Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02432372 2003-06-13
GRILL ASSEMBLY AND CYCLONE DUST COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR
VACUUM CLEANER HAVING A GRILL ASSEMBLY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cyclone dust collecting apparatus
for
use in a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, it relates to a grill assembly
having
improved structure capable of separating dust and foreign substances
(hereinafter called
"dust") from an air moving inside of the cyclone dust collecting apparat«s,
and a cyclone
dust collecting apparatus having the grill assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A cyclone dust collecting apparatus separates particles from a fluid using a
centrifugal force, and has been widely used in the industrial fields due to
its high
resistance to temperature and pressure. Such a cyclone dust collecting
apparatus is also
used in vacuum cleaners.
A representative exemplary of such a cyclone dust collecting apparatus is
shown
in Korean Patent No. ~ 17117 issued to the same applicant, and FIG. 1
schematic ally
shows a sectional view of such cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in
vacuum
cleaner.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus is mounted on
extension pipes 1 a, 1 b of the vacuum cleaner. For the sole puzpose of
convenience in
explanation, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus will be described as the
cyclone dust
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collecting apparatus for a canister type vacuum cleaner, compared to that of
an upright
type vacuum cleaner, which will also be described later.
Referring to FIG. 1, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus for the canister
type
vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone body 20, a dust receptacle 30 and a grill
assembly 40.
The cyclone body 20 includes a first connecting pipe 21 connected to the
extension pipe 1 a toward the suction bnrsh of the vacuum cleaner, a second
connecting
pipe 22 connected to the extension pipe 1 b toward the body of the vacuum
cleaner, an air
inlet 23 being in fluid communication with the first connecting pipe 21, and
an air outlet
24 being in fluid commurrication with the second connecting pipe 22. The dust-
laden air
is drawn into the cyclone body 20 through the air inlet 23 into a whirling
current
The dust receptacle 30 is removably connected to the cyclone body 20, and
separates the dusts separated from the whirling air moving inside of the
cyclone body 20.
The grill assembly 40 is disposed at the air outlet 24 of the cyclone body 20,
preventing the dusts collected in the dust receptacle 30 from reversing toward
the vacuum
cleaner body. The grill assembly 40 includes a grill body 41, a plurality of
air passages
42 formed in an outer circumference of the grill body 41 in fluid
communication with the
air outlet 24, and a dust blocking member 43 formed as a fi~stum-cone mounted
on an
end of the grill body 41.
In the conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in the canister
type
vacuum cleaner constructed as above, by the suction generated at the suction
brush of the
vacuum cleaner, dust-Laden air is drawn into the cyclone body 20 through the
first
connecting pipe 21 in an oblique relation with respect to the cyclone body 20.
Accordingly, the drawn air is moved to the lower portion of the dust
receptacle 30 in a
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whirling air current. In this process, dust is separated from the whirling air
due to
centrifugal force, and collected in dust receptacle 30. Then, the air is
reflected from the
bottom of dust receptacle 30 and moves upward in a circle smaller than the
downward air
current By the ascending air current, the air is discharged to the outside of
the vacuum
cleaner body through the air passages 42, air outlet 24 and second connecting
pipe 22.
Some dust 's drawn to the ascending whirling air current inside of the dust
receptacle 30, but then blocked by the dust blocking member 43 and re-
entrained in the
whirling air anent The dust blocked by the dust blocking member 43 does not
pass
through air passages 42 of grill assembly 40, and the dust is re-entrained in
the whirling
air current and collected in dust receptacle 30.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional cyclone dust collecting
apparatus for use in an upright type vacuum cleaner.
Refernng to FIG. 2, the conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use
in
the upright type vacuum cleaner has a similar basic structure as that of the
cyclone dust
collecting apparatus for use in the canister type vacuum cleaner as described
above.
Accordingly, the conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in the
upright
type vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone body 200, a dust receptacle 300 and a
grill
assembly 400. The difference is that the cyclone dust collecting apparatus of
the upright
type vacuum cleaner is mounted in the dust collecting chamber of the vacuum
cleaner
body, while the cyclone dust collecting apparatus of the canister type vacuum
cleaner is
not. This difference will be described in detail below.
The cyclone body 200 includes an air intake pipe 210 and an air discharge pipe
220. While mounting the cyclone dust collecting apparatus in the vacmim
cleaner body
CA 02432372 2003-06-13
(not shown), the air intake pipe 210 is connected to an air intake path that
is formed in
fluid communication with a suction brush (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner
body. Also,
the air discharge pipe 220 is connected to an air discharge path that is
formed in fluid
communication with a motor chamber (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner body.
