CN110381790B

CN110381790B - Cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus and surface cleaning apparatus having a cyclone assembly

Info

Publication number: CN110381790B
Application number: CN201780088124.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: W·E·康拉德; D·彼得森
Original assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc
Current assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc
Priority date: 2017-01-10
Filing date: 2017-12-21
Publication date: 2022-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-21
Also published as: WO2018129608A1; CN110381790A

Abstract

The invention provides a cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus, the cyclone assembly having an openable lower end, a first cyclonic cleaning stage, a second cyclonic cleaning stage, and an airflow passage from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the second cyclonic cleaning stage. The lower end is movable to an open position in which at least a portion of the airflow passage is open.

Description

Cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus and surface cleaning apparatus having a cyclone assembly

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority to us patent application 15/402,814 filed on 10/1/2017, which was a continuation-in-part application to us patent application 15/137,814 filed on 25/4/2016, which is still pending, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to cyclone assemblies for surface cleaning apparatuses and, more particularly, to cyclone assemblies having a first cyclonic cleaning stage and a second cyclonic cleaning stage.

Background

Various types of surface cleaning devices are known, including upright surface cleaning devices, canister surface cleaning devices, wand surface cleaning devices, hand-held surface cleaning devices, and central vacuum systems.

Surface cleaning apparatus are known which use one or more cyclonic cleaning stages to remove particulate matter (e.g. dust and dirt) from an airflow.

A second cyclonic cleaning stage, which may comprise a plurality of cyclones in parallel, may be provided downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and upstream of the suction motor. The second cyclonic cleaning stage is typically arranged to remove particulate matter from the airflow leaving the first cyclonic cleaning stage and not from the airflow by the first cyclonic cleaning stage.

Typically, the second stage cyclones are effective to remove additional particulate matter from the airflow. However, a pre-motor filter is typically provided downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and upstream of the suction motor to protect the suction motor by filtering out from the airflow particles that are not removed from the airflow by either the first cyclonic cleaning stage or the second cyclonic cleaning stage. However, there may be one or more disadvantages associated with providing a pre-motor filter. For example, pre-motor filters may become clogged with particulate matter, requiring the user to clean and/or replace the filter, which the user may consider to be an undesirable task.

Disclosure of Invention

The following description is provided to introduce the reader to the more detailed discussion that follows. The introduction is not intended to limit or define any claimed invention or inventions not yet claimed. One or more inventions may reside in any combination or subcombination of elements or process steps disclosed in any portion of this document, including the claims and figures hereof.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cyclone assembly usable as an air treatment member to remove particulate matter (e.g., dirt, dust) from an airflow includes a first cyclonic cleaning stage and a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein the second cyclonic cleaning stage includes a greater number of cyclone chambers than the first cyclonic cleaning stage. The first and second cyclone stages are configured to provide a reduced back pressure caused by the airflow through the cyclone stages. To this end, the cyclone chamber of the second cyclonic cleaning stage may be higher than the cyclone stage or stages of the first cyclonic cleaning stage.

To reduce back pressure through such a cyclone assembly, it is preferred that the airflow velocity into the first cyclonic cleaning stage is approximately equal to the airflow velocity into the second cyclonic cleaning stage. Although the airflow velocity through the first stage air inlets is preferably about equal to the airflow velocity through each of the second stage air inlets, the separation characteristics of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages may still be different. For example, if the second stage cyclone chamber has a smaller radius than the first stage cyclone chamber, particles entrained in the airflow from the second stage cyclone will be subjected to a greater centrifugal force than they are subjected to in the first stage cyclone, which may promote separate entrainment of smaller particles from the airflow in the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

To achieve relatively equal airflow rates (e.g. + -25%, + -20%, + -15%, + -10%, + -5%), the total cross-sectional area of the one or more air inlets of the first cyclonic cleaning stage is preferably about equal to the total cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlets (i.e. the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each second stage cyclone chamber air inlet). If the first cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a single cyclone chamber, the total cross-sectional area of the air inlets of the first cyclonic cleaning stage is preferably approximately equal to the total cross-sectional area of the air inlets of the second stage.

However, due to the boundary layer effect of the perimeter, the effective cross-sectional area of the air inlet may be less than the physical dimensions of the inlet. For example, for a rectangular air inlet with height H and width W, and assuming a constant boundary layer thickness L_BThe effective cross-sectional area of the inlet can be estimated as:

Area_Effective＝(H-(2×L_B))×(W-(2×L_B))＝HW-2(HL_B+WL_B-2L_B ²)。

if the second cyclonic cleaning stage has a greater number of second stage cyclones than the first cyclonic cleaning stage and therefore a greater number of air inlets, and the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the first stage air inlets is equal to the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second stage air inlets, the sum of the effective cross-sectional areas of the first stage air inlets may be less than the sum of the effective cross-sectional areas of the second stage air inlets. The reason for this is that the total effective cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlets may be reduced by a greater amount than the total effective cross-sectional area of the one or more first stage air inlets, since the boundary layer thickness at the periphery of the inlets is generally not dependent on the area of the inlets. To accommodate this imbalance, the total cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlets and optionally the cross-sectional area of each second stage air inlet may be increased by about 5% to 30%, preferably about 10% to 20%, and more preferably about 15% of the cross-sectional area required to provide the second stage with about the same total physical inlet area.

In addition, it may be assumed that, in general, during each rotation within the cyclone chamber, the air flow moves in the longitudinal direction towards the end of the cyclone chamber by about the height of the cyclone chamber air inlet. For example, in a cyclone chamber having a longitudinal height five times the longitudinal height of its air inlet, it may be expected that the air rotates about five times as it travels from the end of the cyclone chamber having the air inlet to the opposite end of the cyclone chamber.

Thus, in order to provide first and second stage cyclones having about the same number of turns within their respective cyclone chambers, each cyclone chamber preferably has a similar ratio of the longitudinal height of its air inlet to the longitudinal height of the cyclone chamber. Therefore, when the longitudinal height of the air inlet of each second-stage cyclone chamber is greater than that of the first-stage cyclone chamber, the height of each second-stage cyclone chamber is preferably greater than that of each first-stage cyclone chamber.

According to this broad aspect, there is provided a cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus, the cyclone assembly comprising:

(a) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber, each first stage cyclone having a first stage longitudinal cyclone axis about which air rotates in the first stage cyclone chamber, each first stage cyclone chamber having a height extending between a first stage cyclone chamber air inlet and a first stage cyclonic dirt outlet; and

(b) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of second stage cyclones connected in parallel, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber having a second stage longitudinal cyclone axis about which air rotates in a second stage cyclone chamber, each second stage cyclone chamber having a height extending between a second stage cyclone chamber air inlet and a second stage cyclonic dirt outlet,

wherein the second cyclonic cleaning stage has a greater number of second stage cyclones than the first cyclonic cleaning stage and wherein the height of each second stage cyclone chamber is greater than the height of each first stage cyclone chamber.

In some embodiments, the second stage cyclone dirt outlet may be provided in a side wall of the second stage cyclone.

In some embodiments, the first stage longitudinal cyclone axis and the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis may be substantially parallel.

In some embodiments, the first stage cyclones and the second stage cyclones may be inverted.

In some embodiments, the height of some or all of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlets in the direction of the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis may be greater than the height of each first stage cyclone chamber air inlet in the direction of the first stage longitudinal cyclone axis.

In some embodiments, the height of some or all of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlets may be 1.25 to 2.5 times the height of each first stage cyclone chamber air inlet.

In some embodiments, the height of each second stage cyclone chamber may be greater than the height of each first stage cyclone chamber by at least the height of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet. Optionally, in some embodiments, the height of each of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlets in the direction of the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis may be 1.25 to 2.5 times the height of each of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlets in the direction of the first stage longitudinal cyclone axis.

In some embodiments, each of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlets may have a width in a direction transverse to the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis, in particular according to the following formula:

wherein W₂Is the width of the second stage cyclonic inlet in a direction transverse to the second stage longitudinal cyclonic axis; w₁Is the width of the first stage cyclonic inlet in a direction transverse to the longitudinal cyclonic axis of the first stage; and N is the number of second stage cyclones. Optionally, in some embodiments, the height of some or all of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlet in the direction of the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis may be greater than the height of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet in the direction of the first stage longitudinal cyclone axis. Optionally, in some embodiments, the height of some or all of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlet may be 1.25 to 2.5 times the height of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet.

In some embodiments, each of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet and the second stage cyclone chamber air inlet may have a cross-sectional area, and the total cross-sectional area of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlet may be greater than the total cross-sectional area of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet.

In some embodiments, the total cross-sectional area of the air inlet of the second stage cyclone chamber may be 1.1 to 2, 1.1 to 1.5 or 1.1 to 1.3 times the total cross-sectional area of the air inlet of the first stage cyclone chamber.

In some embodiments, each of the first and second stage cyclone chamber air inlets may have a cross-sectional area, and the total cross-sectional area of the second stage cyclone chamber air inlet may be greater than the total cross-sectional area of the first stage cyclone chamber air inlet.

In some embodiments, each of the first and second stage cyclone chambers has a cyclone chamber air outlet and each cyclone chamber air outlet has a cross-sectional area, and the total cross-sectional area of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlets may be greater than the total cross-sectional area of the first stage cyclone chamber air outlets.

In some embodiments, the total cross-sectional area of the air outlet of the second stage cyclone chamber may be 1.1 to 2, 1.1 to 1.5, or 1.1 to 1.3 times the total cross-sectional area of the air outlet of the first stage cyclone chamber.

In some embodiments, the height of each first stage cyclone chamber may be selected such that the air rotates 2-4 times in each first stage cyclone chamber, and the height of each second stage cyclone chamber may be selected such that the air rotates 2-4 times in each second stage cyclone chamber.

