Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
VACUUM CLEANER WITH SPIRAL AIR GUIDE
TECHNICAL FIELD
100011 The present invention relates generally to the floor care equipment
field and,
more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dirt collection vessel
including a
dirt collection chamber and a spiral air guide providing a spiral air path.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002) Bagless vacuum cleaner technology has long been known in the art.
Japanese
patent applications 56-136642 and 56-136650 both published in 1981 disclose an
upright
vacuum cleaner with a dirt collection chamber that removably connects to an
opening of
the main unit to facilitate user convenience during the emptying of the
cleaner. A
removable filter fills an opening at the bottom of the dust chamber and serves
to separate
dirt and dust from air drawn through the vacuum cleaner by the fan and motor
assembly.
[0003] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner that incorporates a
dirt
collection vessel including a dirt collection chamber and a spiral air guide
that provides a
spiral air path for improved cleaning efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described
herein,
an improved vacuum cleaner is provided. That vacuum cleaner comprises a
housing
including a suction inlet and both a dirt collection vessel and a suction
generator carried
on the housing. The dirt collection vessel includes a dirt collection chamber.
The vacuum
cleaner includes a spiral air guide providing a spiral air path that enhances
cleaning
efficiency. The spiral air guide includes an inlet at a first end and a split
outlet at a
second end. The suction generator is provided in fluid communication with the
suction
inlet, the dirt collection vessel and the spiral air guide.
[0005] The dirt collection vessel includes a first dirt collection chamber, a
primary
inlet in communication with that first chamber, a second dirt collection
chamber, a
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
secondary inlet in communication with that second chamber and a chamber
outlet. The
split outlet includes a first section provided in communication with a clean
air manifold
and a second section provided in communication with the secondary inlet. More
specifically, the split outlet includes a head wall extending across the air
path at an
included angle of between about 0 and about 30 degrees and most typically
about 15
degrees. The spiral air guide also includes an inlet in fluid communication
with the first
chamber outlet, and at least one clean air discharge orifice along an inside
portion of the
spiral air path. The spiral air guide comprises a spiral, tubular conduit.
[0006] In one possible embodiment the spiral air path has a substantially
constant
cross sectional area from the first end to the second end. That cross
sectional area is
between about 250 mm2 and about 1000 mm2. In another possible embodiment the
spiral
air path has a cross sectional area that decreases from the first end to the
second end. In
yet another possible embodiment, the spiral air path has a cross sectional
area that
increases from the first end to the second end. The spiral air path may also
be
substantially flat.
[0007] In one possible embodiment of the invention the first dirt collection
chamber
is substantially cylindrical in shape and the primary inlet is tangentially
directed with
respect to the first dirt collection chamber. The chamber outlet is axially
directed with
respect to the dirt collection chamber. Further the chamber outlet includes a
sieve having
about 1000 to about 1500 apertures and each of the apertures has a cross
sectional area of
between about 2.3 mm2 to about 6.4 mm2.
[0008] In accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention,
the
housing includes a first cavity and a second cavity. The dirt collection
vessel is received
and held in the first cavity while the spiral air guide is received and held
in the second
cavity. In this way, the dirt collection vessel and the spiral air guide are
made
independently removable from the housing.
[0009] In the following description there are shown multiple preferred
embodiments
of the invention simply by way of illustration of some of the modes best
suited to carry
out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other
different
2
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various,
obvious
aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings
and
descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as
restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0010] The accompanying drawing incorporated in and forming a part of the
specification, illustrates several aspects of the present invention, and
together with the
description serves to explain certain principles of the invention. In the
drawing:
[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner of the present
invention;
[0012] Figure 2 is a detailed cross sectional view of the dirt collection
vessel of the
present invention;
[0013] Figure 3 is a schematical air flow diagram for the vacuum cleaner of
the
present invention;
[0014] Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the
present
invention;
[0015] Figure 5 is a front perspective view of the alternative embodiment
illustrated
in Figure 4; and
[0016] Figure 6 is a detailed top plan view of the spiral air guide of the
alternative
embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred
embodiments of
the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Reference is now made to Figures 1-3 illustrating one possible
embodiment of
the vacuum cleaner 10 of the present invention. The illustrated embodiment is
an upright
vacuum cleaner 10. It should be appreciated, however, that the present
invention also
includes and this patent covers canister and handheld bagless vacuum cleaners.
[0019] The illustrated vacuum cleaner 10 includes a housing, generally
designated by
reference numeral 12. That housing 12 includes a nozzle assembly or section 14
and a
3
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
canister assembly or section 16. As is known in the art, the canister assembly
16 is
pivotally connected to the nozzle assembly 14 to aid the operator in
manipulating the
vacuum cleaner to and fro across the floor. Wheels (not shown) carried on the
housing
12 allow the vacuum cleaner 10 to be moved smoothly across the floor.
