WO2018054501A1

WO2018054501A1 - Vacuum cleaner with improved air flow

Info

Publication number: WO2018054501A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/072845
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon FAREMO
Original assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
Priority date: 2016-09-26
Filing date: 2016-09-26
Publication date: 2018-03-29
Also published as: EP3515272B1; EP3515272A1; CN109715020A

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner (10) and a filter holder (26) of a vacuum cleaner. In an aspect of the invention, a vacuum cleaner (10) is provided comprising a housing (11) and a dust compartment (12) in the housing arranged for accommodating a dust collecting container, the dust compartment (12) being arranged with an air inlet (21) and an air outlet (22) for causing an air flow through the dust compartment (12), the dust compartment comprising a plurality of punctiform protruding elements (13) arranged on at least one wall (15) enclosing the dust compartment (12).

Description

VACUUM CLEANER WITH IMPROVED AIR FLOW TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and a filter holder of a vacuum cleaner. BACKGROUND

In vacuum cleaners, when the dust collecting container (commonly referred to as dust bag), starts filling up with debris and dust, it expands and presses against walls of the dust compartment inside the vacuum cleaner in which the container is arranged. Consequently, the air flow created by the suction fan inside the vacuum cleaner deteriorates since the container blocks the air path in the dust compartment. This results in an impaired vacuum cleaner performance.

In the art, such as e.g. in WO 2010/018089, arranging the dust compartment with flow guide ribs has been proposed for guiding an incoming air stream in order to improve the flow of air through the dust compartment from an air inlet to an air outlet. However, the problem of the dust collecting container filling up and blocking the air flow through the dust compartment still remains, in particular along the side walls of the dust compartment over which the guiding ribs extend. SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to solve, or at least mitigate, this problem in the art and to provide a vacuum cleaner in which the air flow through the dust compartment is improved.

This object is attained in a first aspect of the invention by a vacuum cleaner comprising a housing and a dust compartment in the housing arranged for accommodating a dust collecting container, the dust compartment being arranged with an air inlet and an air outlet for causing an air flow through the dust compartment, the dust compartment comprising a plurality of punctiform protruding elements arranged on at least one wall enclosing the dust compartment.

Advantageously, the punctiform protruding elements prevent the dust collecting container (commonly referred to as a dust bag) from expanding towards the walls enclosing the dust compartment when the dust bag fills up, and thus greatly improves air flow through the dust compartment.

In embodiments, the punctiform protruding elements are configured to be dome-shaped, half-dome shaped, oval-shaped cone-shaped or pyramid- shaped, or any other appropriate shape. In an embodiment, the punctiform protruding elements are arranged in horizontally extending rows on the at least one wall enclosing the dust compartment.

In another embodiment, the horizontally extending rows of punctiform protruding elements are configured such that any two adjacent rows are arranged on a vertical distance from each other.

In yet an embodiment, the punctiform protruding elements of a row are arranged to be vertically offset in relation to the punctiform protruding elements of an adjacent row to even further improve the air flow through the dust compartment. In still an embodiment, a distance between two neighbouring punctiform protruding elements is less than 10 mm, and preferably 2-5 mm.

In still another embodiment, a height of the punctiform protruding elements is at least 2 mm.

The object is further attained in a second aspect of the invention by a filter holder arranged to be attached to a dividing wall between a dust

compartment and a fan suction chamber of a vacuum cleaner for covering an air outlet in the dividing wall. The filter holder comprises a front portion configured to face the dust compartment and cover the air outlet, and edge portions configured to extend from the front portion and being arranged to attach to the dividing wall for creating a distance between the front portion and the dividing wall, wherein at least one of the edge portions of the filter holder comprises at least one opening for allowing an air flow to pass through said at least one opening.

Advantageously, the edge portions of the filter holder are arranged with openings to allow the air flow passing through the dust compartment to also pass through the openings of each filter holder edge portion.