In some embodiments, the height of each of the first and second stage cyclone chambers may be selected such that the air rotates about 3 times in each cyclone chamber.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, at least a portion, preferably most or substantially all, of the second stage dirt collection region may be positioned longitudinally above and covering the first stage cyclone chamber. Providing a second stage dirt collection region at such a location may facilitate a more compact design of the two stage cyclone assembly.

(a) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber and an upper end;

(b) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of inverted second stage cyclones connected in parallel, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber,

wherein the second cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a second stage dirt collection area and at least a portion of the second stage dirt collection area is located longitudinally above and overlies the first stage cyclone chamber.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the secondary dirt collection area can be positioned on the upper end.

In some embodiments, the second stage dirt collection area may be external to the second stage cyclone.

In some embodiments, the secondary dirt collection area can include a plurality of secondary dirt collection chambers.

In some embodiments, each second stage cyclone chamber has a second stage cyclonic dirt outlet, each of which may be provided in a side wall of one of the second stage cyclones.

In some embodiments, the first cyclonic cleaning stage has a first stage dirt collection area which may be external to the at least one first stage inverted cyclone, and each first stage cyclone chamber has a first stage cyclonic dirt outlet which may be provided in a side wall of the at least one first stage inverted cyclone.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly may further comprise an openable lid closing the upper ends of the second stage cyclones and the second stage dirt collection area, wherein the upper ends of the second stage cyclones and the second stage dirt collection area are openable when the openable lid is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the first cyclonic cleaning stage has a first stage dirt collection area which may be external to the at least one first stage inverted cyclone, and the cyclone bin assembly has an upper end which includes a second stage dirt collection area and which is movable to an open position in which the at least one first stage inverted cyclone and the first stage dirt collection area are open.

In some embodiments, the second stage dirt collection area may be closed when the upper end is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the second stage cyclones may also be open when the upper end is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly further comprises an openable lid that closes an upper end of the second stage dirt collection area, wherein the upper end of the second stage dirt collection area is openable when the openable lid is in the open position, and the openable lid is openable when the upper end is in the open position.

In some embodiments, when the upper end comprises an openable upper cover closing the upper end and the lower wall of the second stage dirt collection area, the lower wall may comprise the upper end wall of the at least one first stage inverted cyclone.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the upstream motor pre-filter chamber or manifold may be positioned facing (e.g., below) the second cyclonic cleaning stage, and each of the second stage cyclonic air outlets may have an outlet that extends to an opening in a wall of the chamber or manifold. An advantage of this design is that fewer duct walls and/or ducts may be required to direct the airflow from the second cyclonic cleaning stage towards the pre-motor filter, which may simplify the design and/or construction of the cyclone assembly and/or surface cleaning apparatus and/or may reduce back pressure through the surface cleaning apparatus.

(a) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage cyclone, which may be an inverted cyclone, having a first stage cyclone chamber and a first stage cyclonic air outlet;

(b) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of second stage cyclones in parallel, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones being an inverted cyclone and each having a second stage cyclone chamber, each of the second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclonic air outlet; and

(c) a motor forward filter chamber positionable below the secondary cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein each of the secondary cyclonic air outlets has an outlet end in a wall forming an upstream motor forward filter chamber.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning stage may be removable from the motor pre-filter chamber.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning may have an openable bottom wall, wherein the second stage cyclones are open when the openable bottom wall is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the first cyclonic cleaning stage may have a first stage dirt collection area located outside the at least one first stage inverted cyclone and the first stage dirt collection area may be openable when the openable bottom wall is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise a second stage dirt collection area, and the cyclone assembly may further comprise an openable lid closing an upper end of the second stage dirt collection area, wherein the upper end of the second stage dirt collection area is openable when the openable lid is in the open position.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly may further comprise a header downstream of the first stage cyclonic air outlet and upstream of the second stage cyclone, wherein the header is positioned between the first stage cyclonic air outlet and the motor pre-filter chamber.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning may have an openable bottom wall, wherein the second stage cyclone and the header are open when the openable bottom wall is in the open position.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a release mechanism may be provided that is movable to two open positions, wherein in a first open position a first lock is moved to an unlocked position and in a second open position a second lock is moved to an unlocked position. An advantage of this design is that the same actuator can be used to unlock the upper end of the cyclone assembly housing the second stage dirt collection area and open the upper lid which opens the second stage dirt collection area.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the cyclonic assembly may have an openable lower end and at least a portion of the airflow passageway between the first cyclonic cleaning stage and the second cyclonic cleaning stage is open when the openable lower end is in the open position. Such a design may be advantageous in that the open lower end may provide access to the airflow path, for example for cleaning, and/or such a configuration may simplify the design and/or construction of the cyclone assembly and/or the surface cleaning apparatus.

(a) an openable lower end;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber and an upper end;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of parallel inverted second stage cyclones, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber; and the combination of (a) and (b),

(d) an airflow passage from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the second cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein the lower end is movable between a closed position and an open position in which at least a portion of the airflow passage is open.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise at least one second stage dirt collection area located outside the second stage cyclone chamber and which opens when the lower end is moved to the open position.

In some embodiments, the lower end may comprise a single pivotally openable panel.

In some embodiments, the lower end may comprise at least one outlet port for the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly may further comprise an upper end that is movable between a closed position and an open position in which the first and second cyclone chambers are open.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly can further comprise a first stage dirt collection area external to the first stage cyclone chamber and which opens when the upper end is moved to the open position.

In some embodiments, the second cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise at least one second stage dirt collection area located outside the second stage cyclone chamber and which opens when the upper end is moved to the open position.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the cyclone assembly may have an openable upper end and an openable lower end, and when the openable upper end is in the open position, the cyclone chambers of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages are open, and when the openable lower end is in the open position, the dirt collection area for the first cyclonic cleaning stage and at least one dirt collection area for the second cyclonic cleaning stage are open. An advantage of such a design is that opening the upper end may provide access to each cyclone chamber and optionally one or more dirt collection regions, for example for cleaning, and opening the lower end may provide access to one or more dirt collection regions for the first cyclonic cleaning stage and/or the second cyclonic cleaning stage, and/or such a configuration may simplify the design and/or construction of the cyclone assembly and/or surface cleaning apparatus.

(a) an openable upper end and an openable lower end;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber, an upper end and a dirt outlet at the upper end, the dirt outlet communicating with a first stage dirt collection area outside the first stage cyclone chamber;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of inverted second stage cyclones connected in parallel, each of the second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber, an upper end and a dirt outlet at the upper end, wherein the dirt outlet of the second stage cyclone chamber communicates with at least one second stage dirt collection area external to the second stage cyclone chamber;

wherein the upper end is movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the first and second cyclone chambers are open, an

Wherein the lower end is movable between a closed position and an open position in which the first stage dirt collection area and the at least one second stage dirt collection area are open.

In some embodiments, the second stage may comprise a plurality of second stage dirt collection areas and when the lower end is open, the plurality of second stage dirt collection areas are open.

In some embodiments, the at least one secondary dirt collection area may be open when the upper end is open.

In some embodiments, the second stage may comprise a plurality of second stage dirt collection areas and when the upper end is open, the plurality of second stage dirt collection areas are open.

In some embodiments, the cyclone assembly can further comprise an airflow passage from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the second cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein at least a portion of the airflow passage is open when the lower end is open.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the cyclone assembly may have an openable upper end and an openable lower end, and when the openable upper end is in the open position, the cyclone chambers of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages are open and optionally open one or more dirt collection areas, and when the openable upper end is in the closed position, it may abut the upper ends of the side walls of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages. An advantage of such a design is that opening the upper end may provide access to each cyclone chamber, for example for cleaning, and/or such a configuration may simplify the design and/or construction of the cyclone assembly and/or surface cleaning apparatus.

(a) an openable upper end and an openable lower end;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having an air inlet and an air outlet at a lower end of the first stage cyclone chamber and a first stage dirt outlet provided in an upper portion of a first stage cyclone sidewall of the first stage cyclone chamber, the first stage dirt outlet communicating with a first stage dirt collection area outside the first stage cyclone chamber, wherein the upper end abuts an upper end of the first stage cyclone sidewall when the upper end is in a closed position;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of parallel inverted second stage cyclones, each of the second stage cyclones having a cyclone chamber with an air inlet and an air outlet at a lower end thereof and a second stage dirt outlet provided in an upper portion of a second stage cyclone sidewall of the second stage cyclone chamber, wherein the second stage dirt outlet communicates with at least one second stage dirt collection area outside the second stage cyclone chamber, wherein the upper end abuts an upper end of the second stage cyclone sidewall when the upper end is in a closed position,

wherein the first stage cyclone chamber and the second stage cyclone chamber are open when the upper end is in the open position.

A pre-motor filter is typically provided downstream of the cyclonic cleaning stage and upstream of the suction motor to prevent particles not removed from the airflow by the cyclonic cleaning stage from being drawn into the suction motor. Such unremoved particulate matter may otherwise cause damage (or otherwise compromise) to the suction motor. While the use of a pre-motor filter may effectively protect the suction motor, one or more disadvantages may exist. For example, pre-motor filters may become clogged with particulate matter, requiring the user to clean and/or replace the filter, which the user may consider to be an undesirable task.

In some embodiments disclosed herein, all or substantially all of the dirt entrained in the air exiting the first cyclonic cleaning stage may be removed from the airflow by the second cyclonic cleaning stage. This may, for example, eliminate the need to provide a pre-motor filter in the surface cleaning apparatus.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the devices or methods disclosed herein may embody any one or more of the features contained herein, and that these features may be used in any specific combination or sub-combination.