Accordingly, dust-laden air is drawn from the surface being cleaned by the
suction brash
'The dust laden-air then travels through the air intake path and air intake
pipe 210 of the
vacuum cleaner body, and then into cyclone body 200 in a tangential direction
Accordingly, a whirling air current is formed inside cyclone body 200, causing
the dust to
be separated from the drawn air by centrifugal force. The clean air is
discharged to the
outside through the air discharge pipe 220, and then through the air discharge
path and
the motor chamber of the vacuum cleaner body.
The dust receptacle 300 is removabIy connected to the lower portion of the
cyclone body 200, for collecting the dust separated from the air by the
whirling current.
Grill assembly 400 is disposed at an entrance of the air discharge pipe 220
inside
of the cyclone body 200, preventing the separated dust from escaping through
air
discharge pipe 220. The grill assembly 400 includes a grill body 410, a
plurality of air
passages 420 formed on the outer surface of the grill body 410. Air passges
420 permit
fluid communication between air outside grill assembly 400 and air discharge
pipe 220.
Grill assembly 400 also includes a dust blocking member 430 formed as a
fiushan-cone
mounted on a lower portion of grill body 410.
In the upright type vacuum cleaner equipped with the cyclone dust collecting
apparatus constntcted as above, as the cleaning operation is started, the
motor in the
motor chamber is driven, and suction is accordingly generated by the suction
brash.
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Dust laden air is drawn into the cyclone body 200 through the suction brush,
and travels
through the air intake path and air intake pipe 210 of the vacuum cleaner
body. Due to the
tangential orientation of air intake pipe 210, the dust laden air is drawn
into cyclone body
200 in an oblique direction along the inner circumference of cyclone body 200.
Accordingly, a whirling air current is formed inside of the cyclone body 200,
and the dust
is separated from the whirling air by the centrifugal force and collected in
dust receptacle
300. The clean air is discharged outside through air passages 420 of grill
assembly 400,
and air discharge pipe 220. 'Ihe clean air then flows through the air
discharge path and
the motor chamber of the vacuum cleaner body.
In this process, dust in the air current ascending inside of the dust
receptacle 300
is blocked by dust blocking member 430, thus re-entrained in the whirling air
current.
Since the dust that is blocked by the dust blocking member 430 cannot pass
through air
passages 420 of grill assembly 400, the dust is re-entrained in the whirling
air current and
is eventually collected in dust receptacle 300.
In operation, the above-described cyclone dust collecting apparatus can help
reduce the amount of dust collected by a paper filter. Considering the .fact
that the paper
filter is not recyclable after use, reducing the amount of dust collected at
the paper filter
and thereby extending the life span of the paper filter was very helpfirl to
reduce the
financial burden of the users.
The research for the cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum
cleaner
is now mainly focused on how to eihciently corn~ain the dust and prevent its
esape
through the grill assembly.
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Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, grill assembly 40, 400 has an air passage 42, 420
of a
predetermined size for external discharge of clean air, and by nature, some of
dust
escapes through air passages 42, 420 of grill assembly 40, 40(? because grill
assembly 40,
400 is disposed at the entrance of the air discharge pipe 22, 220 inside of
cyclone body 20,
200. As the dust escapes, the amount of dust collected by the paper filter
increases, or
when there is no paper filter, there is an increased amount of dust discharged
out of the
dust collecting apparatus. As a result, the dust collecting efptciency is
degraded.
In order to prevent the escape of the dust, conventionally, a dust blocking
member
43, 430 of frwtum-cone shape is mounted on the lower portion of the grill body
41, 410.
The dust blocking member 43, 430 blocks the dust in the ascending air current
back to
the whirling current so that the dust may not flow close to the air passage
42, 420 of the
grill body 41, 410. However, conventional dust blocking members 43, 430 are
limited in
their ability to prevent all of the dust from escaping.
While dust of a predetermined silx are blocked by dust blocking member 43, 430
and thus restrained from flowing into air passage 42, 420 of the grill body
41, 410, dust
such as hair are minute enough to pass through the space between dust blocking
member
43 and the inner wall of dust receptacle 30, and between dust blocking member
430 and
the ixmer wall of cyclone body 200. Such fine dust sometimes clog grill body
41, 410 or
is otherwise discharged to the outside through the air passage 42, 420,
deteriorating the
dust collecting ef~tciency of the vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, improvements
can be
made.