[0020] As illustrated, the nozzle assembly 14 is equipped with a nozzle or
suction
inlet 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the suction inlet 18 also includes a
rotary agitator
20. The rotary agitator 20 is equipped with projecting cleaning structures 21
such as
bristle tufts, brushes, wipers, beater bars or the like to aid in stripping
dirt and debris from
a nap of an underlying carpet being cleaned.
[0021] The canister assembly 16 houses a suction generator 22 (i.e. a fan and
motor
assembly) and a dirt collection vessel 24 including a spiral air guide 25 and
a dirt
collection chamber 26 (see Figure. 2). The details of the dirt collection
vessel 24 will be
described in greater detail below. The canister assembly 16 also includes a
control
handle 28 and an actuator switch 30 for turning the vacuum cleaner 10 on and
off and
thereby driving the rotary agitator 20 and the suction generator 22.
[0022] As best illustrated in Figure 2, the dirt collection vessel 24 includes
a main
body comprising a bottom wall 32 and a curved sidewall 34. In the illustrated
embodiment, the bottom wall 32 comprises a door that is pivotally mounted to
the
sidewall 34 and secured in a closed position by a latch (not shown). The latch
may be
actuated to open the door 32 and empty dirt and debris from the dirt
collection chamber
26 when desired, in a manner well known in the art. The dirt collection vessel
24 also
includes a tangentially directed inlet 35 and an axially directed chamber
outlet 37. A
shoulder 36 formed in the curved sidewall 34 supports the spiral air guide 25.
A lid 38
seats on the upper edge of the side wall 34 and seals the open end 40 of the
main body.
[0023] As should be appreciated, the spiral air guide 25 functions to
partition the dirt
collection vessel 24 into the dirt collection chamber 26 and the clean air
manifold 42. A
manifold outlet 44 in the lid 38 provides fluid communication between the
clean air
manifold 42 and the suction generator 22 through a conduit 45.
4
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
[0024] As further illustrated in Figure 2, the shoulder 36 also receives and
holds a
sieve 46. The sieve 46 is substantially cylindrical in shape and is
concentrically received
within the curved sidewall 34 of the main body of the dirt collection vessel
24. As
illustrated the sieve 46 includes an outer wall 48 incorporating a series of
apertures 50.
More specifically, the sieve 46 includes between about 1000 to about 1500
apertures 50
and each aperture has a cross sectional area of between about 2.3 mm2 to about
6.4 mm2.
The apertures 50 may be round, oval, multisided or substantially any shape.
[0025] The sieve 46 includes an inner wall 52 that engages a tubular element
53. The
tubular element 53 is concentrically received within the sidewall 34 of the
dirt collection
vessel 24. The bottom of the tubular element 53 is closed by a convexity 55 in
the
bottom wall or door 32. A second dirt collection chamber 54 is defined inside
the inner
wall 52 and tubular element 53 above the convexity 55. Thus, it should be
appreciated
that the chamber outlet 37 is annular in shape and extends around the second
dirt
collection chamber 54.
[0026] The spiral air guide 25 comprises a substantially flat, spiral, tubular
conduit
56. The spiral tubular conduit 56 has an inlet 58 at a first end and a split
outlet 60 at a
second end. The inlet 58 is provided in fluid communication with the first
chamber
outlet 37 and the sieve 46 while the outlet 60 is provided with a first
section in fluid
communication with the clean air manifold 42 and a second section in
communication
with the secondary inlet 51 of the second dirt collection chamber 54.
[0027] The split outlet 60 also includes a head wall 67. The head wall 67
extends
across the air path at an included angle e of between about 0 and about 30
degrees and
most typically about 15 degrees. The function of the head wall 67 will be
discussed in
detail below.
[0028] The spiral tubular conduit 56 may have a substantially constant cross
sectional
area from the first end to the second end of from about 250 mm2 to about 1000
mm2. In
one possible alternative embodiment the spiral tubular conduit may define a
spiral air
path having a cross sectional area that decreases from the first end to the
second end. In
yet another alternative embodiment the spiral tubular conduit 56 may define a
spiral air
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
path that has a cross sectional area that increases from the first end to the
second end. In
any of these embodiments, the spiral air guide 25 includes at least one clean
air discharge
orifice 62 along an inside portion of the spiral air path defined by the
spiral tubular
conduit 56. The discharge orifice 62 is provided in communication with the
clean air
manifold 42.