These and other aspects and features of various embodiments are described in more detail below.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the described embodiments and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus including a cyclone assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 with the upper lid in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 with the upper end in an open position and the upper lid in a closed position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 5 with a portion of the outer wall removed for clarity;

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 with the bottom in an open position;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone assembly and suction motor housing of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 8 taken along line 11-11 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 taken along line 12-12 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 taken along line 13-13 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2 taken along the line 14-14 shown in FIG. 3 with a portion of the lower wall of the first stage cyclones removed to reveal a plurality of second stage cyclone chamber air inlets;

FIG. 15 is a top view of the bottom of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line 16-16 shown in FIG. 1 with the release mechanism in an intermediate position;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the enlarged portion of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line 16-16 shown in FIG. 1 with the release mechanism in a first unlocked position;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 with the release mechanism in a first unlocked position;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line 20-20 shown in FIG. 1 with the release mechanism in a second unlocked position;

FIG. 21 is a top view of the enlarged portion of FIG. 20 with the release mechanism in an intermediate position;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the surface cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 with the release mechanism in a second unlocked position;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a cyclone assembly according to another embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a rear perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 23 with the upper end in an open position;

FIG. 26 is a top view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 23 with the upper end in an open position;

FIG. 27 is a bottom perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 23;

FIG. 28 is a bottom perspective view of the cyclone assembly of FIG. 23 with the lower end in an open position; and the number of the first and second electrodes,

figure 29 is a bottom view of the cyclone assembly of figure 23 with the lower end in an open position.

The drawings included herein are for illustrating various examples of articles, methods, and apparatus of the teachings of the present specification and are not intended to limit the scope of the teachings in any way.

Detailed Description

Various devices, methods, and compositions are described below to provide examples of embodiments of each of the claimed inventions. The following embodiments are not intended to limit any claimed invention, and any claimed invention may cover apparatus and methods other than those described below. The claimed invention is not limited to devices, methods, and compositions having all of the features of any one, or all, of the devices, methods, or compositions described below. The devices, methods, or compositions described below may not be any embodiments of the claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in the following apparatus, methods, or compositions, which are not claimed in this document, may be the subject of another protective device, e.g., a continuing patent application, and one or more applicants, one or more inventors, and/or one or more owners is not intended to disclaim, disavow, or dedicate to the public any such invention by disclosure in this document.

Further, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the exemplary embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the exemplary embodiments described herein. Additionally, this description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the exemplary embodiments described herein.

In the examples discussed herein, the surface cleaning apparatus used with the cyclone assembly is an upright vacuum cleaner. In an alternative embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus may be another suitable type of surface cleaning apparatus, such as a canister vacuum cleaner, a hand-held vacuum cleaner, a stick vacuum cleaner, a dry-wet vacuum cleaner, a carpet cleaner, or the like.

General description of surface cleaning apparatus

Referring to fig. 1, a surface cleaning apparatus is shown generally at 10. The surface cleaning apparatus includes a surface cleaning head 12 and an upper portion 14 movably and drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head 12. The surface cleaning head 12 may be supported by any suitable support means, such as, for example, wheels and/or rollers, to allow the surface cleaning head to be moved across a floor or other surface being cleaned. The support members (e.g., wheels) can be of any suitable configuration and can be attached to any suitable portion of the surface cleaning apparatus, including, for example, the surface cleaning head and/or the upper portion.

The surface cleaning apparatus 10 includes a dirty air inlet 16, a clean air outlet 18 and an airflow path or passage extending therebetween (see fig. 9-11). In the illustrated example, the airflow path includes at least one flexible airflow conduit member (such as a hose 15 or other flexible conduit). Alternatively, the airflow path may be formed by a rigid member. A cyclone assembly 100 and at least one suction motor are provided in the airflow path. Preferably, the cyclone assembly is provided upstream of the suction unit 20 containing one or more suction motors, but alternatively may be provided downstream of one or more suction motors. In addition to the cyclone assembly, the surface cleaning apparatus may also include one or more pre-motor filters (preferably positioned in the airflow path between the cyclone assembly and the suction motor) and/or one or more post-motor filters (positioned in the airflow path between the suction motor and the clean air outlet).

General description of cyclone Assembly

Figures 2 to 8 and 12 to 15 show an embodiment of a cyclone assembly, generally designated 100. The cyclone assembly 100 can be used as an air treatment member to remove particulate matter (e.g., dirt, dust) from an airflow. Preferably, the cyclone assembly is removable from the surface cleaning apparatus. Providing a removable cyclone assembly 100 can allow a user to transport the cyclone assembly 100 to a trash bin for emptying without having to carry or move the remainder of the surface cleaning apparatus 10. Preferably, the cyclone assembly is removable as a closed module, which can help prevent dirt and debris from escaping the cyclone assembly 100 during transport.

As shown in fig. 2, the cyclone assembly 100 has a lower end 102, an upper end 104 and an outer sidewall 108. Preferably, an assembly handle 106 is provided at the upper end 104. The assembly handle 106 may facilitate carrying of the cyclone assembly when the cyclone assembly is separated from the surface cleaning apparatus 10.

Referring to fig. 4 to 8 and 12 to 15, the cyclonic assembly 100 comprises a first cyclonic cleaning stage and a second cyclonic cleaning stage located downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage. The first cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a first stage cyclone chamber 110 extending along a cyclone axis 115 and comprises a generally cylindrical sidewall 111 extending between a lower end wall 113 and an intermediate wall 140 (which is an upper end wall of the cyclone chamber 110). In the illustrated embodiment, the first stage cyclone chambers 110 are arranged in a generally vertical, inverted cyclone orientation. Alternatively, the first stage cyclone chamber may be provided in another orientation, for example as a horizontal or inclined cyclone, and may be of any cyclone configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the first cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise a plurality of cyclone chambers.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first stage cyclone chamber 110 includes a first stage cyclonic air inlet 112 and a first stage cyclonic air outlet 114. The first stage cyclone chamber 110 also comprises at least one dirt outlet 118 through which dirt and debris separated from the airflow may exit the cyclone chamber 110. Although it is preferred that most or all of the dirt exit the first stage cyclone chamber via dirt outlet 118, some of the dirt may settle on the bottom end wall 113 of the cyclone chamber 110 and/or may be entrained in the air exiting the first stage cyclone chamber via air outlet 114.

In the illustrated example, the first stage cyclone dirt outlet 118 is in the form of a slot bounded by the cyclone sidewall 111 and the upper cyclone end wall 140 and is located towards the upper end of the cyclone chamber 110. Alternatively, the dirt outlet may be of any other suitable configuration and may be provided at another location in the cyclone chamber, including for example as an annular gap between the side and end walls of the cyclone chamber or a catch plate or other suitable member.

Preferably, the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112 is located towards one end (the lower end in the illustrated example) of the cyclone chamber 110 and may be located adjacent a corresponding cyclone chamber end wall 113. Alternatively, the cyclonic air inlet 112 may be provided at another location within the first stage cyclone chamber 110. Preferably, the air inlet 112 is positioned such that air flowing through the inlet and into the first stage cyclone chamber travels generally tangentially relative to, and preferably adjacent to, the sidewall 111 of the cyclone chamber 110.

The cross-sectional shape of the air inlet 112 may be any suitable shape. In the example shown in fig. 12, the air inlet has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape (e.g., it has rounded corners and may be referred to as a rounded rectangle) with a height in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 115)

And width in the cyclone axis 115 in the transverse direction

The cross-sectional area of the air inlet 112 may be referred to as the cross-sectional area or flow area of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112. Alternatively, instead of a rounded rectangle, the cross-sectional shape of the air inlet may be another shape, including, for example, circular, oval, squareAnd a rectangle.

Referring to FIG. 12, the first stage cyclone chamber 110 has a height in a longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 115)

The height of the first stage cyclone chamber 110 is preferably selected such that air entering the cyclone chamber via the inlet 112 is expected to rotate approximately 3 to 6 times, 3 to 5 times, 2 to 4 times or 3.5 times in the first stage cyclone chamber before exiting the cyclone chamber via the outlet 114.

In general, it can be assumed that the airflow against the side wall of the cyclone chamber remains somewhat cohesive as it progresses around the cyclone chamber, and that during each revolution within the cyclone chamber the airflow moves in the longitudinal direction towards the end of the cyclone chamber by a distance approximately equal to the height of the air inlet to the cyclone chamber. For example, in a cyclone chamber having a longitudinal height five times its longitudinal height of the air inlet, it may be expected to rotate about five times when the resulting cyclone travels from the end of the cyclone chamber having the air inlet to the opposite end of the cyclone chamber.

Therefore, to facilitate the formation of a cyclone that is expected to rotate about 3.5 times in the first stage cyclone chamber 110, the height of the first stage cyclone chamber 110

May be the height of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112

Between 3 and 4 times.

The air may exit the first stage cyclone chamber 110 via a first stage air outlet 114. Preferably, the cyclonic air outlet is located in one of the cyclone chamber end walls, and in the illustrated example, in the same end as the air inlet 112, and the air inlet 112 may be located adjacent to or at the end wall 113. In the illustrated embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the air outlet 114 is substantially circular. Preferably, the cross-sectional area or flow area of the first stage cyclonic air outlet 114 is substantially equal to the flow area of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112. In the illustrated example, the cyclonic air outlet 114 includes a vortex finder 116.