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CA 02432372 2003-06-13
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grill
assembly of
a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner, having ax
improved
structure that is capable of constraining and thus minimiDng the flowof dust
including
find dust such as hair, through an air passage of the grill assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cyclone dust
collecting
apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner that contributes to improved du't
collecting
efficiency of the vacuum cleaner with a grill assembly having an improved
structure.
The above objects are accomplished by a grill assembly of a cyclone dust
collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner, being arranged at an
entrance of an air
discharge pipe of a cyclone body where a whirling air current is formed from
dust-laden
air. Dust is separated from the dust-laden air by the centrifugal fomx of the
whirling air
current, which prevents dust from escaping. The present invention includes a
grill body,
a plurality of air passages formed on the grill body, and a dust blocking
member arranged
at a lower portion of the grill body, blocking the dust entrained in an
ascending air
current toward the grill body and deflecting the dust toward the whirling air
current. The
dust blocking member includes a first member formed as a frustum-cone having a
gradually increasing diameter downward, and a second member formed as a hollow
cylinder vertically spaced from a lower side of the first member, the second
member
having apredetermined length.
Accordingly, even minute and long dust such as hair are blocked by the dust
blocking member and can not ascend toward the grill body. The dust is instead
re-
CA 02432372 2003-06-13
entrained in. the whirling air current, separated therefrom and falls to the
dust receptacle.
As a result, degradation of the dust collecting efficiency due to escaping
dust is prevented.
The plurality of air passages are formed by a plurality of blades that are
arranged
along an outer circumference ofthe grill bcxiy at a predetem~ined distance
from one
another, allowing fluid to pass through the air passages. Accordingly, the
escape of dust
through the air passages is prevented, and dust collecting efficiency is
increased.
In one aspect of the present invention, the dust blocking member is removably
connected to a lower side of the grill body by a connector.
In another aspect, the connector includes a pair of connecting holes
oppositely
formed in an inner circumference of a lower part of the grill body, each
connecting hole
having a position guiding portion having a open lower end and a connecting
portion
spaced firm the open lower end of the position guiding portion, and a pair of
connecting
protrusions formed on an outer surface of an upper side of the dust blocking
member, the
protrusions corresponding to the connecting holes.
In another aspect, the connector includes a screw being fastened from a lower
side
of the dust blocking member to a lower side of the grill body.
Another object is accomplished by a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use
in a
vacuum cleaner, which is attached to an extension pipe of a canister type
vacuum cleaner
and separates dust by whirling the dust-laden air. The cyclone dust collecting
apparatus
includes a cyclone body comprising a first connecting pipe connected to am
inlet
extension pipe for drawing in air, and a second connecting pipe connected to
an outlet
extension pipe for discharging air, a dust receptacle removably mounted on the
cyclone
body for collecting dust separated from the dust laden air whirling in the
cyclone body by
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the centrifugal force, and a grill assembly arranged at an entrance of the
second
connecting pipe inside of the cyclone body, for preventing the separated dust
from
escaping through the second connecting pipe. The grill assembly includes a
grill body
comprising a first grill body portion having a supporting rib designed to
engage the
cyclone body, and a second grill body portion formed as a hollow cylinder
integrally
extending from the first grill body portion a plurality of air passages formed
on the outer
surface of the second grill body portion of the grill body, the air passages
placing air
outside the grill assembly in fluid communication with the second connecting
pipe, and a
dust blocking member atzanged at a lower portion of the second grill body for
blocking
dust entrained in an ascending air current toward the grill body and
deflecting the dust
toward the whirling air current, the dust blocking member comprising a first
member
formed as a fiusturr~cone having a gradually increasing diameter downward, and
a
second member vertically extending down finm the first member, the second
member
having a predetermined length.
The cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in the upright type vacmun
cleaner
includes a cyclone body comprising an air intake pipe connected to the air
intake path,
and an air discharge pipe connected to the air discharge path, the cyclone
body includes
provisions to produce a whirling air curnent finm dust-laden air is drawn
through the air
intake pipe, a dust receptacle removabky connected to the cyclone body, for
collecting
dust separated from the dust-laden air whirling inside of the cyclone body by
centrifugal
force, and a grill assembly arranged at an entrance of the air discharge pipe
inside of the
cyclone body, for preventing the dust separated from the dust laden air from
escaping
through the air discharge pipe. The grill assembly includes a grill body
formed as a
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CA 02432372 2003-06-13
hollow cylinder with open upper end, a plurality of air passages formed on an
outer
surface of the grill body that pemlit fluid to flow from outside the grill
assembly to the air
discharge pipe, and a dust blocking member arranged at a lower portion of the
second
grill body, for blocking the dust entrained in an air ascending toward the
grill body so as
to deflect the dust toward the whirling air current, the dust blocking member
comprising
a first member formed as a frustum-cone having a gradually increasing diameter
downward, and a second member vertically extending down from the first member,
the
second member having a predetemvned length.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned objects and the feature of the present invention will be
more apparent by describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention
in detail
referring to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional cyclone dust collecting
apparatus for use in a canister type vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional cyclone dust collecting
apparatus for use in an upright type vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a cyclone dust
collecting
apparatus for use in a canister type vacuum cleaner, which is equipped with a
grill
assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the grill assembly of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the gill assembly of FIG. 3;
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FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a cyclone dust
collecting
apparatus for use in an upright type vacuum cleaner, which is equipped with a
grill
assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the grill assembly of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the grill asse,~nbly of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMh~NT(S)
The objects and other characteristics of the present invention will be made
more
apparent by describing the preferred embodiments with reference to the
accompanying
drawings. Throughout the description, like elements have been given the same
reference
numerals.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in a canister
type
vacuum cleaner, which is equipped with a grill assembly according to the
present
invention. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus
for use in a
canister type vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone body 20, a dust receptacle 30
and a grill
assembly 40.
The cyclone body 20 includes a first connecting pipe 21 connected to inlet
extension pipe 1 a, which places first connecting pipe 21 in fluid
communication with a
suction brush of the vacuum cleaner, a second connecting pipe 22 connected to
outlet
extension pipe 1b, which extends toward the body of the vacuum cleaner, an air
inlet 23
being in fluid communication with the first connecting pipe 21, and an air
outlet 24 being
in fluid communication with the second connecting pipe 22. The dust laden air
is drawn
into the cyclone body 20 through the air inlet 23 and into a whirling current.
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The dust receptacle 30 is removably connected to the cyclone body 20, and
separates the dusts separated from the whirling air moving inside of the
cyclone body 20.
The grill assembly 40 is disposed at the air outlet 24 of the cyclone body 20,
and
is designed to prevent dust collected in the dust receptacle 30 from escaping
dust
receptacle 30 and flowing toward the vacuum cleaner body. Grill assembly 40
includes a
grill body 41, a plurality of air passages 42 formed in an outer surface of
grill body 41.
Air passages 42 place the interior volume of dust receptacle 30 in fluid
communication
with the air outlet 24. Dust blocking member 43 is mounted on an end of grill
body 41.
Grill body 41 includes a first grill body portion 41 b and a second grill body
portion 41c. First grill body portion 41b has a supporting rib 41a designed to
engage
cyclone body 20. Second grill body portion 41c is formed as a hollow cylinder
integrally
extending from first grill body portion 41 b.
Air passages 42 are formed on the outer surface of second grill body portion
41c
in the form of, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of through holes.
Alternatively, the air
passages 42 can be formed as slits which are defined by arranging a plurality
of blades on
the outer surface of second grill body portion 41 c at predetermined angles.
Air passages
42 in slit form are more preferable than oth~,~r configurations because they
prevent the
escape of dust more effectively.
Dust blocking member 43 prevents the escape of dust, by blocking dust
entrained
in the air ascending toward grill body 41 and deflecting it towards the
whirling air current.
Dust blocking member 43 is mounted on the lower portion of the second grill
body
portion 41c, and includes a first member 43a formed as a frush~nrcone having a
gradually increasing diameter downward, and a second member 43b formed as a
hollow
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cylinder extend ing from the lower side of first member 43a Second member 43b
has a
predetermined lengkh.
The length of second member 43b can be adjusted to achieve a desired dust
blocking effect. In one embodiment, second member 43b has a length of between
10 to
30mm. In a preferred, exemplary embodiment, second member 43b has a length of
between 15 and 20mm.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, dust blocking member 43 can either be
integrally
formed with grill body 41, or as shown in FIG. 5, be formed separately from
grill body 41.
