EP0024636B1 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents
Vacuum cleaner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0024636B1 EP0024636B1 EP19800104787 EP80104787A EP0024636B1 EP 0024636 B1 EP0024636 B1 EP 0024636B1 EP 19800104787 EP19800104787 EP 19800104787 EP 80104787 A EP80104787 A EP 80104787A EP 0024636 B1 EP0024636 B1 EP 0024636B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- dust
- filter
- fine
- case
- fine filter
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/12—Dry filters
- A47L9/122—Dry filters flat
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/14—Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
- A47L9/1427—Means for mounting or attaching bags or filtering receptacles in suction cleaners; Adapters
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/10—Filters; Dust separators; Dust removal; Automatic exchange of filters
- A47L9/14—Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
- A47L9/1427—Means for mounting or attaching bags or filtering receptacles in suction cleaners; Adapters
- A47L9/1436—Connecting plates, e.g. collars, end closures
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
- A47L9/20—Means for cleaning filters
Definitions
- This invention relates to an improvement in a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust collecting bag, made of such material as paper, which is to be disposed of together with dust contained in it.
- This kind of vacuum cleaner has the advantage of easy disposal of dust while it also has the disadvantage of having a very low dust collecting ratio; i.e., the ratio of the actual volume of dust collected to the effective volume of bag is 1/2 to 1/3. This is because the meshes of the dust collecting bag become clogged with dust losing its porosity before the bag is filled with dust.
- the bag is rubbed on its outer surface with a dust remover made of wire, it will be torn because the outer surface of the bag is uneven and complex in shape.
- a vacuum cleaner comprising a dust case having an air-intake opening, a body case connected to said dust case having a fan and an air-exhaust opening, a first net filter member for filtering large dust particles, detachably arranged in said dust case, a fine second filter member arranged downstream of said first filter member in said dust case and a dust removing member arranged in said dust case for removing dust caught on said second filter member. If said first filter member is clogged by dust particles there is no possibility of sanitarily replacing said first filter member.
- the object of this invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having easy and sanitary disposal of dust together with a high dust collecting ratio.
- the vacuum cleaner of this invention comprising a dust case having an air-intake opening, a body case connected to said dust case having a motor driven fan and an air-exhaust opening, a first filter member detachably arranged in said dust case, and a fine second filter member arranged downstream of said first filter member in said dust case, is characterized in that the first filter member is a fine filter member which is a thin, flexible, porous paper bag being disposable with dust contained therein, that a space is provided betwen said first fine and second fine filter members, and that a filter sustaining member is arranged in the dust case so as to have a part in said space that sustains said first fine filter member by contacting the downstream outer surface of the fine filter member. Additional features are characterized in the dependent claims.
- the porosity or the suction performance of the bag-shaped fine filter can easily be recovered by vibrating the filter sustaining member because when the filter sustaining member is vibrated, the bag-shaped fine filter is also vibrated thereby shaking the dust off the fine meshes of the filter.
- the bag-shaped fine filter is free from any breakage which would occur if it were rubbed on its outer surface with the dust removing member.
- This vacuum cleaner comprises a body case 100 and a dust case 200.
- the body case 100 and the dust case 200 are detachably connected as shown in Figure 1. This connection is accomplished, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by first inserting the projection 202 at the lower portion of the dust case 200 into the groove 101 at the lower portion of the body case 100 and then inserting the rear portion of the base plate 206 for the handle 204 provided at the upper portion of the dust case 200 into the recess 103 formed at the upper portion of the body case 100 to cause the claw 107 of the clamp 105 at the upper portion of the body case 100 to engage with the base plate 206.
- the body case 100 incorporates a motor- driven fan 109 and a cord winding device 111.
- the body case 100 is split longitudinally at the center into a left-hand side portion 113 and a right-hand side portion 115, both being fitted together by screws not shown.
- the left- and right-hand portions 113, 115 have an air inlet port 119 formed on the front wall 117 and an exhaust port 123 on the rear wall 121.
- the fan container chamber 125 at the center of the body case 100 is separated by a partition plate 129 from the cord winding device container chamber 127 located under it.
- On the upper side of the fan container chamber 125 is provided a spare filter storage chamber 131 for storing the spare of the first fine dust collecting filter 300.
- the spare filter storage chamber 131 and the fan container chamber 125 are also separated by a partition plate 133.
- partition plates 129, 133 extend perpendicular to the longitudinal, vertical dividing surface at the center of the body care and spread through the interior space of the left-and right-hand side portions 113, 115.
- the spare filter storage chamber 131 is open to the outside of the body case through an opening formed on the external wall of the right-hand side portion 115. Through this opening the spare of the first fine filter 300 is placed into or taken out of the spare filter storage chamber 131. Normally, this opening is closed by a detachable cover 137 which has a recess 139 to receive fingers for its removal and an engagement claw 141 for holding it to the opening.
- the spare filter storage chamber 131 gives the upper portion of the body case 100 a double-ceilinged construction, the noise produced by the electric fan 109 can be reduced. Because the body case 100 is split longitudinally at the center into halves, the complex construction of the body case including the spare filter storage chamber 131, the fan container chamber 125 and the cord winding device container chamber 127 can easily be formed through molding. If the body case 100 is to be molded as one piece, it would require a complex molding pattern and make the molding process complicated.
- a dust indicator 143 is located immediately below the opening on the right-hand side body portion 115. It is connected to the negative pressure port 145 and held in position by the cover 147. The cover 147 is secured by the screw 149 threaded from the inside of the right-hand side body portion 115.
- the negative pressure port 145 opens to the outside in the same direction as the opening of the spare filter storage chamber 131 so that the molded product may easily be separated from the pattern.
- the cord winding device 111 has a cord reel 1 53 to wind the cord 151.
- the cord reel 153 has teeth 155 formed on the outer periphery which are in mesh with an intermediate gear 157 rotatably supported on the front wall 117 of the body case 100.
- This intermediate gear 157 is fitted with a driving coupling 159 which is exposed to the outside of the front wall 117 and is connected to the dust remover of the filter unit provided in the dust case 200.
- the filter unit will be detailed later on.
- the dust case 200 As shown in Figure 1, 2 and 4, the dust case 200 is hollow.
- an opening Through the front side of the dust case 200 is formed an opening through which the first fine filter 300 is placed into or taken out of the case 200. Fitted to the opening is a filter support plate 210 which is rotatably supported on the shaft 212 mounted at the lower portion of the opening so that the support plate 210 can be rotated forwardly about the shaft 212.
- the height of the filter support plate 210 is about half that of the opening for the first fine filter. Thus, when the filter support plate 210 is placed into position, the lower half of the opening is covered by the plate.
- the filter support plate 210 has a recess 214 formed on its front surface which leads to the upper end of the plate 210.