Air exiting the first stage air outlet 114 may be directed into a chamber or manifold 117. From there, the air is directed into the second cyclonic cleaning stage. The second cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a plurality of second stage cyclone chambers 120 arranged in parallel. In the illustrated embodiment, six second stage cyclone chambers are shown, referred to as 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e and 120f, respectively.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber 120 is arranged in a generally vertical, inverted cyclone orientation. Alternatively, the second stage cyclone chamber may be provided in another orientation, for example as a horizontal or inclined cyclone, and may be of any cyclone configuration.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber extends along a respective cyclone axis 125 (see, e.g., fig. 5 and 13) and between a lower end wall or base 130 and an upper end wall 150. In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber is bounded by a lower sidewall 121 and an upper sidewall extension 141.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber 120 includes a second stage cyclonic air inlet 122 and a second stage cyclonic air outlet 124. Each second stage cyclone chamber 120 also includes at least one dirt outlet 128 through which dirt and debris separated from the airflow can exit the cyclone chamber 120. Although it is preferred that most or all of the dirt entrained in the air exiting the first cyclonic cleaning stage exits the second stage cyclone chamber via the dirt outlet 128, some of the dirt may settle on the bottom end wall 130 of the cyclone chamber 120 and/or may be entrained in the air exiting the second stage cyclone chamber via the air outlet 124.

In some embodiments, all or substantially all of the dirt entrained in the air leaving the first cyclonic cleaning stage may be removed from the airflow by the second cyclonic cleaning stage. This may, for example, eliminate the need to provide a pre-motor filter in the surface cleaning apparatus 10.

In the illustrated example, each second stage cyclone dirt outlet 128 is in the form of a slot bounded by the cyclone sidewall 121 and the upper cyclone end wall 150, and is located towards the upper end of the cyclone chamber 120. Alternatively, the dirt outlet may be of any other suitable configuration and may be provided at another location in the cyclone chamber, including for example as an annular gap between the side and end walls of the cyclone chamber or a catch plate or other suitable member.

Preferably, each second stage cyclonic air inlet 122 is located towards one end (the lower end in the illustrated example) of the cyclone chamber 120 and may be located adjacent a respective cyclone chamber end wall 130. Alternatively, the cyclonic air inlet 122 may be provided at another location within the second stage cyclone chamber 120. Preferably, each air inlet 122 is positioned such that air flowing through the inlet and into the second stage cyclone chamber travels generally tangentially with respect to the sidewall 121 of the cyclone chamber 120, and preferably adjacent to the sidewall 121.

The cross-sectional shape of the air inlet 122 may be any suitable shape. In the illustrated example, each air inlet has a generally rectangular (rounded rectangle) cross-sectional shape with a height in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 125)

And width in the transverse direction

The total cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlets (i.e. the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each inlet 122 a-f) may be referred to as the total cross-sectional area or total flow area of the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

Referring to FIG. 12, each second stage cyclone chamber 120 has a height in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 125)

The height of each second stage cyclone chamber 120 is preferably selected such that air entering the cyclone chamber via the inlet 122 is expected to rotate approximately 3 to 6 times, 3 to 5 times, 2 to 4 times or 3.5 times in each second stage cyclone chamber before exiting the cyclone chamber via the outlet 124. For example, the height of the second stage cyclone chamber 120

May be the height of the second stage cyclonic air inlet 122

3 to 4 times of.

The air may exit each second stage cyclone chamber 120 via a second stage air outlet 124 provided for each cyclone chamber 120. Preferably, the cyclonic air outlets 124a-f are located in one of the end walls of each cyclone chamber 120, and in the illustrated example, in the same end as the air inlets 122 a-f. In the illustrated embodiment, the air outlets 124a-f are generally circular in cross-sectional shape. Preferably, the cross-sectional area or flow area of each second stage cyclonic air outlet 124 is substantially equal to the flow area of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112 of its respective cyclone chamber. In the illustrated example, each cyclonic air outlet 124 includes a vortex finder 126.

The height of each second stage cyclone chamber is greater than that of each first stage cyclone chamber

The following is a description of the dimensions of the second stage cyclone compared to the first stage cyclone, which may be used alone in any surface cleaning apparatus, or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features disclosed herein, including the positioning of the dirt collection area of the second stage cyclone, a dual opening latching mechanism, and the connection of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlet to the upstream chamber of the pre-motor filter.

To reduce back pressure through the cyclone assembly 100, it is preferred that the airflow velocity into the first cyclonic cleaning stage is approximately equal to the airflow velocity into the second cyclonic cleaning stage. That is, the airflow velocity through the first stage cyclonic air inlets 112 may be approximately equal to the airflow velocity through each of the second stage cyclonic air inlets 122.

To achieve relatively equal airflow velocities, the cyclone assembly 100 can be sized such that the total cross-sectional area of the air inlets of the first cyclonic cleaning stage (i.e., the cross-sectional area of the air inlet 112 in the illustrated example) is approximately equal to the total cross-sectional area of the air inlets of the second stage (i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each of the inlets 122 a-f).

However, the effective cross-sectional area of each air inlet 112, 122 may be less than the physical dimensions of the inlet due to boundary layer effects at the periphery of the inlet. For example, a boundary layer having a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.010 inches may be formed around the perimeter of each air inlet to reduce the effective cross-sectional area or flow area of the inlet. For example, for a rectangular air inlet with height H and width W, and assuming a constant boundary layer L_BThe effective cross-sectional area of the inlet can be estimated as:

Area_Effective＝(H-(2×L_B))×(W-(2×L_B))＝HW-2(HL_B+WL_B-2L_B ²)。

where the second cyclonic cleaning stage has a greater number of second stage cyclones than the first cyclonic cleaning stage, as in the illustrated example, the total effective cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlet 122 may be reduced by a greater amount than the total effective cross-sectional area of the first stage air inlet 112 (since the boundary layer thickness at the periphery of the inlet is generally not dependent on the area of the inlet). To accommodate this imbalance, the cross-sectional area of each secondary air inlet 122 is preferably increased by about 10% to 30%, more preferably by about 15%, over that required to provide an approximately equal physical inlet area for air inlet 112. This may be achieved by varying the width and/or height of the second stage air inlet and preferably at least the height of the second stage air inlet. For example, the height of the second stage air inlet may be increased by about 10% to 30%, and more preferably by about 15%.

Although the airflow velocity through the first stage cyclonic air inlets 112 is preferably about equal to the airflow velocity through each of the second stage cyclonic air inlets 122, the separation characteristics of the first and second cyclonic cleaning stages may still be different. For example, since the second stage cyclone chambers 120 each have a smaller radius than the first stage cyclone chambers 110, particles entrained in the airflow from the second stage cyclones will be subjected to a greater centrifugal force than they are subjected to in the first stage cyclones, which may promote separate entrainment of smaller particles from the airflow in the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

According to one feature, the height of each second stage cyclone chamber may be greater than the height of the first stage cyclone chamber. One example of such an arrangement is shown in fig. 4-6 and 9-13.

Since the second stage cyclone chambers 120 each have a smaller radius than the first stage cyclone chambers 110, and since the width of the air inlets of the cyclone chambers is preferably a function of the cyclone chamber diameter, each second stage cyclonic air inlet 122 preferably has a narrower width than the first stage inlet 112. For example, the airflow entering the cyclone chamber may remain more or less the same width as it travels through the cyclone chamber. Thus, the radius of the cyclone chamber may be determined based on the width of the airflow (the width of the air inlet) and the width required for the return airflow to travel to the cyclone chamber air outlet (e.g. the width of the vortex finder). Thus, the radius of the cyclone chamber may be approximately equal to the width of the cyclone chamber air inlet, the width of the wall of the vortex finder and half the diameter of the vortex finder.

In certain preferred embodiments, the width of each inlet 122a-f is such that it does not take into account the reduced flow area due to boundary layer effects

May be in the width of the inlet 112

Divided by within about +/-15% of the number of second stage cyclones. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, there are six second stage cyclone chambers 120a-f, and thus the width of each inlet 122a-f

Preferably about

As described above, the total cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlet (e.g., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each inlet 122 a-f) may be about 10% -30% greater than the total cross-sectional area of the first cyclonic cleaning stage (e.g., the cross-sectional area of air inlet 112), such that the effective flow area of the second cyclonic cleaning stage is about equal to the effective flow area of the first cyclonic cleaning stage after accounting for boundary layer effects at the air inlet.

To determine the height of each inlet 122

The radius of the second stage cyclones may first be determined based on, for example, the centrifugal force exerted on the airflow travelling therein. It can then be determined that the width of the cyclone chamber air inlet 122 is approximately equal to the radial thickness available in the cyclone chamber in which the air stream is to be rotated. Finally, the height of each inlet 122

May be determined based on the cross-sectional area required to provide a cross-sectional flow area (taking into account boundary layer losses) that is approximately equal to the cross-sectional flow area of the first stage cyclone air inlet (taking into account boundary layer losses).

In certain other preferred embodiments, the height of each second stage cyclone chamber air inlet 122

Is the height of the inlet 112

About 1.25 to 2.5 times, 1.25 to 2 times, 1.25 to 1.75 times.

As mentioned above, the height of the second stage cyclone chamber 120

Preferably the height of the second stage cyclonic air inlet 122

3 to 6 times, 3 to 5 times, 3 to 4 times ofAnd may be about 3.5 times this height, and the height of the first stage cyclone chamber 110

Preferably the height of the primary cyclonic air inlet 112

Between 3 and 6 times, 3 and 5 times, 3 and 4 times, and may be about 3.5 times the height. Thus, due to the height of each inlet 122

Preferably greater than

The height of each second stage cyclone chamber 120

Preferably greater than the height of the first stage cyclone chamber 110

It will be appreciated that some embodiments disclosed herein may not use any of the features of the second stage cyclone chambers disclosed herein, and in those embodiments, the second stage cyclone chambers may have various configurations, and in those embodiments, any second stage cyclone chamber known in the art may be used.

A dirt collection region of the second stage cyclone positioned above the first stage cyclone and covering the first stage cyclone

The following is a description of the positioning of the dirt-collection region of the second stage cyclone, which may be used alone in any surface cleaning apparatus, or may be in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features disclosed herein, including the size of the second stage cyclone compared to the first stage cyclone, a dual open latching mechanism, and the connection of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlet to the upstream chamber of the pre-motor filter.