In one embodiment where dust blocking member 43 fomued separately, dust
blocking member 43 is attached to grill body 41 by a connector 45. In one
embodiment,
connector 45 includes a pair of connecting holes 45a oppositely formed in the
inner
surface of the lower portion of second grill body portion 41 c, and a pair of
connecting
protrusions 45b formed on the outer surface of upper portion of the dust
blocking
member 43 that correspond with the pair of connecting holes 45a. Each of the
connecting
holes 45a includes a position guiding portion having an open lower end, and a
connecting
portion vertically spaced from the open lower end of the position guiding
portion. The
connecting protn~sions 45b are aligned with, and inserted in the corresponding
position
guiding portion of the connecting holes 45a, and then rotated in a
predetermined direction
until the connecting protrusions 45b are positioned in the connecting portion
of the
connecting holes 45a Accordingly, the dust blocking member 43 is assembled
with the
grill body 41.
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Connector 45 can take the form ofvarious shuctm~es in addition to the
structure
described above. For example, connector 45 can include a threaded fastener or
threads
disposed on respective surfaces of grill body 41 and dust blocking member 43.
The cyclone dust collecting apparatus can be used in the canister type vacuum
cleaner, as described above. In operation, suction generated at the suction
bn~sh of the
vacuum cleaner draws dust-laden air into cyclone body 20 through the first
connecting
pipe 21 in an oblique directionwith respect to the cyclone body 20.
Accardingly, the
drawn air is moved to the lower porrtion of dust receptacle 30 in a whirling
air current. In
this process, dust is separated from the whirling air due to centrifugal
force, and collected
in dust receptacle 30. Then, the air is reflected from the bottom of dust
receptacle 30 and
moves upward in a smaller circle than the downward air current. Air in the
ascending air
current is eventually discharged to the outside of the vacuum cleaner body
through air
passages 42, air outlet 24 and second connecting pipe 22.
Some dust is entrained with the ascending whirling air current inside of dust
receptacle 30, but then is blocked by dust blocking member 43 and re-entrained
in the
whirling air current. Because the dust is blocked by dust blocking member 43,
it does not
pass through air passages 42 of grill assembly 40, the dust re-entrained in
the whirling air
current is collected in dust receptacle 30.
By using dust blocking member 43 that has the improved sauctmal features,
blocking ascending dust and deflecting it toward the whirling air current is
performed
more effectively. As a result, even minute panicles of dust, such as hair, are
blocked, so
that they do not ascend toward the grill body 41 but instead fall to, and
collect in dust
14
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receptacle 30. Because dust is constrained and prevented from escaping more
effectively,
the dust collecting efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is increased.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are views showing a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in
an
upright type vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. As shown in
FIGS. 6 and
7, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in the upright type vacuum
cleaner
according to the present invention has a similar basic stntcture as that of
the cyclone dust
collecting apparatus for use in the canister type vacuum cleaner as described
above.
Accordingly, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus for use in the upright type
vacuum
cleaner according to the present invention includes cyclone body 200, dust
receptacle 300,
and grill assembly 400. The difference is that the cyclone dust collecting
apparatus of the
upright type vacuum cleaner according to tree present invention is mounted in
the dust
collecting chamber of the vacuum cleaner body, while the cyclone dust
collecting
apparatus of the canister type vacuum cleanser is not. This difference will be
described in
detail below.
Cyclone body 200 includes an air intake pipe 210 and an air discharge pipe
220.
While mounting the cyclone dust collecting apparatus in the vacuum cleaner
body (not
shown), the air intake pipe 210 is connected to an air intake path that is
fomled in fluid
communication with a suction bwsh (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner body.
Also, the
air discharge pipe 220 is connected to an air discharge path that is formed in
fluid
communication with a rmtor chamber (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner body.
Accordingly, dust laden air is drawn from the surface to be cleaned through
the suction
brush The dust-laden air then travels through the air intake path and air
intake pipe 210
of the vacuum cleaner body, and then into the cyclone body 200 in a tangential
direction
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Accordingly, a whirling air current is formed inside of the cyclone body 200,
causing the
dust to be separated from the drawn air by centrifugal force. The clean air is
discharged
to the onside through the air discharge pipe 220, and then through the air
discharge path
and the motor chamber of the vacuum cleaner body.
The dust receptacle 300 is removably connected to the lower portion of cyclone
body 200, for collecting the dust separated from the air by the centrifugal
force generated
by the whirling current of cyclone body 200.