In an embodiment, a total area of the at least one opening of the at least one edge portion is arranged to be at least 50% of a total area of the at least one edge portion itself, or more preferably at least 60% of the total area of the at least one edge portion, or even more preferably 65-75% of the total area of the edge portion. Advantageously, this further improves the air flow through the dust compartment. In a further embodiment, the front portion further comprises a plurality of bars extending between the edge portions, which bars are arranged with grooves on a side of the filter holder facing the dust compartment for allowing the air flow to pass through the grooves when a dust collecting container presses against the filter holder. In still a further embodiment, the plurality of bars comprises horizontally extending bars arranged to extend between two vertical edge portions of the filter holder, and vertically extending bars arranged to extend between two horizontal edge portions of the filter holder.

A vacuum cleaner comprising the filter holder is further envisaged. Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l illustrates a prior art vacuum cleaner in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented;

Figure 2 illustrates the vacuum cleaner of Figure l further comprising punctiform protruding elements according to an embodiment; Figure 3 shows a top view of a vacuum cleaner dust compartment comprising a plurality of punctiform protruding elements according to an embodiment;

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner dust

compartment of Figure 3 taken along section A-A';

Figure 5 shows the view of Figure 4 but where the punctiform protruding elements have a different shape according to an embodiment;

Figure 6A illustrates an improved filter holder according to an embodiment being implemented in the vacuum cleaner of Figure 2;

Figure 6B shows a perspective view of the improved filter holder according to an embodiment; and Figure 7 shows a right-hand side view of the improved filter holder of Figures 6A and 6B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

Figure l shows a conventional vacuum cleaner 10 with its top section removed in order to illustrate the interior of the vacuum cleaner 10.

The vacuum cleaner 10 comprises a housing n and a dust compartment 12 disposed in the housing 11 for accommodating a dust collecting container (not shown) arranged to collect dust and debris removed by the vacuum cleaner from a surface over which the cleaner moves. The dust collecting container is commonly referred to as a dust bag.

The dust compartment 12 is enclosed by a front wall 13, a respective side wall 14, 15, a bottom section 16 and a dividing wall 18. A filter holder 17 to or behind which a filter (not shown) is arranged is removably attached to the dividing wall 18 for preventing dust from entering - and possibly damaging - suction fan (not shown) located in suction fan chamber 20. The filter is typically composed of a nylon mesh material.

The housing is further arranged with an inlet 21 and an outlet 22 for causing, by means of the suction fan, an air flow through the dust compartment 12.

When operating the vacuum cleaner 10, the previously mentioned top section closes the dust compartment 12. The vacuum cleaner hose (not shown) is typically removably attached to the vacuum cleaner, and when an opening of the hose engages with the air inlet 21 an air flow is created through the hose, such that any debris and dust can be removed from the surface over which a nozzle of the vacuum cleaner is moved by a user. Now, a problem with the prior art vacuum cleaner 10 of Figure 1 is that, in particular as the dust bag fills up, the dust bag expands towards the walls enclosing the dust compartment 12 and thus has a tendency of blocking the air flow which is created by the suction fan in a direction from the inlet 21 to the outlet 22. As consequence, the suction ability of the vacuum cleaner is deteriorated.

Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention for overcoming this problem. As can be seen in Figure 2, one or more walls enclosing the dust compartment 12 is arranged with a plurality of punctiform protruding elements 23. In this particular exemplifying embodiment, the side wall 15 of the housing 11 is arranged at a section with the plurality of punctiform protruding elements 23.

It is noted that any one or more of the front wall 13, side walls 14, 15 and even the bottom section 16 may be arranged with punctiform protruding elements 23 according to an embodiment of the invention.

In this particular example, the punctiform protruding elements 23 are arranged in three different horizontally extending rows. In Figure 3, it can be seen that each protruding element 23 in a row is aligned vertically with a protruding element 23 in an adjacent row. In another embodiment, the punctiform protruding elements 23 of a row are vertically offset in relation to the protruding elements 23 in an adjacent row, to advantageously even further improve air flow through the dust compartment 12.