- the upper portion of the recess 214 is expanded stepwise on each side to form a receiver portion 216 or which the lower corners of a plate 303 for the first fine filter 300 rest.
- the opening for the first fine filter 300 also has a recess 218 formed stepwise on the upper portion thereof to receive a portion of the filter 300. The functions of these recesses will be explained later.
- the dust case covers 220 is rotatably supported on the shaft 222 located at the lower portion of the dust case 200 so that it can open or close the opening for the first fine filter from the external side of the filter support plate 210.
- the dust case cover 220 has a clamp 226 and a connector hole 224 into which a suction hose not shown is inserted.
- the clamp 226 has a claw 228 which engages with the engagement portion 230 provided to the dust case 200.
- the front opening of the dust case 200 for the first fine filter can be closed by the dust case cover 220 by engaging the claw 228 of the clamp 226 with the engagement portion 230.
- the detailed construction of the interior of the dust case cover 220 will be described later.
- the rear side of the dust case 200 can be brought into and out of engagement with the front side of the body case 100.
- the dust case 200 has an opening on its rear side through which the filter unit 400 to be detailed later can be placed into or taken out of the dust case 200.
- the dust case 200 has a plurality of ribs 234 on the inner surface to sustain the first fine filter 300. These ribs 234 extend forwardly from the interior surface of the dust case near the rear opening to the front opening, from which the first fine filter is to be taken out.
- guide ribs 236 Extending parallel to and between these ribs 234 are guide ribs 236 which are formed near the front opening of the dust case 200 to guide the first fine filter when drawn out. These guide ribs 236 are inclined upwardly toward the front opening.
- the dust case 200 has a ceiling plate 238 in the upper interior, above which is formed a room 240 for receiving the base plate 206 of the handle 204.
- the handle 204 consists of longitudinally split portions 242, 244 fastened together by screws 246.
- the screw seat 248 for the handle 204 is fitted into the receiver portion 250 of the handle portions 242, 244 during the process of assemblying the handle portions 242, 244.
- the handle 204 After being inserted into the room 240, the handle 204 is secured to the dust case 200 by a screw 252 which is threaded from inside the dust case 200 into the screw seat 248 through the ceiling plate 238.
- the screw seat 248 is located at the central portion of the handle 204, i.e., at the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner so that the receiver portion 250 will not be subjected to an excess load when the vacuum cleaner is carried.
- the first fine filter 300 consists of a bag 301 made of thin, flexible, porous paper and a support plate 303 made of hard paper such as cardboard.
- the bag 301 is bonded to the support plate 303 with adhesive agent.
- the support plate 303 is comprised of a dust suction port 305 and a cover portion 307 for covering the port 305.
- the cover portion 307 can easily be bent along the perforated line 309 which is formed on the support plate 303 to facilitate the bending of the cover portion 307.
- the cover portion 307 has two lines 311 cut into the free end to form an engagement piece 313 which can be bent relatively easily.
- This support plate 303 can easily be formed by punching a sheet of plate material.
- the dust suction port 305 can be closed by bending the cover portion 307 until it contacts the support plate 303. To retain the cover portion 307 in the bent position, the engagement piece 313 is slightly bent to engage with the inner edge of the dust suction port 305.
- the bag 301 and the cover portion 307 of the first fine filter 300 are folded to be compact as shown in Figure 3. Since the filter 300 is small and compact, it does not require a large space for storage and can be easily placed into or taken out of the filter storage chamber 131.
- the process of placing the filter 300 into position consists of opening the cover portion 307 of the filter 300, engaging the cover portion 307 with the recess 214 of the filter support plate 210, inserting the bag 301 into the dust case 200, and then engaging the upper and lower portions of the support plate 303 with the recesses 216, 218. With the dust case cover 220 closed, the vacuum cleaner is now operable.
- the assemblying of the first time filter 300 can easily be done by engaging the support plate 303 with the recesses 216, 218.
- an inner cover plate 315 is fitted to the inner side of the dust case cover 220. It is secured to the dust case cover 220 by means of screws 319 threaded into the screw seat 317.
- the inner cover plate 315 is provided at its upper portion with a deflecting suction port 321 whose delivery port is directed downward.
- the deflecting suction port 321 has a vent 327 at the bent portion of the guide 325.
- the deflecting suction port 321 is connected throught he seal packing 329 to the internal end of the hose connector 224.
- the seal packing 329 is formed integral with a back-flow preventing valve 331 made of elastic material such as rubber or flexible vinyl chloride.
- the back-flow preventing valve 331 moves about the connecting portion with the seal packing 329.
- the back-flow preventing valve 331 is provided inside the deflecting suction port 321 so that it is automatically opened by the action of the air stream passing through the hose connector 224 and closed when there is no air stream.
- the functions of the deflecting suction port 321, the vent 327 and the back-flow preventing valve 331 will be detailed later.
- the inner cover plate 315 has around its periphery a seal packing 333, which has an annular tongue 335 formed on its inner surface.
- the tongue 335 when the dust case cover 220 is closed, is pressed against the circumference of the front opening of the dust case 200 to seal the gap between the dust case 200 and the dust case cover 220.
- the deflecting suction port 321 is provided around its base portion with a seal packing 337 which has a projection 339. By inserting the projection 339 into a hole of the inner cover plate 315, the seal packing 337 can be secured to the inner cover plate 315.
- the seal packing 337 for the suction port 321 has a connecting portion 341 through which it is formed integral with the seal packing 333 for the cover. When the dust case cover 220 is closed, the seal packing 337 presses against the support plate 303 thereby sealing the gap between the inner cover plate 315 and the support plate 303. With the dust case cover 220 closed, the deflecting suction port 321 projects, through the dust suction port 305 of the support plate 303, into the bag 301.
- the filter unit 400 consists mainly of a coarse filter frame 402, a second fine filter frame 404, a filter support base plate 406 and a seal packing 408.
- the frame 402 has a flat coarse filter 410 on the front and auxiliary coarse filters 412 on each side and the top.
- These filiters 410, 412 are formed of a net of nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene and the size of the mesh is sufficiently larger than that of the first fine filter 300. That is, the first fine filter 300 is capable of catching the fine dust such as sand while these filters 410, 412 cannot arrest them.
- the second fine filter frame 404 has a wave-shaped second fine filter 414 made of nonwoven fabric.
- the mesh of the second fine filter 414 is almost the same in size as the first fine filter 300.
- the second fine filter 414 is arranged downstream of the first fine filter 300 so that dusts that have passed through the first fine filter 300 may be caught by the second fine filter 414, thus preventing the fine dust from being blown out from the exhaust port 123 of the body case 100.
- the filter support base plate 406 rotatably supports a dust removing gear 416 located at its front and a dust removing handle 418 at the back.
- a dust remover 420 of elastic material, the gear 416 and the handle 418 can be held together and mounted to the filter support base plate 406 by fixing the dust remover 420 to the front side of the gear 416 by means of the screw 422 and by threading the screw into the handle 418.
