cleaner element, and thereby the sealing effect can be further improved.

The invention further development is preferably provided that the sealing surface corresponds in an operating position with the underside of the second vacuum cleaner element. Advantageously, this can increase the sealing effect of the sealing element during the vacuum cleaner operation. The underside of the second vacuum cleaner element may e.g. lie flat against the sealing surface of the sealing lip in the operating position.

According to the invention, it is preferably provided that the fixing unit is placed on the first vacuum cleaner element. As a result, a particularly simple and quick installation of the sealing element can be achieved. The invention relates in the same way further alternative types of attachment of the fixing unit with the first vacuum cleaner element. For example, the fixing unit can also be glued, clamped or molded onto the first vacuum cleaner element. The present invention makes it possible to provide a sealing element which can bring about improved sealing, by means of simple design and low-cost means. In particular, the sealing element at any time during the vacuum cleaner operation and in case of failure to ensure a reliable sealing effect, so that a vacuum cleaner room can be sealed leak-free.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantageous embodiments will be described in more detail below with reference to two embodiments illustrated in the drawings, to which the invention is not limited.

They show schematically:

1 shows a vacuum cleaner with a sealing element for sealing a dust chamber in a perspective sectional view;

FIG. 2 shows a sealing element according to FIG. 1 in a sectional view; FIG.

3 shows a sealing element in a perspective sectional view;

4 shows a sealing element in the rest position when the vacuum cleaner is switched off in a sectional view;

5 shows a sealing element in the operating position in a sectional view;

6 shows a sealing element in a position outside the operating position in a sectional view;

7 shows a sealing element in a position outside the operating position in a sectional view; and finally Fig. 8 shows a further embodiment of the sealing element in the operating position in a sectional view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TWO EMBODIMENTS In the following description of two preferred embodiments of the present invention, like reference characters designate like or similar components.

The first embodiment will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1-7. 1 and 2, a dust chamber of a vacuum cleaner 40, so a vacuum cleaner 43, which is formed by a lower housing part of the vacuum cleaner as the first vacuum cleaner 41 and a lid as a second vacuum cleaner 42. The vacuum cleaner room 42, in which there is a negative pressure during the vacuum cleaner operation, is sealed by a sealing member 10, which is a dust chamber seal. The sealing element 10 is made of hard PVC, that is made of an elastically deformable material. The sealing element 10 is guided in its longitudinal extent along the first 41 and second vacuum cleaner element 42, and is an annularly closed element. The sealing element 10 is thus used for a vacuum cleaner 40 for sealing between the first 41 and the second vacuum cleaner element 42, and is shown in Fig. 3 for clarity without the first 41 and the second vacuum cleaner 42. To open the vacuum cleaner room 43, z. Example, to remove a Staubabscheideeinheit from the dust chamber, which is designed as a lid second vacuum cleaner element 42 to the first vacuum cleaner element 41 is relatively movable. The sealing element 10 has a fixing unit 20 for attachment to the first vacuum cleaner element 41, which is plugged onto the first vacuum cleaner 41. Thereby, a loss of the sealing element 10 can be avoided, since the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is movable relative to the first 41, and thus the sealing element 10 is not always touched. Such a situation may be e.g. arise when opening the lid of a dust chamber.

At the fixing unit 20, a sealing lip 30 is arranged with a sealing surface 31 for sealing movable. The sealing lip 30 can be moved up to 3 mm in the direction of the fixing unit 20, so that the sealing lip 30 can reach a maximum of 3 mm, but at least 0.5 mm is movable. The sealing effect of the sealing element 10 is achieved by the sealing surface 31 of the sealing lip 30, which is touched by the second vacuum cleaner element 42. When the vacuum cleaner 40 is off, the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is in the rest position shown in Fig. 4, wherein the second vacuum cleaner element 42 contacts the sealing surface 31. The pressure in the vacuum cleaner room 43 corresponds to the ambient pressure. If now the vacuum cleaner 40 is turned on, a negative pressure is created in the vacuum cleaner chamber 43, whereby the lid, which is designed as a second vacuum cleaner element 42, is pressed down somewhat, since the sealing element 10 already seals in the rest position. In this situation, the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is in its operating position, which is shown in Fig. 5. The operating position is the position occupied by the second vacuum cleaner element 42 during a trouble-free vacuuming operation with respect to the sealing element 10. As can be seen from FIG. 5, in the operating position, the second vacuum cleaner element 42 lies flat against the sealing surface 31 of the sealing lip 30, so that the sealing surface 31 corresponds to the underside of the second vacuum cleaner element 42 in the operating position. In the operating position, the sealing lip 30 presses due to the elastic material property of the second vacuum cleaner element 42, whereby a high sealing effect is achieved.