Grill assembly 400 is disposed at an entrance of the air discharge pipe 220
inside
of cyclone body 200, preventing the separated dust from flowing through air
discharge
pipe 220. Grill assembly 400 includes a grill body 410 formed as a hollow
cylinder with
an open upper end, and a plurality of air passages 420 formed on the outc,~r
surface of
grill body 410 that place air outside grill body 410 in fluid communication
with air
discharge pipe 220. A dust blocking member 430 is mounted on the lowEm portion
of the
grill body 410.
Air passages 420 are formed as a slit in the outer surface of the grill body
410, by
arranging a plurality of blades at predetermined angles. Although not shown,
air
passages 420 can also be formed as a plurality of through holes fom~ed in the
outer
surface of the grill body 410. Forming air passages 420 in the slit form by
the
arrangement of the blades is more preferable because air passages 420 in slit
form can
prevent the escape of dust through air passages 420 more effectively.
Dust blocking member 430 prevents the escape of dust, by blocking dust
entrained in the air ascending toward the grill body 410 and deflecting the
dust into the
whirling air current. According to the present invention, the dust blocking
member 430
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includes a first member 430a formed as a f~usrum-cone having a gradually
increasing
diameter downward, and a second member 430b formed as a hollow cylinder
extending
from the lower side of the first member 430a for a predetermined length.
The length of second member 430b can be adjusted to achieve a desired dust
blocking effect. In one embodiment, second member 430b has a length of between
10 to
30mm. In a preferred, exemplary embodiment, second member 430b has a length of
between 15 and 20mm.
As shown in FIG. 7, dust blocking member 430 can either be integrally formed
with grill body 410, or as shown in FIG. 8, be separately formed from grill
body 410.
In the embodiment where dust blocking member 430 is formed separately from
grill body 410, a connector 450 is preferably used to attach dust blocking
member 430
with the grill body 410. In one embodiment, connector 450 may include a screw
that is
inserted from the lower side of dust blocking member 430 and into the lower
side of the
grill body 410. However, this should not be considered limiting Connector 450
may
have various other structures so long as it can attach dust blocking member
430 to grill
body 410.
In an upright type vacuum cleaner equipped with the cyclone dust collecting
apparatus constructed as above, the device operates as follows. The motor in
the motor
chamber is driven, and suction is accordingly generated by the suction brash.
This
suction draws dust-laden air into the air intake path and the air intake pipe
210 of the
vacuum cleaner body. After passing through air intake pipe 210, the dust laden
air is
drawn into cyclone body 200 in an oblique direction along the inner
circumference of
cyclone body 200. Accordingly, a whirling air current is formed inside cyclone
body 200,
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dust is separated from the whirling air by centrifugal force; and collected in
dust
receptacle 300. The clean air is discharged outside through the air passages
420 of the
grill assembly 400. The clean air then passes through air discharge pipe 2'Z0,
the air
discharge path and the motor chamber of the vacuum cleaner body.
In this process, dust in the ascending air current inside of dust receptacle
300 is
blocked by dust blocking member 430, and re-entrained in the whirling air
current. Since
the dust is blocked by dust blocking member 430, it cannot pass though air
passages 420
of grill assembly 400, the dust is re-entrained in the whirling air current
and collected in
dust receptacle 300.
By using dust blocking member 430 according to the present invention, blocking
ascending dust and deflecting it toward the whirling air current is performc~i
more
effectively. As a result, even dust of minute particles, such as hair, are
blocked, so that
they do not ascend toward the grill body 410 but fall to dust receptacle 300.
As the
escape of dust is constrained and prevented more effectively, the dust
collecting
efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is increased
As described above, according to the present invention, dust, including minute
and long particles such as hair, are effectively blocked by the dust blocking
member that
has the first member of fr~u~ conical shape and the second member of hollow
cylindrical shape and those particles of dust are re-entrained in the whirling
air current
Accordingly, even minute and long particles are prevented from ascending
toward grill
body 410, and fall into dust receptacle 300. Accordingly, the escape of dust
is more
effectively constrained and prevented, and the dust collecting efficiency of
the vacuum
cleaner increases.
18
CA 02432372 2003-06-13
According to the present invention as described above, even the minute and
long
panicles such as hair are blocked by the dust blocking member that has a first
member of
fi-ustwn-conical shape and a second member of hollow cylindrical shape.
Accordingly,
dust does not ascend toward the grill body but are re-entrained in the
whirling air current.
As a result, the escape of dust can be minimized
Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention hive been shown
and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
changes may be
made in these embodiments without departing fibm the principles and sprit of
the
invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
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