- the assemblying of the filter unit 400 consists of putting together the rear side of the second fine filter frame 404 and the front side of the filter support base plate 406, fitting the seal packing 408 around the frame 404 and the plate 406 thus holding them together, and fitting the coarse filter frame 402 to the frame and plate assembly from the side of the second fine filter 414.
- the front end of the dust remover 420 is in contact with the back of the folded second fine filter 414, so that when the handle 418 is rotated the dust remover 420 hits or snaps the crests of the wave-shaped filter 414. This vibrates the filter 414 shaking off the dust.
- the coarse filter frame 402 has a hammer- vibration type dust removing device inside it. As shown in Figures 1, 6, 11 and 12, a support boss 426 is provided to the back of the nonporous portion 424 near the center of the coarse filter 410. A hammer rod 428 formed of spring material is secured at one end to the boss 426 by a seat plate 432 and a screw 430 threaded into the boss 426.
- a projection 434 to be hit by the opposite free end of the hammer rod 428 is attached to the back of the coarse filter 410.
- a vibration transmitter 436 extends, like a fork, from the base of the projection 434 to the right and the left on the surface of the coarse filter 410.
- the coarse filter 410 When the projection 434 is struck by the hammer rod 428, the coarse filter 410 will vibrate. The vibration is conveyed through the fork-like vibration transmitter member 436 over the entire filter 410.
- the coarse filter 410 is vibrated like a seesaw with the projection 434 working as a fulcrum.
- the vibration of the coarse filter 410 causes the first fine filter 300 in contact with it to vibrate, shaking the dust off the inner surface of the filter 300.
- the second fine filter frame 404 is provided at its upper portion with a bearing 438 on which a cam member 442 is rotatably supported through a seal packing 440. Installed to the back of the bearing are an idler gear 444, a clutch ring 446, a spring 448 and a connecting cylinder 450, all these being secured together by a screw 452 that is screwed into the cam member 442.
- Rotation of the cam member 442 is accomplished by rotating the idler gear 444, but it is rotated in one direction only because of the clutch ring 446.
- the cam member 442 is arranged so that it will engage with the free end of the hammer rod 428; the idler gear 444 is in mesh with the dust removing gear 416. Hence, turning the handle 418 rotates the gear 416 which in turn revolves the cam member 442, flipping the free end of the hammer rod 428. This hammer rod 428 in turn hits the projection 434.
- the filter support base plate 406 has a bearing 454 which, through the spring 456, rotatably supports a driven coupling 458 which is secured to the bearing by the screw 462 threaded through the seat plate 460 into the bearing 454.
- the driven coupling 458 has teeth formed around its periphery which is in mesh with the dust removing gear 416.
- the cam member 442 is rotated in only one direction when the cord 151 is pulled from the cord reel 153 but not when wound up on the reel 153. This contributes to making small the rewinding coil spring in the cord winding device 111 which is used to rotate the cord reel 153.
- the bag 301 of the first fine filter 300 is in folded condition when assembled into the dust case 200. But as the air flows into the bag 301, it becomes inflated by the air pressure until it contacts the filter retaining ribs 234.
- the bag 301 is surrounded by the coarse filter 410 and the filter retaining ribs 234, the bag 301 is maintained highly porous because the coarse filter 410 has sufficient porosity and there is sufficient spacing between the ribs 234.
- the dust is first caught by the bag 301 at the area facing the coarse filter 410. As this area of the bag 301 becomes clogged, most of the air passes through the other area of the bag that faces the filter retaining ribs 234 and then flows past the coarse filters 412 at the sides and the top of the frame 402 and into the second fine filter 414.
- the dust collecting process of the bag 301 of the first fine filter 300 proceeds in this way.
- the dust can be shaken off these filters either by rotating the cord reel 153 of the cord winding device 111 or turning the handle 418 to actuate the dust remover 422 and the hammer rod 428.
- the hammer rod 428 applies vibration to the coarse filter 410, not directly to the bag, no damage will be done to the bag.
- the bag 301 is made of relatively weak material such as paper, so rubbing the outer surface of the bag 301 with something like the dust remover 420 will cause damage to it. But in this device, the vibration is imparted to the bag through the coarse filter 410 so that no excess force will be applied to it.
- the coarse filter 410 when the projection 434 is hit by the hammer rod, is vibrated like a seesaw with the projection 434 as a fulcrum. This seesaw movement gives shaking motion to the bag 301 so that the dust is effectively removed from the inner surface of the bag 301.
- the dust can effectively be caught in the first fine filter 300 until the bag is filled with dust.
- the first fine filter 300 is taken out of the dust case 200 to replace it with a new one.
- the first fine filter 300 is replaced in the following manner. As shown in Figure 10, the dust case cover 220 is opened by operating the clamp 226 and then the dust suction hole 305 is closed by the cover 307. Then, the operator holds the support plate 303 with hand and pulls it out together with the bag 301, with the filter support plate 210 being opened by the bag. In this way the first fine filter 300 is easily drawn out of the dust case 200.
- the cover portion 307 that closes the dust suction hole 305 prevents the dust contained in the bag from falling from the hole 305 when the filter 300 is taken out. After being drawn out, the dust loaded first fine filter is discarded.
- the guide ribs 236 facilitate the removal of the filter 300 from the case. How the new filter 300 is assembled into the case has already been mentioned and its description will not be repeated here.
- the placement and removal of the filter 300 can be carried out independently of the filter unit 400. This ensures an easy handling of the filter.
- the amount of dust caught by the second fine filter 414 in the filter unit 400 is very small (more than about 95% of the dust sucked into the hose is arrested by the first fine filter 300) and therefore the number of times the dust caught by the second fine filter 414 is required to be discarded is quite few compared with the first fine filter 300.
- the second fine filter 414 should be removed of dust as often as is required for the first fine filter 300, for the following reasons. That is, if the dust remains adhering to the second fine filter 414 when the first fine filter 300 is replaced with a new one, the dust suction capability of the vacuum cleaner will not be recovered to sufficiently high level. Hence, to recover the dust sucking capability it is necessary to remove dust from the second fine filter 414 at the same time that the first fine filter 300 is replaced.
- the filter unit 400 In disposing of dust collected by the second fine filter 414 and maintaining the filter unit 400, the filter unit 400 is taken out through the rear opening of the dust case 200 so that the filter unit 400 can be handled independently of the first fine filter 300.
- Figures 14, 15 show the relation between the amount of dust caught by the filters 300, 414 and the suction force.
- the dotted line (A) in Figure 14 shows the dust collecting performance characteristic when no dust removing operation was performed for the filter 300.
- the filter becomes clogged resulting in an abrupt reduction in the suction force, which is indicated by the indicator 143 showing the suction level has reached the saturation.