Figure 3 shows a top view of the dust compartment where a plurality of punctiform protruding elements 23 are arranged on each side wall 14, 15 of the dust compartment 12. Further shown are the air inlet 21 and the air outlet 22 for causing an air flow (as indicated by the arrow) through the dust compartment 12 via the filter holder 17 and a filter 24.

Figure 3 further illustrates a dust bag 25 (indicated with a dashed line) for housing dust and debris, which expands and presses against the punctiform protruding elements 23 as it fills up.

As is understood; without the punctiform protruding elements 23 of an embodiment the invention, the dust bag 25 would press against the side walls and block the space between the dust bag 25 and the respective side wall 14, 15, thereby causing a deteriorated air flow through the dust compartment 12.

In an embodiment, the distance d between two neighbouring punctiform protruding elements 23 is less than 10 mm, and preferably the distance between two neighbouring punctiform protruding elements 23 is 2-5 mm.

In a further embodiment, the height h of the punctiform protruding elements 23 is at least 2 mm.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the dust compartment 12 of Figure 3 taken along section A-A'. In this front sectional view, it can be seen that the plurality of punctiform protruding elements 23 arranged on each side wall 14, 15 prevents the dust bag 25 (again indicated with a dashed line) from expanding all the way towards the walls enclosing the dust compartment 12 and thereby block the air flow. In this particular example, the punctiform protruding elements 23 are arranged in six different horizontally extending rows.

As is shown in Figure 4, the elements 23 are arranged such that there is a small vertical distance between each row of punctiform protruding elements 23, thereby allowing air to flow horizontally between the rows of punctiform protruding elements 23, from the air inlet to the air outlet (not shown in Figure 4).

Figure 5 illustrates the view of Figure 4, but where the punctiform protruding elements 23 in an embodiment is configured to be dome-shaped as compared to the cone-shaped punctiform protruding elements illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. It is noted that other shapes are envisaged, such as half-dome shapes, pyramids or ovals.

Again, it can be seen that the plurality of punctiform protruding elements 23 arranged on each side wall 14, 15 prevents the dust bag 25 from expanding all the way towards the walls enclosing the dust compartment 12 and thereby block the air flow. As in the previous example, the punctiform protruding elements 23 are arranged in six different vertical rows.

As is shown in Figure 5, the elements 23 are arranged such that there is a small vertical distance between each row of punctiform protruding elements 23, thereby allowing air to flow horizontally between the rows of punctiform protruding elements 23, from the air inlet to the air outlet (not shown in Figure 4).

An advantage of using dome-shaped protruding elements 23 (as compared to the cone-shaped elements of Figure 3 and 4), is that it reduces friction between the dust bag 25 and the respective punctiform protruding element when the dust bag 25 is to be removed from the dust compartment 12 after having been filled with dust and debris, and thus provides for an easier dust bag removal procedure.

In order to further improve air flow through the dust compartment 12, an improved filter holder is provided in an embodiment.

As previously has been discussed with reference to the prior art vacuum cleaner 10 of Figure 1, a filter holder 17 is utilized for holding a filter 24 in order to cover the air outlet 22 in the dividing wall 18 between the dust compartment 12 and the fan suction chamber 20 for preventing dust and debris from damaging the suction fan.

Figure 6A illustrates the improved filter holder 26 according to an

embodiment being implemented in the vacuum cleaner 10 which previously was discussed with reference to Figure 2.

Figure 6B shows a perspective view of the improved filter holder 26 according to an embodiment. The filter holder 26 has a front portion 29 configured to face the dust compartment and cover the air outlet, which front portion 29 is composed of horizontally extending bars 27 and vertically extending bars 28, which together form a grid structure via which the air flow can pass through the air outlet into the suction fan located in the suction fan chamber located behind the filter holder 26. The filter holder may further be arranged with a handle 30 for providing easy removal of the filter holder and the associated filter.

It is envisaged that the bars 27, 28 not necessarily form a grid structure as shown in Figure 5; an alternative configuration is e.g. to provide a front section 29 utilizing diagonally extending bars, or any other appropriate configuration.