[0029] During operation the rotary agitator 20 beats dirt and debris from the
nap of an
underlying carpet being cleaned (see Fig. 3). That dirt and debris is drawn in
an air
stream into the vacuum cleaner 10 through the suction inlet 18 by means of the
suction
generator 22. After passing through a conduit 65, the air stream entrained
with dirt and
debris is delivered through the tangentially directed inlet 35 into the dirt
collection
chamber 26 of the dirt collection vessel 24 (see also Fig. 2). The resulting
cyclonic air
flow (note action arrows A) tends to force the dirt and debris toward the side
wall 34 of
the dirt collection vessel 24 while the relatively clean air is drawn through
the apertures
50 of the sieve 46 past the chamber outlet 37 (note action arrow B). The air
stream then
passes through the inlet 58 into the spiral tubular conduit 56 of the spiral
air guide 25
(note action arrow C).
[0030] As the air stream travels through the conduit 56 it is drawn into a
tighter and
tighter circle and is thereby accelerated. Any fine dirt particles that were
capable of
passing through the apertures 50 are forced against the outside portion of the
spiral air
path while relatively clean air along the inside portion of the spiral air
path is drawn
through the discharge orifices 62 into the clean air manifold 42 (note action
arrow D).
The remaining fine dirt particles are forced to travel along the outer portion
of the spiral
air path of the conduit 56 and exit at the split outlet 60. More specifically,
the fine
particles P are forced into the head wall 67. The angle 6 of the head wall 67
functions to
deflect the particles P downwardly through the second section of the outlet 60
directly
into the second or fine particle dirt collection chamber 54 through the
secondary inlet 51
(note action arrow E). Consequently, it should be appreciated that the spiral
air guide 25
functions to insure that even the finest dirt particles are captured in the
dirt collection
6
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
vessel 24. Simultaneously, the remaining clean air stream is drawn off through
the first
section of the split outlet 60 into the clean air manifold 42 (note action
arrow F).
[0031] The now clean air delivered to the clean air manifold 42 passes through
the
manifold outlet 44 (note action arrow G) and then moves along a conduit 45
through a
secondary filter 64 before being delivered to the suction generator 22. As the
clean air
passes through the suction generator 22 it functions to cool the motor of the
suction
generator. The clean air is then exhausted through a final filter 66, such as
a HEPA filter
to remove any remaining particles such as carbon particles from the motor
brushes,
before being discharged back into the environment through the exhaust port 68.
[0032] As should be appreciated, the spiral air guide 25 functions to return
relatively
fine dirt particles to the second chamber 54 of the dirt collection vessel 24
for capture and
disposal thereby stripping those particles from the clean air subsequently
delivered
through the secondary filter 64 to the suction generator 22. As such, the air
guide
functions to enhance the cleaning efficiency of the vacuum cleaner 10.
[0033] In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 4-6, the dirt
collection
vessel 24 and spiral air guide 25 are separate structures. The dirt collection
vessel 24 is
received in a first cavity 76 in the canister assembly 16. The spiral air
guide 25 is
received in a second cavity 78 in the canister assembly 16. A conduit 85 held
in the
canister assembly 16 provides fluid communication between the second section
of the
outlet 60 with the secondary inlet 51 of the second fine particle dirt
collection chamber
54. More specifically, the spiral air guide 25 may be integrally formed with a
drawer 80
that slides into and out of the second cavity 78 (see particularly Fig. 6). As
illustrated,
the drawer 80 may include an integral handle 82 that is grasped with the
fingers in order
to be removed from the housing 12. Similarly, the dirt collection vessel 24
also includes
a handle 83 that is grasped with the fingers in order to be removed from the
housing. In
this embodiment, the dirt collection vessel 24 and the spiral air guide 25 are
independently removable from the housing 12 so that the operator may clean
either as
necessary or desired.
7
CA 02649307 2009-01-13
[0034] The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention
has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious
modifications
or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, while
the
illustrated embodiment incorporates a cylindrically shaped dirt collection
chamber 26, a
tangentially directed inlet 35 and an axially directed outlet 37 in order to
provide for
cyclonic airflow, the invention is not limited to such an arrangement. The
dirt collection
chamber 26 may assume another shape. The inlet 35 need not be tangentially
directed
and the outlet 37 need not be axially oriented. Thus, the invention
incorporates both
cyclonic and noncyclonic designs.
[0035] The embodiment was chosen and described to provide the best
illustration of
the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby
enable one of
ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and
with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such
modifications
and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the
appended claims
when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly,
legally and
equitably entitled. The drawings and preferred embodiments do not and are not
intended
to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims and their fair and broad
interpretation in any
way.
8