- V stand for the amount of dust collected until the saturation is reached.
- the zigzag line (B) hows another dust collecting performance characteristic when the dust removing operation for the filter 300 was carried out appropriately.
- the suction force recovers to a certain degree each time the first fine filter 300 is cleared of dust, so that the level of the suction force does not fall rapidly as the amount of dust collected increases, as with the preceding case.
- the amount of dust collected until the suction level reached the saturation is 2.5 to 3 times greater than when no dust removing operation was done.
- the dust collecting performance characteristic (C) for the vacuum cleaner as a whole is the sum of the dust collecting characteristic (D) for the first fine filter 300 and that (E) for the second fine filter 414.
- D dust collecting characteristic
- E the dust collecting characteristic for the second fine filter 414.
- the suction force b that has been lost is recovered completely.
- the total suction force that has been lost is c the vacuum cleaner as a whole does not recover the full suction force, In other words, the loss of suction force a with the second fine filter 414 remains unrecovered. If the second fine filter 414 is removed of dust, the lost suction force will be recovered, restoring the full suction force to the cleaner.
- the dust-laden air flowing into the bag 301 is deflected downward by the deflecting suction port 321 to be slowed down so that the force with which the air strikes against the inner surface of the bag is mitigated. This protects the bag against possible breakage.
- the back-flow prevention valve 331 formed of elastic material provided inside the deflecting suction port 321 will contribute to reducing the speed of the air stream.
- the back-flow prevention valve 331 is opened by the air stream until it is blocked by the deflecting suction port 321.
- the opening angle of the back-flow prevention valve 331 is about 45°C so that the dust-laden air impinging on the valve 331 is deflected downward.
- the elasticity of the back-flow prevention valve 331 permits the valve, when struck with air, to be deflected thus greatly reducing the air speed.
- vent 327 is provided to the bent portion of the guide 325 which comprises the deflecting suction port 321 is to prevent the flapping of the back-flow prevention valve 331.
- the back-flow prevention valve 331 When the back-flow prevention valve 331 is deflected by the air stream striking against it, the air contained in the space defined by the valve 331 and the gudie 325 is exhausted through the vent 327. But if the deflecting suctions port 321 is not provided with the vent 327, the air in that space is compressed and the pressure of the compressed air exerts reactive force upon the back-flow prevention valve 331. As the striking force of the air stream upon the valve 331 varies, the reactive force of the compressed air against the valve also changes causing the valve to flap.
- the vacuum cleaner of this invention can be operated without the first fine filter 300.
- the coarse dust is collected in the inner space of the dust case 200 in front of the coarse filter 410 and the fine dust is caught by the second fine filter 414.
- the coarse and fine dusts thus collected can be disposed of at one time by removing the filter unit 400 through the rear opening of the dust case 200.
- the coarse filter 412 does not function as a filter but rather as a member for supporting the first fine filter 300.
- the coarse filter 412 works as a filter.
- the coarse filter 412 catches only coarse dust and let pass the fine dust which is arrested by the second fine filter 414.
- the dust removing operation for the second fine filter 414 is performed in a manner already mentioned; and the coarse filter 410 is removed of dust by the vibration caused by the hammer rod 428.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Filters For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)
Description
- This invention relates to an improvement in a vacuum cleaner equipped with a dust collecting bag, made of such material as paper, which is to be disposed of together with dust contained in it.
- This kind of vacuum cleaner has the advantage of easy disposal of dust while it also has the disadvantage of having a very low dust collecting ratio; i.e., the ratio of the actual volume of dust collected to the effective volume of bag is 1/2 to 1/3. This is because the meshes of the dust collecting bag become clogged with dust losing its porosity before the bag is filled with dust.
- To improve the dust collecting ratio we have tried various methods of shaking the dust off the bag. The biggest problem we have encountered is that the dust collecting bag made of paper is weak in strength and is liable to break.
- For example, if the bag is rubbed on its outer surface with a dust remover made of wire, it will be torn because the outer surface of the bag is uneven and complex in shape.
- On the other hand there has been known (DE-A-26 01 037) a vacuum cleaner comprising a dust case having an air-intake opening, a body case connected to said dust case having a fan and an air-exhaust opening, a first net filter member for filtering large dust particles, detachably arranged in said dust case, a fine second filter member arranged downstream of said first filter member in said dust case and a dust removing member arranged in said dust case for removing dust caught on said second filter member. If said first filter member is clogged by dust particles there is no possibility of sanitarily replacing said first filter member.
- Morever, there has been known (US-A-19 91 859) a vacuum cleaner whose fine filter member is sustained at the outer surface of its inner end by a filter sustaining member.
- The object of this invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having easy and sanitary disposal of dust together with a high dust collecting ratio.
- To achieve this object the vacuum cleaner of this invention comprising a dust case having an air-intake opening, a body case connected to said dust case having a motor driven fan and an air-exhaust opening, a first filter member detachably arranged in said dust case, and a fine second filter member arranged downstream of said first filter member in said dust case, is characterized in that the first filter member is a fine filter member which is a thin, flexible, porous paper bag being disposable with dust contained therein, that a space is provided betwen said first fine and second fine filter members, and that a filter sustaining member is arranged in the dust case so as to have a part in said space that sustains said first fine filter member by contacting the downstream outer surface of the fine filter member. Additional features are characterized in the dependent claims.
- According to one embodiment of this invention, the porosity or the suction performance of the bag-shaped fine filter can easily be recovered by vibrating the filter sustaining member because when the filter sustaining member is vibrated, the bag-shaped fine filter is also vibrated thereby shaking the dust off the fine meshes of the filter.
- Moreover, since it is through the filter sustaining member that the vibration is applied to the bag-shaped fine filter, the bag-shaped fine filter is free from any breakage which would occur if it were rubbed on its outer surface with the dust removing member.
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- Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of the vacuum cleaner of this invention;
- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner disassembled;
- Figure 3 is a perspective view of the body case disassembled;
- Figure 4 is a perspective view of the dust case disassembled;
- Figure 5 is a perspective view of the dust case cover disassembled;
- Figure 6 is a perspective view of the filter unit disassembled;
- Figure 7 is a schematic view showing the first fine filter member being taken out of the dust case;
- Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the filter unit being taken out and the dust being thrown off;
- Figure 9 is a detailed view showing the first fine filter member being assembled into the dust case;
- Figure 10 is a detailed view showing the first fine filter member being taken out of the dust case;
- Figure 11 is an enlarged view of the coarse filter as viewed from the back;
- Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the projection and the vibration transmitting member, showing how the coarse filter and the first fine filter member are removed of dust;
- Figure 13 is a schematic view showing the dust-laden air stream flowing into the first fine filter member;
- Figure 14 is a graph showing the dust collecting performance characteristic of the first fine filter member; and
- Figure 15 is another graph showing the dust collecting performance characteristics of the first and second fine filters and the resultant dust collecting performance characteristic when these two characteristics are combined.
