MEANS FOR CLEANING FILTERS IN WET AND DRY VACUUM CLEANERS

METHODE DE DECOLMATAGE DES FILTRES D'ASPIRATEURS POUR SURFACES SECHES OU MOUILLEES

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A means for cleaning the filters in wet and
dry vacuum cleaners consisting of at least one motor, pro-
vided with a filter, in conjunction with a vacuum cleaner
and drawing liquid, dust or equivalent substance into a
tank of the vacuum cleaner. In the means of the invention,
for cleaning purposes a blowing circulation can be produced
through the filter, which is opposite in direction to the
normal direction in which the air passes through, using
the own motor of the vacuum cleaner.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an
exclusive property or privilege is claimed, are defined as
follows:
1. Apparatus for cleaning at least one filter in
a wet and dry vacuum cleaner by reversed circulation in said
at least one filter, comprising at least one motor provided
with said at least one filter and being associated with the
vacuum cleaner for drawing a fluid containing matter to be
filtered into a tank of said vacuum cleaner, means for
closing a suction air exhaust port of said cleaner; and
means for reversing circulation in said at least one filter,
thereby producing an internal filter cleaning blowing
circulation in said cleaner.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at
least one motor is constituted of two motors provided with
two respective filters which forms said at least one filter,
and wherein said means for closing comprise a shut-off valve
for closing the suction air exhaust port of said cleaner,
whereby by using only one of said motors said internal filter
cleaning blowing circulation is obtained in the filter of
the other of said motors.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least
one motor is constituted of one motor, and said at least one
filter is constituted of one filter and comprising an
auxiliary filter and a by-pass duct leading into an exhaust
air space of the motor, said by-pass duct being connected to
a duct between said one filter and said one motor, said
auxiliary filter and said by-pass duct being provided
respectively with shut-off valves, said one filter being
provided with a further shut-off valve, said internal filter
cleaning blowing circulation being obtained by opening said

shut-off valves of said auxiliary filter and by-pass duct
by closing said further shut-off valve, and by closing the
exhaust port of said cleaner.

Description

The present invention concerns a means for
cleaning filters in wet an~ dry vacuum cleaners, said means
consisting of at least one motor provided with a fil-ter, in
conjunction with the vacuum cleaner, and which draws the
liquid, dust or equivalent matter into the tank of the
vacuum cleaner.
A drawback of this kind of vacuum cleaners of
prior art is that cleaning of the filters is carried out
either by disposal or by manual cleaning. This is either
expensive or unhygienic. The object of the present
invention is to provide a new kind of means for cleaning the
filters in wet and dry vacuum cleaners.
According to the present invention, there is
provided an apparatus for cleaning at least one filter in a
wet and dry vacuum cleaner by reversed circulation in said
at least one filter comprising at least one motor provided
with said at least one filter and being associated with the
vacuum cleaner for drawing a fluid containing matter to be
filtered into a tank of said vacuum cleaner; means for
closing a suction air exhaust port of said cleaner; and
means for reversing circulation in said at least one filter,
thereby producing an internal filter cleaning blowing
circulation in said cleaner.
Thus, with the aid of the invention, cleaning of
the filters is substantially faster, and less handli.ng of
dust and refuse is required. The cleaning which -takes place
faster and with greater ease increases the effectiveness of
the means in the working environment.
A preferred embodiment of the invention, in which
the vacuum cleaner has two motors, each provided with a
filter, is characterized in that in the suction air exit
port of the vacuum cleaner there is a shut-off valve known
in itself in the art, by closing which an operating only one
motor a cleaning blowing circulation can be produced in the
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filter associated with the other motor.
Since the vacuum cleaner is very often provided
with two motors, the cleaning blowing circulation of the
invention is therefore easy to accomplish. This is a
solution which is not only reliable in operation but also
advan-
- la -

o~
tageous.
Another preferable embodimen-t of the invention,
wherein the vacuum cleaner has one motor with filter, is
characterized in that in the duct between the filter and
the motor has been inserted and auxiliary filter, provided
with a shut-off valve, and another by-pass duct, provided
with a shut-off valve, leading to the exhaust air space,
whereby in the filter can be produced a cleaning blowing
circulation by opening the shut-off valves.
Thus, this other embodiment is likewise relia-
ble in operation and applicable on vacuum cleaner types
having one motor of which the direction of blowing cannot
be changed.
The invention is described in the following
with the aid of examples and referring to the attached
drawings, in which:
Figs 1-4 present the means according to one
embodiment.
Fi~9 5-6 present the means of another embodi-
ment,
In fig. 1, a two-motor vacuum cleaner is shown
in normal use. In fig. 2, the filter on motor A is being
cleaned and motor B is running, and the shut-off valve
6 is closed to the exhaust air. In fig. 3, the filter on
motor B is being cleaned and motor A is running, and the
shut-off valve 6 is closed to the exhaust air.Fig. 4 depicts
the cleaning of the filter on motor A, but forced circula-
tion is in use because the intake port 13 is closed and
the shut-off valve 6 is closed. The same cleaning sys-tem
operates even more efficiently when the number of motors
is increased.
Fig. 5 shows a single-motor vacuum cleaner
in normal use with the valve 22 of the auxiliary filter
19 closed and the valve 21 in the by-pass tube closed.

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The exhaust valve 16 is open. Fig. 6 depicts the cleaning
of the filter of a single-motor vacuum cleaner -through
an auxiliary filter 19. The shut-off valve 26 of the main
filter 20 is closed and the valve 16 in the exhaust pipe
is closed. The shut-off valve 22 of the auxiliary filter
19 is open and the shut-off valve 21 is open. By these
~unctions, an efficient forced circulation is achieved.
Tha shut-off valve is controlled by one push rod 17.
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art
that the invention is not confined to the examples pre-
sented in the foregoing but may vary within the scope of
the claims stated below.
.