According to one feature, at least a portion, preferably most or substantially all, of the second stage dirt collection region may be located longitudinally above and covering the first stage cyclone chamber. In such embodiments, this preferred location of the second stage dirt collection area may contribute to a more compact design of the cyclone assembly 100.

Referring to FIG. 11, the first stage dirt collection chamber 119 communicates with the dirt outlet 118 to collect dirt and debris as it exits the first stage cyclone chamber 110. Dirt collection chamber 119 can have any suitable configuration. Referring to fig. 5 and 13, in the illustrated example, the dirt collection chamber 119 is bounded by the outer sidewall 108, the first stage cyclone sidewall 111, the lower end wall 130 and the intermediate wall 140.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in use, air enters the first stage cyclone chamber 110 via the air inlet 112 and exits the chamber 110 via the air outlet 114, while separated dirt and debris exits the cyclone chamber 110 via the dirt outlet 118 where it collects in the first stage dirt collection chamber 119.

To facilitate emptying of the dirt collection chamber 119, at least one or both of the

end walls

130, 140 may be openable. Preferably, the end wall 130 is movable between a closed position (fig. 13 and 7) and an open position (fig. 8). When end wall 130 is in the open position, first stage dirt collection chamber 119 and manifold 117 can be simultaneously emptied. In addition, the second cyclone chamber is also opened, so that the second cyclone chamber can also be opened at the same time. Optionally, it will be appreciated that the second stage cyclone chamber need not be opened, for example, if the lower end of the second stage cyclone chamber cannot move with the end wall 130. Thus, the lower end walls of the dirt collection chamber 119 and/or the cyclone chamber 110 and/or the second stage cyclone chamber 120 need not be integral with one another and the dirt collection chamber 119 and/or the cyclone chamber 110 and/or the second stage cyclone chamber 120 can be opened independently or in a sub-combination, e.g., the dirt collection chamber 119 and the cyclone chamber 110 can be opened independently of the second stage cyclone chamber 120 or the dirt collection chamber 119 and the second stage cyclone chamber 120 can be opened independently of the cyclone chamber 110.

End wall 130 is preferably configured such that when it is in the closed position, upper surface 132 cooperatively engages a lower surface of one or more of

side walls

108, 111, and 121 a-f. For example, as shown in fig. 8 and 15, the upper surface 132 may have one or more channels or grooves 138 configured to receive the ends of the

side walls

108, 111, and 121a-f when the end wall 130 is in the closed position. Optionally, one or more sealing or gasket members may be disposed between the one or more grooves 138 and the sidewall ends. Alternatively, the upper surface 132 may be relatively flat and configured to abut the

sidewalls

108, 111, and 121a-f with or without gasket elements.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the illustrated example, the intermediate wall 140 serves as an upper endwall of both the dirt collection chamber 119 and the first stage cyclone chamber 110. The wall 140 is movable between a closed position (fig. 13) and an open position (fig. 5). When the intermediate wall 140 is in the open position, the first stage cyclone chamber 110, the first stage dirt collection chamber 119 and the second stage cyclone chambers 120a-f can be emptied simultaneously. Alternatively, the upper end walls of the dirt collection chamber 119 and/or the cyclone chamber 110 and/or the second stage cyclone chamber 120 need not be integral with one another, and the dirt collection chamber 119 and/or the cyclone chamber 110 and/or the second stage cyclone chamber 120 may open independently or in a sub-combination, e.g. the dirt collection chamber 119 and the cyclone chamber 110 may open independently of the second stage cyclone chamber 120, or the dirt collection chamber 119 and the second stage cyclone chamber 120 may open independently of the cyclone chamber 110.

Wall 140 is preferably configured such that when it is in the closed position, lower surface 144 cooperatively engages an upper surface of one or more of

sidewalls

108, 111, and 121 a-f. For example, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the lower surface 144 may have one or more channels or grooves 148 configured to receive the ends of the

sidewalls

108, 111, and 121a-f when the wall 140 is in the closed position. Optionally, one or more sealing or gasket members may be provided between the one or more grooves 148 and the sidewall ends. Alternatively, the lower surface 144 may be relatively flat and configured to abut the

sidewalls

108, 111, and 121a-f with or without the gasket member.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, a second stage dirt collection chamber 129 may be associated with each second stage cyclone chamber 120. As shown, each second stage dirt collection chamber 129a-f communicates with the dirt outlet 128a-f of its respective cyclone chamber 120a-f to collect dirt and debris as it exits the second stage cyclone chamber. Dirt collection chambers 129a-f can have any suitable configuration. Referring to fig. 4 and 13, in the illustrated example, each dirt collection chamber 129 is bounded by an upper sidewall extension 141, an intermediate wall 140, an upper endwall 150, and one or more internal dividing walls 145.

Alternatively, two or more second stage cyclone chambers 120 may be associated with a single second stage dirt collection chamber. Thus, for example, a single second stage dirt collection chamber may be provided. In general, the one or more secondary dirt collection chambers may be generally referred to as a secondary dirt collection area. Thus, while in the illustrated example each second stage cyclone chamber 120a-f has its own associated second stage dirt collection chamber 129a-f, this need not be the case. For example, fewer or no internal dividing walls 145 may be provided, resulting in two or more second stage dirt outlets communicating with a common second stage dirt collection chamber.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in use, air enters each second stage cyclone chamber 120a-f via an air inlet 122a-f and exits each chamber 120a-f via an air outlet 124a-f, while separated dirt and debris exits each cyclone chamber 120a-f via a dirt outlet 128a-f where it collects in a second stage dirt collection region.

To facilitate emptying of dirt collection chambers 129a-f, end wall 150 may be openable. Preferably, the end wall 150 is movable between a closed position (fig. 13 and 5) and an open position (fig. 4). When end wall 150 is in the open position, second stage dirt collection chambers 129a-f can be simultaneously emptied.

It is noted that in the illustrated configuration, when the end wall 150 is in the closed position and the intermediate wall 140 is in the open position, as shown in FIG. 5, the first stage cyclone chamber 110, the first stage dirt collection chamber 119 and the second stage cyclone chambers 120a-f can be emptied simultaneously while the second stage dirt collection chambers 129a-f remain closed.

It will be appreciated that the second stage dirt collection area can be opened regardless of the position of the upper end 104 (i.e., whether the intermediate wall 140 is open or closed).

It is to be understood that some embodiments disclosed herein may not use any of the features of the soil collection chambers disclosed herein, and in those embodiments, the soil collection chambers may have various configurations, and in those embodiments, any soil collection chamber known in the art may be used.

Cyclone assembly with openable end

The following is a description of a cyclone assembly that may be used in any surface cleaning apparatus alone, or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features disclosed herein, including the size of the second stage cyclone compared to the first stage cyclone, and the connection of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlet to the upstream chamber of the pre-motor filter.

Figures 23 to 29 illustrate another embodiment of the cyclone assembly, generally referred to as 100'. The cyclone assembly 100' can be used as an air treatment member to remove particulate matter (e.g., dirt, dust) from an airflow. Preferably, the cyclone assembly is removable from the surface cleaning apparatus. Providing a removable cyclone assembly 100 'can allow a user to transport the cyclone assembly 100' to a trash receptacle for emptying without having to carry or move the remainder of the surface cleaning apparatus 10. Preferably, the cyclone assembly is removable as a closed module, which can help prevent dirt and debris from escaping the cyclone assembly 100' during transport for emptying.

As shown in fig. 23, the cyclone assembly 100 has a lower end 102, an upper end 104 and an outer sidewall 108. Preferably, an assembly handle 106 is provided at the upper end 104. The assembly handle 106 may facilitate carrying of the cyclone assembly when the cyclone assembly is separated from the surface cleaning apparatus 10.

Referring to fig. 23 to 29, the cyclonic assembly 100 comprises a first cyclonic cleaning stage and a second cyclonic cleaning stage located downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage. The first cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a first stage cyclone chamber 110 ' extending along a cyclone axis 115 ' and comprises a side wall 111 ', which may be substantially cylindrical, extending between a lower end wall 113 ' and an upper end wall 150 '. In the illustrated embodiment, the first stage cyclone chambers 110' are arranged in a generally vertical, inverted cyclone orientation. Alternatively, the first stage cyclone chamber may be provided in another orientation, for example as a horizontal or inclined cyclone, and may be of any cyclone configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the first cyclonic cleaning stage may comprise a plurality of cyclone chambers.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first stage cyclone chamber 110 ' includes a first stage cyclonic air inlet 112 ' and a first stage cyclonic air outlet 114 '. The first stage cyclone chamber 110 ' also includes at least one dirt outlet 118 ' through which dirt and debris separated from the airflow can exit the cyclone chamber 110 '. Although it is preferred that most or all of the dirt exit the first stage cyclone chamber via dirt outlet 118 ', some of the dirt may settle on the bottom end wall 113' of the cyclone chamber 110 'and/or may be entrained in the air exiting the first stage cyclone chamber via air outlet 114'.

In the illustrated example, the first stage cyclone dirt outlet 118 'is in the form of a slot bounded by the cyclone sidewall 111' and the upper cyclone end wall 150', and is located towards the upper end of the cyclone chamber 110'. Alternatively, the dirt outlet may have any other suitable configuration, including for example as an annular gap between the side and end walls of the cyclone chamber, or a plate or other suitable member extending towards or into the open upper end of the cyclone chamber 110'.

Preferably, the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112 ' is located towards an end of the cyclone chamber 110 ' spaced from the end having the dirt outlet (the lower end in the illustrated example), and may be located adjacent a corresponding cyclone chamber end wall 113 '. Preferably, the air inlet 112 ' is positioned such that air flowing through the inlet and into the first stage cyclone chamber travels generally tangentially relative to, and preferably adjacent to, the sidewall 111 ' of the cyclone chamber 110 '.