At the sealing lip 30, an inner bead 32 and an outer bead 33 is further arranged. The arrangement of sealing element 10 and second vacuum cleaner element 42 can be compared with a tongue and groove connection. The effectiveness of this compound is explained below. In a sudden increase in the negative pressure in the vacuum cleaner room 43, z. As a blockage of a Saugluftführung the vacuum cleaner 40 or when sucking on soft surfaces, the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is deformed and moved in the direction of the negative pressure. This movement of the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is limited by the inner bead 32 as shown in FIG. The inner bead 32 thus prevents the second vacuum cleaner element 42 from falling inwardly, that is to say in the direction of the vacuum cleaner space 43, in the event of a sudden increase in the negative pressure. If, after the abrupt increase in the negative pressure, this negative pressure abruptly reduced, z. B. by loosening the blockage or by removing the soft surface, relaxes the second vacuum cleaner element 42 and springs beyond the operating position in the direction of the outer bead 33. This springback of the second vacuum cleaner element 42, as shown in Fig. 7, at the outer bead 33 limited. The springback of the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is thus limited by the outer bead 33, so that the contact between the second vacuum cleaner element 42 and the sealing surface 31 of the sealing lip 30 is ensured at all times. The outer bead 33 also increases the bending stiffness of the sealing element 10 in the longitudinal extension of the sealing element 10, as a result of which a soft sealing material can be selected which allows low closing forces and nevertheless enables a reliable operating position and thus a reliable sealing effect.

On the inner 32 and outer bead 33, a sealing surface 31 facing insertion bevels 34 is arranged. The insertion bevels 34 of the inner 32 and outer bead 33 have a positive angle to the direction of movement 44 of the second vacuum cleaner element 42. Here, the direction of movement 44 is the direction in which the second vacuum cleaner element 42 has to be moved to close the vacuum cleaner space 43 to be formed from the first 41 and second vacuum cleaner elements 42 so that the sealing surface 31 of the sealing lip 30 is contacted by the second vacuum cleaner element 42 , The insertion bevels 34 of the inner 32 and outer bead 33 touch the sealing surface 31, and form at the point where they contact the sealing surface 31 with the sealing surface 31 an angle which exceeds 90 °. By means of the insertion bevels 34, the second vacuum cleaner element 42 is securely guided into the rest position, see FIG. 4, and into the operating position, see FIG. 5.

In order to ensure a material-saving and yet secure holding property for stabilizing the position of the second vacuum cleaner element 42, the height 35 of the inner 32 and outer bead 33 is three quarters, that is to say at least half, of the width of the sealing surface 31. The inner 32 and outer bead 33 are made of a different material from that of the sealing lip 30, whereby the support function of the inner 32 and outer bead 33 is improved. The sealing element 10, in which the inner 32 and outer bead 33 have a different material, is produced in a multi-component injection molding process. The sealing lip 30 is arranged C-shaped on the fixing unit 20. The C-shape, which is shown by a dashed line in FIG. 7, is formed here by a part of the fixing unit 20 and the sealing lip 30. This C-shaped arrangement of the sealing lip 30 on the fixing unit 20 may also be referred to as a U- or V-shaped arrangement. Thereby that the sealing lip 30 is arranged C-shaped on the fixing unit 20, the movement of the sealing lip 30 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is not determined by the material property, but by the geometry of the arrangement of the sealing lip 30 on the fixing unit 20. In a second embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, which otherwise does not differ from the first embodiment, the sealing lip 30 is designed as a tubular profile, so that the sealing lip 30 has connections to the fixing unit 20 on both sides. As a result, the lateral stability of the sealing lip 30 is slightly reduced, so that the sealing lip 30, the movement of the second vacuum cleaner element 42 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 can easily follow.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a sealing element which can bring about improved sealing, by means of simple design and low-cost means. In particular, the sealing element at any time during the vacuum cleaner operation and in case of failure to ensure a reliable sealing effect, so that a vacuum cleaner room can be sealed leak-free.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, the claims and the drawings may be of importance both individually and in any combination for the realization of the invention in its various forms.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 sealing element

20 fuser unit

30 sealing lip

31 sealing surface

32 inside bead

33 outer bead

34 insertion bevel

35 height (inner and / or outer bead)

36 width (sealing surface)

40 vacuum cleaners

41 first vacuum cleaner element

42 second vacuum cleaner element

43 vacuum cleaner room (not dust room)

44 direction of movement (of the second vacuum cleaner element)

Claims

Sealing element (10) for a vacuum cleaner (40) for sealing between a first (41) and a second vacuum cleaner element (42), wherein the second vacuum cleaner element (42) is relatively movable relative to the first (41), the sealing element (10) has a fixing unit ( 20) for attachment to the first vacuum cleaner element (41), on the fixing unit (20) a sealing lip (30) having a sealing surface (31) is arranged to move movable, and on the sealing lip (30) has an inner bead (32) is arranged , characterized in that on the sealing lip (30) also an outer bead (33) is arranged.

Sealing element (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that on the inner (32) and / or outer bead (33) one of the sealing surface (31) facing insertion bevel (34) is arranged.

Sealing element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the height (35) of the inner (32) and / or outer bead (33) is at least half the width (36) of the sealing surface (31).

Sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner (32) and / or outer bead (33) are made of one of which the sealing lip (30) deviating material.

Sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing lip (30) C-shaped on the fixing unit (20) is arranged.

Sealing element (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sealing lip (10) on its two sides connections to the fixing unit (20).

7. sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing element (10) is a dust chamber seal.

8. Sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing lip (30) is movable up to a maximum of 3 mm, but at least 0.5 mm.

9. sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing element (10) is made of elastically deformable material.

10. Sealing element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sealing surface (31) in an operating position with the underside of the second vacuum cleaner element (42) corresponds.

1 1. A sealing element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixing unit (20) on the first vacuum cleaner element (41) is inserted.