- We will now explain one embodiment of this invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- This vacuum cleaner comprises a
body case 100 and adust case 200. Thebody case 100 and thedust case 200 are detachably connected as shown in Figure 1. This connection is accomplished, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by first inserting theprojection 202 at the lower portion of thedust case 200 into thegroove 101 at the lower portion of thebody case 100 and then inserting the rear portion of thebase plate 206 for thehandle 204 provided at the upper portion of thedust case 200 into therecess 103 formed at the upper portion of thebody case 100 to cause theclaw 107 of theclamp 105 at the upper portion of thebody case 100 to engage with thebase plate 206. - The
body case 100 incorporates a motor- drivenfan 109 and acord winding device 111. - The
body case 100 is split longitudinally at the center into a left-hand side portion 113 and a right-hand side portion 115, both being fitted together by screws not shown. - The left- and right-
hand portions air inlet port 119 formed on thefront wall 117 and anexhaust port 123 on therear wall 121. The fan container chamber 125 at the center of thebody case 100 is separated by apartition plate 129 from the cord windingdevice container chamber 127 located under it. On the upper side of the fan container chamber 125 is provided a sparefilter storage chamber 131 for storing the spare of the first finedust collecting filter 300. The sparefilter storage chamber 131 and the fan container chamber 125 are also separated by apartition plate 133. - These
partition plates hand side portions - The spare
filter storage chamber 131 is open to the outside of the body case through an opening formed on the external wall of the right-hand side portion 115. Through this opening the spare of the firstfine filter 300 is placed into or taken out of the sparefilter storage chamber 131. Normally, this opening is closed by adetachable cover 137 which has arecess 139 to receive fingers for its removal and anengagement claw 141 for holding it to the opening. - Since the spare
filter storage chamber 131 gives the upper portion of the body case 100 a double-ceilinged construction, the noise produced by theelectric fan 109 can be reduced. Because thebody case 100 is split longitudinally at the center into halves, the complex construction of the body case including the sparefilter storage chamber 131, the fan container chamber 125 and the cord windingdevice container chamber 127 can easily be formed through molding. If thebody case 100 is to be molded as one piece, it would require a complex molding pattern and make the molding process complicated. - A
dust indicator 143 is located immediately below the opening on the right-handside body portion 115. It is connected to thenegative pressure port 145 and held in position by thecover 147. Thecover 147 is secured by thescrew 149 threaded from the inside of the right-handside body portion 115. - The
negative pressure port 145 opens to the outside in the same direction as the opening of the sparefilter storage chamber 131 so that the molded product may easily be separated from the pattern. - The
cord winding device 111 has acord reel 1 53 to wind thecord 151. Thecord reel 153 hasteeth 155 formed on the outer periphery which are in mesh with anintermediate gear 157 rotatably supported on thefront wall 117 of thebody case 100. Thisintermediate gear 157 is fitted with adriving coupling 159 which is exposed to the outside of thefront wall 117 and is connected to the dust remover of the filter unit provided in thedust case 200. The filter unit will be detailed later on. - Next, we will explain the construction of the
dust case 200. As shown in Figure 1, 2 and 4, thedust case 200 is hollow. - On the front side of the
dust case 200 is formed an opening through which the firstfine filter 300 is placed into or taken out of thecase 200. Fitted to the opening is afilter support plate 210 which is rotatably supported on theshaft 212 mounted at the lower portion of the opening so that thesupport plate 210 can be rotated forwardly about theshaft 212. - The height of the
filter support plate 210 is about half that of the opening for the first fine filter. Thus, when thefilter support plate 210 is placed into position, the lower half of the opening is covered by the plate. - The
filter support plate 210 has arecess 214 formed on its front surface which leads to the upper end of theplate 210. The upper portion of therecess 214 is expanded stepwise on each side to form areceiver portion 216 or which the lower corners of aplate 303 for the firstfine filter 300 rest. The opening for the firstfine filter 300 also has arecess 218 formed stepwise on the upper portion thereof to receive a portion of thefilter 300. The functions of these recesses will be explained later. - The dust case covers 220 is rotatably supported on the
shaft 222 located at the lower portion of thedust case 200 so that it can open or close the opening for the first fine filter from the external side of thefilter support plate 210. Thedust case cover 220 has aclamp 226 and aconnector hole 224 into which a suction hose not shown is inserted. - The
clamp 226 has aclaw 228 which engages with theengagement portion 230 provided to thedust case 200. The front opening of thedust case 200 for the first fine filter can be closed by thedust case cover 220 by engaging theclaw 228 of theclamp 226 with theengagement portion 230. The detailed construction of the interior of thedust case cover 220 will be described later. - The rear side of the
dust case 200 can be brought into and out of engagement with the front side of thebody case 100. Thedust case 200 has an opening on its rear side through which thefilter unit 400 to be detailed later can be placed into or taken out of thedust case 200. - The
dust case 200 has a plurality ofribs 234 on the inner surface to sustain the firstfine filter 300. Theseribs 234 extend forwardly from the interior surface of the dust case near the rear opening to the front opening, from which the first fine filter is to be taken out. - Extending parallel to and between these
ribs 234 areguide ribs 236 which are formed near the front opening of thedust case 200 to guide the first fine filter when drawn out. These guideribs 236 are inclined upwardly toward the front opening. - The
dust case 200 has aceiling plate 238 in the upper interior, above which is formed aroom 240 for receiving thebase plate 206 of thehandle 204. Thehandle 204 consists of longitudinally splitportions screws 246. Thescrew seat 248 for thehandle 204 is fitted into thereceiver portion 250 of thehandle portions handle portions - After being inserted into the
room 240, thehandle 204 is secured to thedust case 200 by ascrew 252 which is threaded from inside thedust case 200 into thescrew seat 248 through theceiling plate 238. Thescrew seat 248 is located at the central portion of thehandle 204, i.e., at the center of gravity of the vacuum cleaner so that thereceiver portion 250 will not be subjected to an excess load when the vacuum cleaner is carried. - Now, we will explain the construction of the first
fine filter 300. As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the firstfine filter 300 consists of abag 301 made of thin, flexible, porous paper and asupport plate 303 made of hard paper such as cardboard. Thebag 301 is bonded to thesupport plate 303 with adhesive agent. - The
support plate 303 is comprised of adust suction port 305 and acover portion 307 for covering theport 305. Thecover portion 307 can easily be bent along theperforated line 309 which is formed on thesupport plate 303 to facilitate the bending of thecover portion 307. Thecover portion 307 has two lines 311 cut into the free end to form anengagement piece 313 which can be bent relatively easily. Thissupport plate 303 can easily be formed by punching a sheet of plate material. - The
dust suction port 305 can be closed by bending thecover portion 307 until it contacts thesupport plate 303. To retain thecover portion 307 in the bent position, theengagement piece 313 is slightly bent to engage with the inner edge of thedust suction port 305. - Before use, the