The cross-sectional shape of the air inlet 112' may be any suitable shape. In the example shown in fig. 24, the air inlet has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape (e.g., it has rounded corners and may be referred to as a rounded rectangle). The cross-sectional area of the air inlet 112 'may be referred to as the cross-sectional area or flow area of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112'. Alternatively, instead of a rounded rectangle, the cross-sectional shape of the air inlet may be another shape, including, for example, circular, oval, square, and rectangular.

Referring to FIG. 25, the first stage cyclone chamber 110 'has a height in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 115'), i.e., the distance between the lower end wall 113 'and the upper end wall 150'. The height of the first stage cyclone chamber 110 ' is preferably selected such that air entering the cyclone chamber via the inlet 112 ' is expected to rotate approximately 3 to 6 times, 3 to 5 times, 2 to 4 times, or 3.5 times in the first stage cyclone chamber before exiting the cyclone chamber via the outlet 114 '.

In general, it can be assumed that the airflow against the side wall of the cyclone chamber remains somewhat cohesive as it progresses around the cyclone chamber, and that during each revolution within the cyclone chamber the airflow moves in the longitudinal direction towards the end of the cyclone chamber by a distance approximately equal to the height of the air inlet to the cyclone chamber. For example, in a cyclone chamber having a longitudinal height five times the longitudinal height of its air inlet, it may be expected that the resulting cyclone will rotate about five times as it travels from the end of the cyclone chamber having the air inlet to the opposite end of the cyclone chamber.

Accordingly, in order to promote the formation of a cyclone that is expected to rotate about 3.5 times in the first-stage cyclone chamber 110 ', the height of the first-stage cyclone chamber 110 ' may be between 3 and 4 times the height of the first-stage cyclone air inlet 112 '.

Air may exit the first stage cyclone chamber 110 'via the first stage air outlet 114'. Preferably, the cyclonic air outlet is located in one of the cyclone chamber end walls, and in the illustrated example, in the same end as the air inlet 112 ', and the air inlet 112 ' may be located adjacent to or at the end wall 113 '. As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the air outlet 114' may be substantially circular. Preferably, the cross-sectional area or flow area of the first stage cyclonic air outlet 114 'is substantially equal to the flow area of the first stage cyclonic air inlet 112'. In the illustrated example, the cyclonic air outlet 114 'includes a vortex finder 116'.

Air exiting the first stage air outlet 114 'may be directed into a chamber or manifold 117'. From there, the air is directed into the second cyclonic cleaning stage via one or more airflow channels. The second cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a plurality of second stage cyclone chambers 120' arranged in parallel. In the illustrated embodiment, two second stage cyclone chambers, referred to as 120a 'and 120 b', respectively, are shown.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber 120' is arranged in a generally vertical, inverted cyclone orientation. Alternatively, the second stage cyclone chamber may be provided in another orientation, for example as a horizontal or inclined cyclone, and may be of any cyclone configuration.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber extends along a respective cyclone axis 125 '(see, e.g., fig. 25) and between a lower or bottom wall 131 a', 131b 'and an upper end wall 150'. In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber is bounded by sidewalls 121a ', 121 b'.

In the illustrated embodiment, each second stage cyclone chamber 120 ' includes an airflow passageway 123 ' extending from the manifold 117 ' to the second stage cyclonic air inlet 122 ' and the second stage cyclonic air outlet 124 '. Each second stage cyclone chamber 120 ' also includes at least one dirt outlet 128 ' through which dirt and debris separated from the airflow can exit the cyclone chamber 120 '. Although it is preferred that most or all of the dirt entrained in the air exiting the first cyclonic cleaning stage exits the second stage cyclone chamber via the dirt outlet 128 ', some of the dirt may settle on the bottom end wall 131' of the cyclone chamber 120 'and/or may be entrained in the air exiting the second stage cyclone chamber via the air outlet 124'.

In the illustrated example, each second stage cyclone dirt outlet 128 'is in the form of a slot bounded by the cyclone sidewall 121' and the upper cyclone end wall 150', and is located towards the upper end of the cyclone chamber 120'. Alternatively, the dirt outlet may have any other suitable configuration, including, for example, being an annular gap between the side and end walls of the cyclone chamber, or a plate or other suitable member extending towards or into the open upper end of the cyclone chamber 120'.

Preferably, each second stage cyclonic air inlet 122 ' is located towards an end of the cyclone chamber 120 ' spaced from the end having the dirt outlet (the lower end in the illustrated example), and may be located adjacent a corresponding cyclone chamber end wall 131 '. Alternatively, the cyclonic air inlet 122 'may be provided at another location within the second stage cyclone chamber 120'. Preferably, each air inlet 122 ' is positioned such that air flowing through the inlet and into the second stage cyclone chamber travels generally tangentially relative to, and preferably adjacent to, the side wall 121 ' of the cyclone chamber 120 '.

The cross-sectional shape of the air inlet 122' may be any suitable shape. In the illustrated example, each air inlet has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape with a height in a longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 125') and a width in a transverse direction. The total cross-sectional area of the second stage air inlets (i.e. the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each inlet 122a ', 122 b') may be referred to as the total cross-sectional area or total flow area of the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 28, each second stage cyclone chamber 120 'has a height in the longitudinal direction (i.e., parallel to the cyclone axis 125'). The height of each second stage cyclone chamber 120 ' is preferably selected such that air entering the cyclone chamber via the inlet 122 ' is expected to rotate approximately 3 to 6 times, 3 to 5 times, 2 to 4 times or 3.5 times in each second stage cyclone chamber before exiting the cyclone chamber via the outlet 124 '. For example, the height of the second stage cyclone chamber 120 'may be 3 to 4 times the height of the second stage cyclonic air inlet 122'.

Air may exit each second stage cyclone chamber 120 ' via a second stage air outlet 124 ' provided for each cyclone chamber 120 '. In the illustrated example, corresponding ports 127a ', 127 b' are provided in the end wall 130 'to allow air to exit the cyclone assembly 100'. Preferably, the cyclonic air outlets 124a-b ' are located in one of the end walls of each cyclone chamber 120 ', and in the illustrated example, in the same end as the air inlets 122a-b '. As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the air outlets 124 a-b' may be generally circular. Preferably, the cross-sectional area or flow area of each second stage cyclonic air outlet 124 'is substantially equal to the flow area of the second stage cyclonic air inlet 122' of its respective cyclone chamber. In the illustrated example, each cyclonic air outlet 124 'includes a vortex finder 126'.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, the first stage dirt collection chamber 119' communicates with the dirt outlet 118 ' to collect dirt and debris as it exits the first stage cyclone chamber 110 '. The dirt collection chamber 119' can have any suitable configuration. In the illustrated example, the dirt collection chamber 119' is bounded by the outer side wall 108 ', the first stage cyclone side wall 111 ', the lower end wall 130 ' and the upper end wall 150 '.

In use, air enters the first stage cyclone chamber 110 ' via the air inlet 112 ' and exits the chamber 110 ' via the air outlet 114 ', whilst separated dirt and debris exits the cyclone chamber 110 ' via the dirt outlet 118 ', where it collects in the first stage dirt collection chamber 119 '.

To facilitate emptying of dirt collection chamber 119', at least one or both of end walls 130 ', 150' may be openable. Preferably, the end wall 130' is movable between a closed position (e.g., fig. 27) and an open position (e.g., fig. 28). When end wall 130 ' is in the open position, first stage dirt collection chamber 119' and manifold 117 ' can be simultaneously evacuated. In addition, the airflow passage 123 'from the manifold 117' to the second cyclone air inlet 122 'is also opened, so that the airflow passage 123' may also be simultaneously openable. Optionally, it will be appreciated that the airflow path to the second stage cyclone chamber need not be opened, for example, if the lower end of the airflow path 123 'is not movable with the end wall 130'.

In addition, when the end wall 130' is in the open position, in the illustrated example, the second cyclone chamber is not open. Optionally, it will be appreciated that the second stage cyclone chamber may be opened simultaneously with one or more of the first stage dirt collection chamber 119', the airflow passageway 123' and the manifold 117 ', for example if the lower end of the second stage cyclone chamber is movable with the end wall 130' (e.g. the lower end of the second stage cyclone chamber 119', the lower end of the airflow passageway 123' and the lower end of the manifold 117 'are part of the end wall 130'). Thus, the dirt collection chamber 119', the airflow passageway 123 ', the manifold 117 ' and the lower end walls of the second stage cyclone chambers 120a ', 120b ' may be integral with one another. Alternatively, the dirt collection chamber 119 'and/or cyclone chamber 110' and/or second stage cyclone chamber 120 'and/or airflow passageway 123' and/or lower end wall of the manifold 117 'need not be integral with one another, and the dirt collection chamber 119' and/or cyclone chamber 110 'and/or second stage cyclone chamber 120' and/or airflow passageway 123 'and/or manifold 117' may open independently or in a sub-combination, e.g., the dirt collection chamber 119 'may open independently of the second stage cyclone chamber 120'.

The end wall 130 ' is preferably configured such that when it is in the closed position, the upper surface 132 ' cooperatively engages the lower surface of one or more of the side walls 108 ' and 121a ', 121b '. For example, as shown in fig. 28, the upper surface 132 'may have one or more channels or grooves 138' configured to receive the ends of the side walls 108 'and 121 a', 121b 'when the end wall 130' is in the closed position. Optionally, one or more sealing or gasket members may be provided between the one or more grooves 138' and the sidewall ends. Alternatively, the upper surface 132 'may be relatively flat and configured to abut the sidewalls 108' and 121a ', 121 b' with or without collar elements.