As is shown in Figure 6B, the four edge portions 31, 32, 33, 34 are configured to extend from the front portion 29, and attach to the dividing wall 18 between the dust compartment and the fan suction chamber, for example by means of a snap-in feature of the handle 30, in order to have the front portion 29 cover the air outlet provided in the dividing wall 18.

With the edge portions 31, 32, 33, 34 extending from the front portion 29, a distance is created between the front portion 29 and the dividing wall 18. Advantageously, the edge portions 31, 32, 33, 34 of the filter holder 26 are arranged with openings to allow the air flow passing through the dust compartment to also pass through the openings of each filter holder edge portion. It may be envisaged that not all of the edge portions 31, 32, 33, 34 of the filter holder 26 are arranged with openings. Figure 7 shows a right-hand side view of the filter holder 26 of Figures 6A and 6B. The edge portion 31 of the filter holder 26 extending from the front portion 29 is shown to have, in this particular example, nine openings 35 via which the air flow through the dust compartment can pass. However, it may be envisaged that the edge portion 31 comprises only one or a few openings 35· Further, the openings 35 may take on other shapes than those illustrated in Figure 7.

In an embodiment, the total area of the openings 35 of an edge portion 31 is at least 50% of the total area of the edge portion itself. Preferably, the total area of the openings 35 of the edge portion 31 is at least 60% of the total area of the edge portion itself. Even more preferably, the total area of the openings 35 of the edge portion 31 is 65-75% of the total area of the edge portion itself.

Again with reference to Figure 6B, in a further embodiment, the vertically and horizontally extending bars, 27, 28 of the front portion 29 comprise grooves 36 for allowing the air flow to pass through the grooves 36 when a dust collecting container (not shown) presses against the front portion 29 of the filter holder 26. This will advantageously further improve the flow of air through the dust compartment.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

1. Vacuum cleaner (10) comprising a housing (n) and a dust compartment (12) in the housing (11) arranged for accommodating a dust collecting container, the dust compartment (12) being arranged with an air inlet (21) and an air outlet (22) for causing an air flow through the dust compartment (12), the dust compartment (12) being characterized in comprising:

a plurality of punctiform protruding elements (23) arranged on at least one wall (15) enclosing the dust compartment (12).

2. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 1, the punctiform protruding elements (23) being configured to be dome-shaped, half-dome shaped or oval-shaped.

3. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 1, the punctiform protruding elements (23) being configured to be cone-shaped or pyramid-shaped.

4. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of claims 1-3, the punctiform protruding elements (23) being arranged in horizontally extending rows on said at least one wall (15) enclosing the dust compartment (12).

5. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 4, wherein the horizontally extending rows of punctiform protruding elements (23) are configured such that any two adjacent rows are arranged on a vertical distance from each other.

6. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 5, wherein the punctiform protruding elements (23) of a row are arranged to be vertically offset in relation to the punctiform protruding elements (23) of an adjacent row.

7. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

a filter holder (26) arranged to be attached to a dividing wall (18) between the dust compartment (12) and a fan suction chamber (20) of the vacuum cleaner (10) for covering the air outlet (22), the filter holder (26) comprising:

a front portion (29) configured to face the dust compartment (12) and cover the air outlet (22); and edge portions (31-34) configured to extend from the front portion (29) and being arranged to attach to the dividing wall (18) for creating a distance between the front portion (29) and the dividing wall (18), wherein at least one of the edge portions (31-34) of the filter holder (26) comprises at least one opening (35) for allowing an air flow to pass through said at least one opening (35).

8. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 7, wherein a total area of the at least one opening (35) of the at least one edge portion (31) is arranged to be at least 50% of a total area of the at least one edge portion (31) itself, or more preferably at least 60% of the total area of the at least one edge portion (31), or even more preferably 65-75% of the total area of the edge portion (31).

9. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claims 7 or 8, the front portion (29) of the filter holder (26) further comprising:

a plurality of bars (27, 28) extending between the edge portions (31- 34), which bars are arranged with grooves (36) facing the dust compartment (12) for allowing the air flow to pass through the grooves (36) when a dust collecting container (25) presses against the front portion (29) of the filter holder (26).

10. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 9, wherein the plurality of bars comprises:

horizontally extending bars (27) arranged to extend between two vertical edge portions (31, 33) of the filter holder (26); and

vertically extending bars (28) arranged to extend between two horizontal edge portions (32, 34) of the filter holder (26). 11. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a distance (d) between two neighbouring punctiform protruding elements (23) is less than 10 mm, and preferably 2-5 mm.

12. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a height (h) of the punctiform protruding elements (23) is at least 2 mm. 13. Filter holder (26) arranged to be attached to a dividing wall (18) between a dust compartment (12) and a fan suction chamber (20) of a vacuum cleaner (10) for covering an air outlet (22) in the dividing wall (18), the filter holder (26) comprising:

a front portion (29) configured to face the dust compartment (12) and cover the air outlet (22);

edge portions (31-34) configured to extend from the front portion (29) and being arranged to attach to the dividing wall (18) for creating a distance between the front portion (29) and the dividing wall (18), wherein at least one of the edge portions (31-34) of the filter holder (26) comprises at least one opening (35) for allowing an air flow to pass through said at least one opening (35).

14. The filter holder (26) of claim 13, wherein a total area of the at least one opening (35) of the at least one edge portion (31) is arranged to be at least 50% of a total area of the at least one edge portion (31) itself, or more preferably at least 60% of the total area of the at least one edge portion (31), or even more preferably 65-75% of the total area of the edge portion (31).

15. The filter holder (26) of claims 13 or 14, the front portion (29) further comprising:

a plurality of bars (27, 28) extending between the edge portions (31-

34), which bars are arranged with grooves (36) on a side of the filter holder facing the dust compartment for allowing the air flow to pass through the grooves when a dust collecting container presses against the filter holder.

16. The filter holder (26) of claim 15, wherein the plurality of bars comprises:

vertically extending bars (28) arranged to extend between two horizontal edge portions (32, 34) of the filter holder (26). 17. Vacuum cleaner (10) comprising the filter holder (26) of any one of claims 13-16.

Claims

11 CLAIMS

a front portion (29) configured to face the dust compartment (12) and cover the air outlet (22); and 12 edge portions (31-34) configured to extend from the front portion (29) and being arranged to attach to the dividing wall (18) for creating a distance between the front portion (29) and the dividing wall (18), wherein at least one of the edge portions (31-34) of the filter holder (26) comprises at least 5 one opening (35) for allowing an air flow to pass through said at least one opening (35).

8. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 7, wherein a total area of the at least one opening (35) of the at least one edge portion (31) is arranged to be at least 50% of a total area of the at least one edge portion (31) itself, or more

10 preferably at least 60% of the total area of the at least one edge portion (31), or even more preferably 65-75% of the total area of the edge portion (31).

a plurality of bars (27, 28) extending between the edge portions (31- !5 34), which bars are arranged with grooves (36) facing the dust compartment (12) for allowing the air flow to pass through the grooves (36) when a dust collecting container (25) presses against the front portion (29) of the filter holder (26).

10. The vacuum cleaner (10) of claim 9, wherein the plurality of bars 0 comprises:

vertically extending bars (28) arranged to extend between two horizontal edge portions (32, 34) of the filter holder (26). 5

11. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a distance (d) between two neighbouring punctiform protruding elements (23) is less than 10 mm, and preferably 2-5 mm.

12. The vacuum cleaner (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a height (h) of the punctiform protruding elements (23) is at least 2 mm. 13

13. Filter holder (26) arranged to be attached to a dividing wall (18) between a dust compartment (12) and a fan suction chamber (20) of a vacuum cleaner (10) for covering an air outlet (22) in the dividing wall (18), the filter holder (26) comprising:

a plurality of bars (27, 28) extending between the edge portions (31-

vertically extending bars (28) arranged to extend between two horizontal edge portions (32, 34) of the filter holder (26). 14

17. Vacuum cleaner (10) comprising the filter holder (26) of any one of claims 13-16.