bag 301 and thecover portion 307 of the firstfine filter 300 are folded to be compact as shown in Figure 3. Since thefilter 300 is small and compact, it does not require a large space for storage and can be easily placed into or taken out of thefilter storage chamber 131. - We will explain how the first fine filter i300 is assembled into the
dust case 200. The process of placing thefilter 300 into position consists of opening thecover portion 307 of thefilter 300, engaging thecover portion 307 with therecess 214 of thefilter support plate 210, inserting thebag 301 into thedust case 200, and then engaging the upper and lower portions of thesupport plate 303 with therecesses dust case cover 220 closed, the vacuum cleaner is now operable. - In this way, the assemblying of the
first time filter 300 can easily be done by engaging thesupport plate 303 with therecesses - The internal construction of the
dust case cover 220 will be explained in the following. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, aninner cover plate 315 is fitted to the inner side of thedust case cover 220. It is secured to thedust case cover 220 by means ofscrews 319 threaded into thescrew seat 317. - The
inner cover plate 315 is provided at its upper portion with a deflectingsuction port 321 whose delivery port is directed downward. The deflectingsuction port 321 has avent 327 at the bent portion of theguide 325. The deflectingsuction port 321 is connected throught he seal packing 329 to the internal end of thehose connector 224. The seal packing 329 is formed integral with a back-flow preventing valve 331 made of elastic material such as rubber or flexible vinyl chloride. The back-flow preventing valve 331 moves about the connecting portion with the seal packing 329. The back-flow preventing valve 331 is provided inside the deflectingsuction port 321 so that it is automatically opened by the action of the air stream passing through thehose connector 224 and closed when there is no air stream. The functions of the deflectingsuction port 321, thevent 327 and the back-flow preventing valve 331 will be detailed later. - The
inner cover plate 315 has around its periphery a seal packing 333, which has anannular tongue 335 formed on its inner surface. Thetongue 335, when thedust case cover 220 is closed, is pressed against the circumference of the front opening of thedust case 200 to seal the gap between thedust case 200 and thedust case cover 220. - The deflecting
suction port 321 is provided around its base portion with a seal packing 337 which has aprojection 339. By inserting theprojection 339 into a hole of theinner cover plate 315, the seal packing 337 can be secured to theinner cover plate 315. The seal packing 337 for thesuction port 321 has a connectingportion 341 through which it is formed integral with the seal packing 333 for the cover. When thedust case cover 220 is closed, the seal packing 337 presses against thesupport plate 303 thereby sealing the gap between theinner cover plate 315 and thesupport plate 303. With thedust case cover 220 closed, the deflectingsuction port 321 projects, through thedust suction port 305 of thesupport plate 303, into thebag 301. - Description on the construction of the
filter unit 400 follows. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, thefilter unit 400 consists mainly of acoarse filter frame 402, a secondfine filter frame 404, a filtersupport base plate 406 and a seal packing 408. - The
frame 402 has a flatcoarse filter 410 on the front and auxiliarycoarse filters 412 on each side and the top. Thesefiliters fine filter 300. That is, the firstfine filter 300 is capable of catching the fine dust such as sand while thesefilters - The second
fine filter frame 404 has a wave-shaped secondfine filter 414 made of nonwoven fabric. The mesh of the secondfine filter 414 is almost the same in size as the firstfine filter 300. The secondfine filter 414 is arranged downstream of the firstfine filter 300 so that dusts that have passed through the firstfine filter 300 may be caught by the secondfine filter 414, thus preventing the fine dust from being blown out from theexhaust port 123 of thebody case 100. - The filter
support base plate 406 rotatably supports adust removing gear 416 located at its front and adust removing handle 418 at the back. Adust remover 420 of elastic material, thegear 416 and thehandle 418 can be held together and mounted to the filtersupport base plate 406 by fixing thedust remover 420 to the front side of thegear 416 by means of thescrew 422 and by threading the screw into thehandle 418. - The assemblying of the
filter unit 400 consists of putting together the rear side of the secondfine filter frame 404 and the front side of the filtersupport base plate 406, fitting the seal packing 408 around theframe 404 and theplate 406 thus holding them together, and fitting thecoarse filter frame 402 to the frame and plate assembly from the side of the secondfine filter 414. - When the
filter unit 400 is placed into thedust case 200, the outer circumference of the seal packing 408 is brought into tight contact with the inner surface of thedust case 200. - The front end of the
dust remover 420 is in contact with the back of the folded secondfine filter 414, so that when thehandle 418 is rotated thedust remover 420 hits or snaps the crests of the wave-shapedfilter 414. This vibrates thefilter 414 shaking off the dust. - The
coarse filter frame 402 has a hammer- vibration type dust removing device inside it. As shown in Figures 1, 6, 11 and 12, asupport boss 426 is provided to the back of thenonporous portion 424 near the center of thecoarse filter 410. Ahammer rod 428 formed of spring material is secured at one end to theboss 426 by aseat plate 432 and ascrew 430 threaded into theboss 426. - A
projection 434 to be hit by the opposite free end of thehammer rod 428 is attached to the back of thecoarse filter 410. Avibration transmitter 436 extends, like a fork, from the base of theprojection 434 to the right and the left on the surface of thecoarse filter 410. - When the
projection 434 is struck by thehammer rod 428, thecoarse filter 410 will vibrate. The vibration is conveyed through the fork-likevibration transmitter member 436 over theentire filter 410. - Since the
hammer rod 428 hits theprojection 434 near its free end, thecoarse filter 410 is vibrated like a seesaw with theprojection 434 working as a fulcrum. The vibration of thecoarse filter 410 causes the firstfine filter 300 in contact with it to vibrate, shaking the dust off the inner surface of thefilter 300. - The second
fine filter frame 404 is provided at its upper portion with a bearing 438 on which acam member 442 is rotatably supported through a seal packing 440. Installed to the back of the bearing are anidler gear 444, aclutch ring 446, aspring 448 and a connectingcylinder 450, all these being secured together by ascrew 452 that is screwed into thecam member 442. - Rotation of the
cam member 442 is accomplished by rotating theidler gear 444, but it is rotated in one direction only because of theclutch ring 446. - The
cam member 442 is arranged so that it will engage with the free end of thehammer rod 428; theidler gear 444 is in mesh with thedust removing gear 416. Hence, turning thehandle 418 rotates thegear 416 which in turn revolves thecam member 442, flipping the free end of thehammer rod 428. Thishammer rod 428 in turn hits theprojection 434. - The filter
support base plate 406 has abearing 454 which, through thespring 456, rotatably supports a drivencoupling 458 which is secured to the bearing by thescrew 462 threaded through theseat plate 460 into thebearing 454. The drivencoupling 458 has teeth formed around its periphery which is in mesh with thedust removing gear 416. When thebody case 100 is combined with thedust case 200, the drivencoupling 458 is connected with thedrive coupling 159. With these coupling connected, the rotating force of thecord reel 153 of thecord winding device 111 is transmitted to the dust removing device provided to the filter. - The
cam member 442 is rotated in only one direction when thecord 151 is pulled from thecord reel 153 but not when wound up on thereel 153. This contributes to making small the rewinding coil spring in thecord winding device 111 which is used to rotate thecord reel 153. - So far we have explained the vacuum cleaner of this invention from the view point of construction. In the following we will describe the action of each component.