As shown in fig. 25 and 26, a second stage dirt collection chamber 129 'may be associated with each second stage cyclone chamber 120'. As shown, each second stage dirt collection chamber 129a ', 129 b' communicates with the dirt outlet 128a ', 128 b' of its respective cyclone chamber 120a ', 120 b' to collect dirt and debris as it exits the second stage cyclone chamber. The dirt collection chambers 129a ', 129 b' can have any suitable configuration. In the illustrated example, the dirt collection chamber 129a ' is bounded by an upper portion of the sidewall 121a ', the intermediate wall 140a ', the upper end wall 150', the inner partition wall 145a ', and the sidewall 111 ' of the cyclone chamber 110 '. Additionally, in the illustrated example, dirt collection chamber 129b 'is bounded by an upper portion of sidewall 121 b', intermediate wall 140b ', upper end wall 150', internal dividing wall 145b ', and sidewall 108'.

Alternatively, two or more second stage cyclone chambers 120' may be associated with a single second stage dirt collection chamber. Thus, for example, a single second stage dirt collection chamber may be provided. In general, the one or more secondary dirt collection chambers may be generally referred to as a secondary dirt collection area. Thus, while in the illustrated example each second stage cyclone chamber 120a ', 120 b' has its own associated second stage dirt collection chamber 129a ', 120 b', this need not be the case. For example, the dirt outlet 128b ' may be positioned such that it faces the dirt collection chamber 129a ' (e.g., as shown on the opposite side of the second stage cyclone chamber 120b '), resulting in two or more second stage dirt outlets communicating with a common second stage dirt collection chamber.

In use, air enters each second stage cyclone chamber 120a ', 120 b' via the air inlet 122a ', 122 b' and exits each chamber 120a ', 120 b' via the air outlet 124a ', 124 b', whilst separated dirt and debris exits each cyclone chamber 120a ', 120 b' via the dirt outlet 128a ', 128 b', where it collects in the second stage dirt collection region.

It will be appreciated that the lower wall of one or more of the second stage dirt collection chambers 129a ', 120b ' may move with the end wall 130 ' and may be integrally formed with the end wall 130 ' such that the second stage dirt collection chamber may be opened with one or more of the dirt collection chamber 119', cyclone chamber 110 ', second stage cyclone chamber 120 ' and airflow channel 123 ' and/or manifold 117 '.

Referring to fig. 25, in the illustrated example, the upper end wall 150' serves as an upper end wall for each of the dirt collection chamber 119', the first stage cyclone chamber 110 ', the second stage cyclones 120a ', 120b ' and the second stage dirt collection chambers 129a ', 129b '. The wall 150' is movable between a closed position (e.g., fig. 23) and an open position (e.g., fig. 25). When the upper end wall 150' is in the open position, the first stage cyclone chambers 110 ', first stage dirt collection chambers 119', second stage cyclone chambers 120a ', 120b ' and second stage dirt collection chambers 129a ', 129b ' can be emptied simultaneously.

The wall 150 'is preferably configured such that when it is in the closed position, the lower surface 154' cooperatively engages the upper surface of one or more of the side walls 108 ', 111' and 121a ', 121 b'. For example, as shown in fig. 25, the lower surface 154 ' may have one or more channels or grooves 158 ' configured to receive the ends of the side walls 108 ', 111 ' and 121a ', 121b ' when the wall 150' is in the closed position. Optionally, one or more sealing or gasket members may be provided between the one or more grooves 158' and the sidewall ends. Alternatively, the lower surface 154 ' may be relatively flat and configured to abut the sidewalls 108 ', 111 ' and 121a ', 121b ' with or without collar elements.

As discussed previously, in the illustrated example, the dirt collection chamber 129a ' is bounded by the upper portion of the sidewall 121a ', the intermediate wall 140a ', the upper end wall 150', the inner partition wall 145a ', and the sidewall 111 ' of the cyclone chamber 110 ', and the dirt collection chamber 129b ' is bounded by the upper portion of the sidewall 121b ', the intermediate wall 140b ', the upper end wall 150', the inner partition wall 145b ', and the sidewall 108 '. Alternatively, one or both of the intermediate walls 140a ', 140 b' may not be provided. For example, if the intermediate wall 140a 'is not provided, the dirt collection chamber 129 a' may be defined by the side wall 121a ', the upper end wall 150', the inner partition wall 145a ', the side wall 111' and the lower end wall 130 'of the cyclone chamber 110'. Similarly, if intermediate wall 140b ' is not provided, dirt collection chamber 129b ' can be bounded by side wall 121b ', upper end wall 150', inner partition wall 145b ', side wall 108 ', and lower end wall 130 '.

An advantage of a configuration in which one or both of the intermediate walls 140a ', 140b ' are not provided is that when the end wall 130 ' is in the open position, one or both of the second stage dirt collection chambers 129a ', 129b ' can be emptied simultaneously with the first stage dirt collection chamber 119', manifold 117 ' and/or the airflow passage 123 ' from the manifold 117 ' to the second cyclone air inlets 122a ', 122b '. Alternatively, instead of providing intermediate walls 140a ', 140b ', one or more holes, slots or other apertures may be provided in one or both of intermediate walls 140a ', 140b ' to allow some or all of the dirt collected in dirt collection chambers 129a ', 129b ' to be evacuated when end wall 130 ' is in the open position.

Locking mechanism

The following is a description of a dual-opening latching mechanism that may be used in any surface cleaning apparatus alone, or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features disclosed herein, including the size of the second stage cyclone compared to the first stage cyclone, the positioning of the dirt collection area of the second stage cyclone, and the connection of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlet to the upstream chamber of the pre-motor filter.

According to this feature, a latching mechanism having a multi-position switch or release mechanism may be provided to selectively retain the intermediate wall 140 and/or the upper endwall 150 in their respective closed positions. An advantage of this design is that it prevents a user from inadvertently opening both the middle wall 140 and the upper end wall 150 at the same time.

As shown in fig. 16-22, a latching mechanism, generally referred to as 200, is provided between the intermediate wall 140 and the upper end wall 150. Latching mechanism 200 includes an upper latch for selectively retaining upper end wall 150 in its closed position and a lower latch for selectively retaining middle end wall 140 in its closed position. A release switch 260 is provided for selectively disengaging the upper or lower latches.

The release switch 260 is an actuator that is movable in two different directions (e.g., left and right). When the actuator is moved in the first direction, the first locking member is moved to the unlocked position while the second locking member remains in the locked position. When the actuator is moved in a second direction, which may be the opposite direction to the first direction, the second locking member is moved to the unlocked position while the first locking member remains in the locked position. It should be understood that the first and second locking members may be separate elements, or they may be opposite ends of a single link.

As shown in fig. 17, 19 and 22, the upper latch includes a generally U-shaped latching lever 220 pivotally coupled to the shaft 210. The axis 210 is parallel to both the intermediate wall 140 and the upper end wall 150. The upper end of the latch lever 220 has a downwardly facing surface 224 configured to engage a lip or flange 225 extending from the upper end wall 150 to cooperatively retain the end wall 150 in its closed position. When the latch lever 220 is in the locked position (as shown in fig. 17 and 22) and the upper end wall 150 is in its closed position, the downwardly facing surface 224 covers the ledge 225, thereby holding the upper end wall 150 in its closed position. Preferably, the latching lever 220 is biased toward its locked position, for example, using a spring or one or more other biasing members (not shown).

The upper end of the latching lever 220 also has an upwardly facing angled or ramped surface 222 configured to pivot the latching lever 220 away from the locked position when engaged by the angled or ramped surface 223 of the flange 225, thereby allowing the latch to be engaged by bringing the end wall 150 to its closed position.

The latch lever 220 also has a generally forwardly extending flange or projection 226. As shown in fig. 17, the projections 226 are angled or slanted such that one lateral end of the projection 226 extends further forward than the opposite lateral end.

As shown in fig. 19, 21 and 22, the lower latch includes a latching lever 240 that is also pivotally coupled to the shaft 210. The lower end of latch rod 240 has an upwardly facing surface 244 configured to engage a lip or flange 245 extending from outer side wall 108 to cooperatively retain intermediate wall 140 in its closed position. When latching lever 240 is in the locked position (as shown in fig. 19 and 21) and intermediate wall 140 is in its closed position, upwardly facing surface 244 overlies ledge 245, thereby retaining intermediate wall 140 in its closed position. Preferably, the latching lever 240 is biased toward its locked position, for example, using a spring or one or more other biasing members (not shown).

The lower end of the latching lever 240 also has a downwardly facing angled or ramped surface 242 that is configured to pivot the latching lever 240 away from its locked position when engaged by the angled or ramped surface 243 of the flange 245, thereby allowing the lower latch to be engaged by bringing the intermediate wall 140 to its closed position.

The latch lever 240 also has a generally forwardly extending flange or projection 246. As shown in fig. 17 and 21, the projections 246 are angled or slanted such that one lateral end of the projection 246 extends further forward than the opposite lateral end. Notably, the

projections

246 and 226 are angled in opposite directions. This arrangement facilitates the selective opening of either the upper or lower latches using a single multi-position switch or release mechanism.

As shown in fig. 16, the release switch 260 of the latching mechanism 200 is rotatably or pivotally coupled to the shaft 270. The axis 270 is generally perpendicular to both the intermediate wall 140 and the upper end wall 150. The release switch 260 also includes an outwardly facing projection or tab 262 to facilitate rotation of the switch 260 about an axis 270 by a user. The release switch 260 also includes an inwardly facing ledge or projection 264 that is configured to engage the

projections

226, 246 of the upper and lower latch levers 220, 240, respectively.

As shown in fig. 16, 17 and 21, the release switch 260 is shown in an intermediate position. In this position, the inward facing projection 264 is not in contact with either projection 226 or projection 246. When the release switch 260 is pivoted toward the position shown in fig. 18, the projection 264 abuts the projection 226 of the upper latch mechanism. Further pivoting of the release switch 260 forces the upper latching lever 220 out of its latched position, thereby opening the upper latch (as shown in fig. 19) and allowing the upper end wall 150 to move to the open position.