- As the
electric fan 109 is driven, an air stream laden with dust flows through the suction hose, thehose connecting hole 224 and the deflectingsuction port 321, and into thebag 301 of the firstfine filter 300. Most of the coarse and fine dust are caught by thefilter 300 and the remainder of dust that passed through the mesh of thefilter 300 further flows past thecoarse filters fine filter 414 where the fine dust is arrested. The air removed of dust further flows through the meshes of thefilter 414 and is exhausted from theexhaust port 123 of thebody case 100. - The
bag 301 of the firstfine filter 300 is in folded condition when assembled into thedust case 200. But as the air flows into thebag 301, it becomes inflated by the air pressure until it contacts thefilter retaining ribs 234. - Although the
bag 301 is surrounded by thecoarse filter 410 and thefilter retaining ribs 234, thebag 301 is maintained highly porous because thecoarse filter 410 has sufficient porosity and there is sufficient spacing between theribs 234. - The dust is first caught by the
bag 301 at the area facing thecoarse filter 410. As this area of thebag 301 becomes clogged, most of the air passes through the other area of the bag that faces thefilter retaining ribs 234 and then flows past thecoarse filters 412 at the sides and the top of theframe 402 and into the secondfine filter 414. The dust collecting process of thebag 301 of the firstfine filter 300 proceeds in this way. - When a large amount of dust adheres to the bag as well as the second
fine filter 414 and the suction force becomes lowered, the dust can be shaken off these filters either by rotating thecord reel 153 of thecord winding device 111 or turning thehandle 418 to actuate thedust remover 422 and thehammer rod 428. - Since in removing dust from the
bag 301 thehammer rod 428 applies vibration to thecoarse filter 410, not directly to the bag, no damage will be done to the bag. Thebag 301 is made of relatively weak material such as paper, so rubbing the outer surface of thebag 301 with something like thedust remover 420 will cause damage to it. But in this device, the vibration is imparted to the bag through thecoarse filter 410 so that no excess force will be applied to it. - The
coarse filter 410, when theprojection 434 is hit by the hammer rod, is vibrated like a seesaw with theprojection 434 as a fulcrum. This seesaw movement gives shaking motion to thebag 301 so that the dust is effectively removed from the inner surface of thebag 301. - Although a great amount of dust and dirt adheres to the portion of the bag that is in contact with the
coarse filter 410, the application of vibration to this portion of the bag thoroughly removes dust from it, recovering the dust collecting capability of the cleaner. - In this way, by performing the dust removing operation, as required, the dust can effectively be caught in the first
fine filter 300 until the bag is filled with dust. When the bag becomes full of dust, the firstfine filter 300 is taken out of thedust case 200 to replace it with a new one. - The first
fine filter 300 is replaced in the following manner. As shown in Figure 10, thedust case cover 220 is opened by operating theclamp 226 and then thedust suction hole 305 is closed by thecover 307. Then, the operator holds thesupport plate 303 with hand and pulls it out together with thebag 301, with thefilter support plate 210 being opened by the bag. In this way the firstfine filter 300 is easily drawn out of thedust case 200. - The
cover portion 307 that closes thedust suction hole 305 prevents the dust contained in the bag from falling from thehole 305 when thefilter 300 is taken out. After being drawn out, the dust loaded first fine filter is discarded. Theguide ribs 236 facilitate the removal of thefilter 300 from the case. How thenew filter 300 is assembled into the case has already been mentioned and its description will not be repeated here. - As already explained, since the first
fine filter 300 is placed into and taken out of thedust case 200 through the front opening of the case which is accessible by opening thedust case cover 220, the placement and removal of thefilter 300 can be carried out independently of thefilter unit 400. This ensures an easy handling of the filter. - The amount of dust caught by the second
fine filter 414 in thefilter unit 400 is very small (more than about 95% of the dust sucked into the hose is arrested by the first fine filter 300) and therefore the number of times the dust caught by the secondfine filter 414 is required to be discarded is quite few compared with the firstfine filter 300. In spite of this fact, the secondfine filter 414 should be removed of dust as often as is required for the firstfine filter 300, for the following reasons. That is, if the dust remains adhering to the secondfine filter 414 when the firstfine filter 300 is replaced with a new one, the dust suction capability of the vacuum cleaner will not be recovered to sufficiently high level. Hence, to recover the dust sucking capability it is necessary to remove dust from the secondfine filter 414 at the same time that the firstfine filter 300 is replaced. - When the amount of dust caught by the second
fine filter 414 exceeds a certain limit, shaking the dust off thefilter 414 will prove ineffective in recovering the sucking force because when the vacuum cleaner is operated the dust collected will soon be blown up by air to clog thefilter 414. In this case, the dust must be disposed of by removing thefilter unit 400 from thedust case 200, as shown in Figure 8. - In disposing of dust collected by the second
fine filter 414 and maintaining thefilter unit 400, thefilter unit 400 is taken out through the rear opening of thedust case 200 so that thefilter unit 400 can be handled independently of the firstfine filter 300. - What effect the operation for removing dust from the first and second fine filters has on the suction force of the vacuum cleaner will now be explained in detail referring to the diagrams shown in Figures 14, 15.