Alternatively, if the release switch 260 is pivoted toward the position shown in fig. 20, the projection 264 abuts the projection 246 of the lower latch mechanism. Further pivoting of the release switch 260 forces the lower latching lever 240 out of its latched position, thereby opening the lower latch (as shown in fig. 22) and allowing the intermediate wall 140 to move to the open position.

It should be understood that some embodiments disclosed herein may not use any feature of the latching mechanisms disclosed herein, and in those embodiments, the mechanism for holding the intermediate and upper walls in their closed position may have various configurations, and in those embodiments, any latching or holding mechanism known in the art may be used.

Air outlets from second stage cyclones provided in the wall of a common manifold (which may be a motor front filter chamber)

The following is a description of the connection of the second stage cyclone chamber air outlet to the upstream chamber of the pre-motor filter for the second cyclonic cleaning, which may be used in any surface cleaning apparatus alone, or in any combination or sub-combination with any other feature or features disclosed herein, including the size of the second stage cyclone compared to the first stage cyclone, the positioning of the dirt collection area of the second stage cyclone, and a dual open latching mechanism.

According to this feature, the air outlets of the plurality of cyclone chambers connected in parallel may be directly connected to an upstream motor pre-filter chamber or manifold. Thus, some or all of the air outlets may extend to openings provided in the manifold. Thus, no manifold for air outlet is provided, which is located upstream of the pre-motor filter chamber.

Optionally, an upstream pre-motor filter chamber or manifold may be positioned in facing relationship with the air outlets of a plurality of cyclone chambers connected in parallel. Thus, the upstream face of the pre-motor filter may be located substantially transverse to the axis of the cyclonic air outlet, and the axis of the cyclonic air outlet may be substantially parallel to their cyclones as air outlets. Thus, for example, the manifold may be positioned below the secondary cyclonic cleaning stages, and each of the secondary cyclonic air outlets may have an outlet end in a wall of the chamber or manifold. An advantage of such a design is that fewer duct walls and/or ducting may be required to direct the airflow from the second cyclonic cleaning stage towards the suction unit, which may simplify the design and/or construction of the cyclonic assembly and/or the surface cleaning apparatus and/or may reduce the back pressure through the surface cleaning apparatus.

As shown in fig. 9-11, air exiting the second stage air outlets 124a-f is directed into a chamber or header or manifold 27 defined by the lower surface 134 of the lower end wall 130 of the cyclone assembly 100 and the upper end of the suction unit 20. From there, the air is guided by the suction motor through the suction unit 20 and subsequently discharged through the clean air outlet 18.

In alternative embodiments, the cyclone assembly 100 may include one or more additional manifolds located downstream of the second stage air outlets 124a-f, such that the cyclone assembly 100 has a single assembly air outlet or fewer air outlets than the second stage cyclone chambers.

As shown, the chamber or header or manifold is a pre-motor filter chamber that houses a pre-motor filter. In this configuration, the motor pre-filter chamber may be opened when the cyclone bin assembly is removed. For example, the cyclone bin assembly may form a portion of the motor pre-filter chamber (e.g., an upstream wall of the motor pre-filter chamber). One advantage of this design is that when the cyclone bin assembly is removed, the motor front filter chamber is opened. Thus, when a user removes the cyclone bin assembly (e.g., to empty one or more dirt collection chambers), the user may also check the condition of the pre-motor filter. The pre-motor filter may be any suitable type of porous filter media, such as a foam filter and/or a felt filter, or any other suitable one or more pre-motor porous filter media known in the art. Preferably, the pre-motor filter is removable to allow a user to clean and/or replace the filter when it becomes dirty.

Typically, a pre-motor filter is provided to prevent particulate matter not removed from the airflow by the cyclonic cleaning stage from being drawn into the suction motor. Such unremoved particulate matter may otherwise cause damage (or otherwise compromise) to the suction motor.

While the use of a pre-motor filter may effectively protect the suction motor, one or more disadvantages may exist. For example, pre-motor filters may become clogged with particulate matter, requiring the user to clean and/or replace the filter, which the user may consider to be an undesirable task.

As used herein, the term "and/or" is intended to mean an inclusive or. That is, "X and/or Y" is intended to mean, for example, X or Y or both. As another example, "X, Y and/or Z" is intended to mean X or Y or Z or any combination thereof.

While the foregoing specification describes features of exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments may be susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. For example, various features described with the aid of the embodiments or examples represented may be selectively combined with one another. Accordingly, what has been described above is intended to be illustrative of the concepts protected by the claims and is not limiting. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments and examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a lower end that can be opened;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber, a first stage longitudinal cyclone axis and an upper end;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of inverted second stage cyclones connected in parallel, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber, a second stage longitudinal cyclone axis and a cyclonic air inlet; and the combination of (a) and (b),

(d) an airflow passage extending from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the cyclonic air inlet of the second cyclonic cleaning stage in a direction transverse to the longitudinal cyclonic axis of the first stage,

wherein the lower end is movable between a closed position and an open position in which the airflow passage is open, an

Wherein the second cyclonic cleaning stage comprises at least one second stage dirt collection area located outside the second stage cyclone chamber and which opens when the lower end is moved to the open position; and emptying the separated dirt from the at least one second stage dirt collection area when the at least one second stage dirt collection area is open.

2. The cyclone assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower end comprises a single pivotably openable panel.

3. The cyclone assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower end includes at least one outlet port for the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

4. The cyclone assembly of claim 1, further comprising an upper end movable between a closed position and an open position in which the first and second cyclone chambers are open.

5. The cyclone assembly of claim 4, further comprising a first stage dirt collection area external to the first stage cyclone chamber and which opens when the upper end is moved to the open position.

6. The cyclone assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one secondary dirt collection area is open when the upper end is moved to the open position.

7. A cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an openable upper end and an openable lower end;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having a first stage cyclone chamber with an upper end wall, a first stage longitudinal cyclone axis and a dirt outlet at the upper end communicating with a first stage dirt collection area outside the first stage cyclone chamber;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of inverted second stage cyclones connected in parallel, the second stage cyclones being disposed radially outwardly of a first stage cyclone chamber, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having a second stage cyclone chamber with an upper end closed by an upper end wall, a second stage longitudinal cyclone axis and a dirt outlet at the upper end, wherein the dirt outlet of the second stage cyclone chamber communicates with at least one second stage dirt collection area outside the second stage cyclone chamber, wherein the upper end of each of the second stage cyclone chambers has a cross-sectional area in a direction transverse to the second stage longitudinal cyclone axis,

wherein an upper end wall of the first stage cyclone chamber and an upper end wall of each of the second stage cyclone chambers are movable between a closed position and an open position in which the cross-sectional areas of the first stage cyclone chambers and all of the second stage cyclone chambers are open, and

wherein the lower end is movable between a closed position and an open position in which the first stage dirt collection area and the at least one second stage dirt collection area are open; and emptying the separated dirt from the at least one second stage dirt collection area when the at least one second stage dirt collection area is open.

8. The cyclone assembly of claim 7, wherein the secondary dirt collection area comprises a plurality of secondary dirt collection areas and the plurality of secondary dirt collection areas are open when the lower end is open.

9. The cyclone assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one second stage dirt collection area is open when the upper end is open.

10. The cyclone assembly of claim 9, wherein the secondary dirt collection area comprises a plurality of secondary dirt collection areas and the plurality of secondary dirt collection areas are open when the upper end is open.

11. The cyclone assembly of claim 9, further comprising an airflow passage from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the second cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein at least a portion of the airflow passage is open when the lower end is open.

12. The cyclone assembly of claim 9, wherein the lower end includes at least one outlet port for the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

13. A cyclone assembly for a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an openable upper end and an openable lower end;

(b) a first cyclonic cleaning stage comprising at least one first stage inverted cyclone having an air inlet and an air outlet at a lower end of a first stage cyclone chamber and a first stage dirt outlet provided in an upper portion of a first stage cyclone sidewall of the first stage cyclone chamber, the first stage dirt outlet communicating with a first stage dirt collection area outside the first stage cyclone chamber, wherein when the upper end is in a closed position, the upper end abuts an upper end of the first stage cyclone sidewall;

(c) a second cyclonic cleaning stage downstream of the first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprising a plurality of inverted second stage cyclones connected in parallel, each of the plurality of second stage cyclones having an upper end comprising an upper end wall, a cyclone chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet at its lower end and a second stage dirt outlet provided in an upper portion of a second stage cyclone side wall of the second stage cyclone chamber, wherein the second stage dirt outlet communicates with at least one second stage dirt collection area outside the second stage cyclone chamber, wherein the upper end abuts the upper end of the second stage cyclone side wall when the upper end is in a closed position, the second stage dirt outlet of each second stage cyclone comprising a slot bounded by the second stage cyclone side wall and the upper end wall,

wherein the first stage cyclone chamber is open when the openable upper end is in an open position; the upper end of the secondary cyclone chamber is open and the secondary dirt collection region is open, an

Wherein the second stage comprises a second stage dirt collection area that opens when the lower end is open; and when the secondary dirt collection area is open, the separated dirt is evacuated from the secondary dirt collection area.

14. The cyclone assembly of claim 13, wherein the secondary dirt collection area comprises a plurality of secondary dirt collection areas and the plurality of secondary dirt collection areas are open when the lower end is open.

15. The cyclone assembly of claim 14, wherein the lower end includes at least one outlet port for the second cyclonic cleaning stage.

16. The cyclone assembly of claim 13, further comprising an airflow passage from the first cyclonic cleaning stage to the second cyclonic cleaning stage, wherein at least a portion of the airflow passage is open when the lower end is open.

17. The cyclone assembly of claim 13, wherein the lower end includes at least one outlet port for the second cyclonic cleaning stage.