- Figures 14, 15 show the relation between the amount of dust caught by the
filters - The dotted line (A) in Figure 14 (for the first fine filter 300) shows the dust collecting performance characteristic when no dust removing operation was performed for the
filter 300. In this case, as the dust caught by thefilter 300 increases in the amount, the filter becomes clogged resulting in an abrupt reduction in the suction force, which is indicated by theindicator 143 showing the suction level has reached the saturation. Let V stand for the amount of dust collected until the saturation is reached. - The zigzag line (B) hows another dust collecting performance characteristic when the dust removing operation for the
filter 300 was carried out appropriately. In this case, the suction force recovers to a certain degree each time the firstfine filter 300 is cleared of dust, so that the level of the suction force does not fall rapidly as the amount of dust collected increases, as with the preceding case. With the dust removing operation performed, the amount of dust collected until the suction level reached the saturation is 2.5 to 3 times greater than when no dust removing operation was done. - Referring to Figure 15, the dust collecting performance characteristic (C) for the vacuum cleaner as a whole is the sum of the dust collecting characteristic (D) for the the first
fine filter 300 and that (E) for the secondfine filter 414. For the sake of simplicity, consider the case in which no dust removing operation is performed to eitherfilters - When the first
fine filter 300 is replaced with the new one upon saturation, the suction force b that has been lost is recovered completely. However, because the total suction force that has been lost is c the vacuum cleaner as a whole does not recover the full suction force, In other words, the loss of suction force a with the secondfine filter 414 remains unrecovered. If the secondfine filter 414 is removed of dust, the lost suction force will be recovered, restoring the full suction force to the cleaner. - Thus, in a vacuum cleaner having the first
fine filter 300 and the secondfine filter 414 arranged downstream of the first one, it is necessary to remove dust from thesecond filter 414 when replacing thefirst filter 300, so as to recover the lost suction force completely. - The dust-laden air flowing into the
bag 301 is deflected downward by the deflectingsuction port 321 to be slowed down so that the force with which the air strikes against the inner surface of the bag is mitigated. This protects the bag against possible breakage. - Moreover, the back-
flow prevention valve 331 formed of elastic material provided inside the deflectingsuction port 321 will contribute to reducing the speed of the air stream. To describe more specifically, the back-flow prevention valve 331 is opened by the air stream until it is blocked by the deflectingsuction port 321. The opening angle of the back-flow prevention valve 331 is about 45°C so that the dust-laden air impinging on thevalve 331 is deflected downward. The elasticity of the back-flow prevention valve 331 permits the valve, when struck with air, to be deflected thus greatly reducing the air speed. - The reason that the
vent 327 is provided to the bent portion of theguide 325 which comprises the deflectingsuction port 321 is to prevent the flapping of the back-flow prevention valve 331. When the back-flow prevention valve 331 is deflected by the air stream striking against it, the air contained in the space defined by thevalve 331 and thegudie 325 is exhausted through thevent 327. But if the deflecting suctionsport 321 is not provided with thevent 327, the air in that space is compressed and the pressure of the compressed air exerts reactive force upon the back-flow prevention valve 331. As the striking force of the air stream upon thevalve 331 varies, the reactive force of the compressed air against the valve also changes causing the valve to flap. - However, since the deflecting suction port has a vent at the bent portion of the
guide 325, no reactive force against thevalve 331 will develop and therefore thevalve 331 will not vibrate. - Although in the foregoing, we have described the case in which the first
fine filter 300 is provided in thedust case 200, the vacuum cleaner of this invention can be operated without the firstfine filter 300. In this case, the coarse dust is collected in the inner space of thedust case 200 in front of thecoarse filter 410 and the fine dust is caught by the secondfine filter 414. The coarse and fine dusts thus collected can be disposed of at one time by removing thefilter unit 400 through the rear opening of thedust case 200. - Where the first
fine filter 300 is employed, thecoarse filter 412 does not function as a filter but rather as a member for supporting the firstfine filter 300. - On the other hand, when the first
fine filter 300 is not used, thecoarse filter 412 works as a filter. Thecoarse filter 412 catches only coarse dust and let pass the fine dust which is arrested by the secondfine filter 414. - The dust removing operation for the second
fine filter 414 is performed in a manner already mentioned; and thecoarse filter 410 is removed of dust by the vibration caused by thehammer rod 428.
Claims (6)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP10360979A JPS5628734A (en) | 1979-08-16 | 1979-08-16 | Electric cleaner |
JP103609/79 | 1979-08-16 | ||
JP3192480A JPS56128126A (en) | 1980-03-12 | 1980-03-12 | Electric cleaner |
JP31924/80 | 1980-03-12 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0024636A1 EP0024636A1 (en) | 1981-03-11 |
EP0024636B1 true EP0024636B1 (en) | 1984-07-18 |
EP0024636B2 EP0024636B2 (en) | 1989-10-18 |
Family
ID=26370441
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19800104787 Expired EP0024636B2 (en) | 1979-08-16 | 1980-08-13 | Vacuum cleaner |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0024636B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE3068595D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4545794A (en) * | 1981-11-13 | 1985-10-08 | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. | Vacuum cleaner |
DE8137759U1 (en) * | 1981-12-24 | 1982-06-16 | Vorwerk & Co Interholding Gmbh, 5600 Wuppertal | ARRANGEMENT FOR SWIVELING FASTENING A LID FOR THE DUST FILTER SPACE OF A VACUUM CLEANER |
FI73877C (en) * | 1982-09-29 | 1987-12-10 | Raupak Oy | DAMMPAOSE FOER ANVAENDNING I EN DAMMSUGARE. |
GB2167680A (en) * | 1984-11-30 | 1986-06-04 | Enviro Vac Limited | Environmental cleaning machine |
DE9105039U1 (en) * | 1991-04-24 | 1992-08-20 | Vorwerk & Co Interholding Gmbh, 5600 Wuppertal | Dust filter bag |
US7143469B2 (en) * | 2001-02-06 | 2006-12-05 | The Hoover Company | Dirt collecting system |
KR100437116B1 (en) | 2002-05-22 | 2004-06-23 | 삼성광주전자 주식회사 | Vacuum cleaner |
CN2662818Y (en) * | 2002-11-28 | 2004-12-15 | 松下电器产业株式会社 | Electric dust collector |
GB0318284D0 (en) | 2003-08-05 | 2003-09-10 | Black & Decker Inc | Hand-held vacuum cleaner |
JP4444043B2 (en) * | 2004-08-30 | 2010-03-31 | パナソニック株式会社 | Vacuum cleaner |
JP2006192045A (en) * | 2005-01-13 | 2006-07-27 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Vacuum cleaner |
US9038236B2 (en) | 2012-04-25 | 2015-05-26 | Shop Vac Corporation | Filter shaker |
EP4111930B1 (en) * | 2021-05-21 | 2023-08-30 | Shenzhen Hua Xin Information Technology Co., Ltd. | Garbage collection system of cleaning robot |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1991859A (en) * | 1933-08-12 | 1935-02-19 | Electrolux Corp | Vacuum cleaner |
DE1836494U (en) * | 1961-05-08 | 1961-08-17 | Frobana Fa | DUST BAG DESIGNED FOR SHOEMAKER CLEANING MACHINES. |
US3621640A (en) * | 1968-10-14 | 1971-11-23 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Electric vacuum cleaner |
CH603133A5 (en) * | 1975-01-14 | 1978-08-15 | Hitachi Ltd |
-
1980
- 1980-08-13 DE DE8080104787T patent/DE3068595D1/en not_active Expired
- 1980-08-13 EP EP19800104787 patent/EP0024636B2/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0024636A1 (en) | 1981-03-11 |
EP0024636B2 (en) | 1989-10-18 |
DE3068595D1 (en) | 1984-08-23 |
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