WO2010024526A1

WO2010024526A1 - Vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2010024526A1
Application number: PCT/KR2009/004008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung-Gyun Han; Jang-Keun Oh; Suck-Hyun Ju; Seung-Yong Cha; Dong-Jun Kim
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2008-08-26
Filing date: 2009-07-20
Publication date: 2010-03-04
Also published as: KR20100024775A

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body, a suction motor which is mounted in the cleaner body, a dust collecting chamber which is formed in the cleaner body, a suction nozzle which is in fluid communication with the dust collecting chamber, and a filter member which is mounted in the cleaner body, wherein the filter member is formed of a porous material having a plurality of breathing holes, and at least one surface of the filter member has a plurality of protrusions having winding.

Description

VACUUM CLEANER

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a filter which filters dust included in-drawn air.

In general, vacuum cleaners draw in dust-laden air from a surface being cleaned using a suction force generated at a suction port by a suction motor, and separate dust and contaminants from the in-drawn air so that dust and contaminants can be collected in a dust collecting receptacle.

As the dust collecting receptacle, dust bags are widely used. A dust bag is expendable, so if a dust bag is full of dust, the dust bag is separated from the vacuum cleaner and is discarded. In recent years, cyclone filters which can be semi-permanently used have developed instead of disposable dust bags. If a cyclone filter is full of dust, the cyclone filter is separated from the vacuum cleaner, is cleaned, and is mounted in the vacuum cleaner again.

A conventional vacuum cleaner has many kinds of filters to remove fine dust from primarily filtered air using the dust collecting receptacle. Accordingly, damage to a suction motor by fine dust can decrease and damage to human respiratory organs occurring when air having fine dust is discharged from the vacuum cleaner can be prevented. Such filters to be installed in the vacuum cleaner continuously develop.

The object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a filter member having a wide surface area and a high ventilation.

In order to achieve the above object, a vacuum cleaner is provided, including a cleaner body, a suction motor which is mounted in the cleaner body, a dust collecting chamber which is formed in the cleaner body, a suction nozzle which is in fluid communication with the dust collecting chamber, and a filter member which is mounted in the cleaner body, wherein the filter member is formed of a porous material having a plurality of breathing holes, and at least one surface of the filter member has a plurality of protrusions having winding.

The plurality of protrusions may be continuously formed on both sides of the filter member.

The filter member may be formed of polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, or polystyrene foam. In this case, the polyurethane foam may be ether group or ester group.

The filter member may be disposed between a motor chamber in which the suction motor is mounted, and the dust collecting chamber, or may be disposed in the dust collecting chamber.

The filter member may be approximately 20ppi to 120ppi (pore per inch).

The vacuum cleaner may further include a supporting frame which supports the filter member, wherein the filter member is integrally formed with the supporting frame.

The vacuum cleaner may further include at least one subsidiary filter which is connected to the filter member. In this case, the filter member may be bonded with the subsidiary filter or may be connected to the subsidiary filter using a connecting member.

The protrusion of the filter member may be formed in a hexahedral shape having an upper surface and four sides. In this case, at least two of the four sides may be inclined.

The at least one surface of the filter member may include the protrusions which are formed at regular intervals, and the protrusions which are formed at irregular intervals.

The at least one surface of the filter member may include the protrusions of non-uniform shape.

In order to achieve the above object, a vacuum cleaner is provided, including a cleaner body, a suction motor which is mounted in the cleaner body, a cyclone dust separating apparatus which is mounted in the cleaner body, a suction nozzle which is in fluid communication with a dust collecting chamber, and a filter member which is mounted in the cyclone dust separating apparatus, wherein the filter member is formed of a porous material having a plurality of breathing holes, and at least one surface of the filter member has a plurality of protrusions having winding.

The cyclone dust separating apparatus may further include a grill member, and the filter member may be disposed inside the grill member.

The vacuum cleaner may further include at least one subsidiary filter which is connected to the filter member. In this case, the filter member may be bonded with the subsidiary filter or is connected to the subsidiary filter using a connecting member.

According to the present invention, an interval for managing and repairing a filter member can be increased and basic performance of a vacuum cleaner such as improvement of a suction force and minimization of power consumption and noise can be enhanced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a vacuum cleaner according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are an extended perspective view and a side cross sectional view illustrating protrusions protruding from one side of a filter illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plane figure illustrating the protrusion protruding from the one side of the filter illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 to 14 are side sectional view illustrating diverse exemplary embodiments of a filter member applied to the present invention;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic views illustrating examples in which a filter member illustrated in FIG. 13 or 14 is installed in the vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view illustrating a vacuum cleaner according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 18 and 19 are perspective views illustrating that the filter member and the supporting frame illustrated in FIG. 17 are separately formed and integrally formed;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view illustrating a vacuum cleaner according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view illustrating a vacuum cleaner according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 22 and 23 are schematic views illustrating examples in which a filter member is installed in different positions of a cyclone unit illustrated in FIG. 21; and

FIG. 24 is a schematic view illustrating an example in which a filter member is mounted in a grill filter of a dust separating apparatus installed in an upright cleaner.

The matters defined in the description such as a detailed construction and elements are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

Hereinbelow, a vacuum cleaner having a filter according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is described.

Firstly, a configuration of a vacuum cleaner according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described.

Referring to FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a cleaner body 10, a suction nozzle 20, and a filter member 30.

The cleaner body 10 includes a dust collecting chamber 13, in which a dust collecting bag 11 is mounted, at the front, and a motor chamber 15 behind the dust collecting chamber 13. The motor chamber 15 includes a suction motor 17 to generate a suction force. The suction motor 17 is disposed in a motor housing 19.

The suction nozzle 20 draws in dust from the surface being cleaned using a suction force generated by the suction motor 17, and is in fluid communication with the dust collecting chamber 13 in the cleaner body 10 via an extension pipe 21 and a hose 23. A handle 25 is installed between the extension pipe 21 and the hose 23 so as to manipulate the movement of the suction nozzle 20.

The filter member 30 is mounted in the cleaner body 10. In the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the filter member 30 is installed at both front and back of the motor chamber 15, but is not limited thereto. It is possible that the filter member 30 is disposed between the dust collecting chamber 13 and the motor chamber 15 or is disposed only at the back of the motor chamber 15.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the filter member 30 includes a plurality of protrusions 31 having winding on one surface so as to increase a surface area. In this case, the surface on which the plurality of protrusions 31 are formed may face a direction in which in-drawn air enters the filter member 30 so that the filter member 30 can have more contact area with the in-drawn air. Cleaning is not frequently needed for the filter member 30 having a wider surface area using the plurality of protrusions 31 compared with a general filter member having no protrusion, so an interval for managing and repairing the filter member 30 can be increased.

As described above, the filter member 30 has the plurality of protrusions 31 having winding on one surface. However, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the filter member 30 may have the plurality of protrusions 31 continuously on both surfaces of the filter member 30 instead of one surface.

In this case, the filter member 30 is formed of a porous material, such as polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, or polystyrene foam, having a plurality of breathing holes (not shown), so as to have a high ventilation. If the filter member 30 is formed of polyurethane foam, ether or ester group polyurethane foam may be preferable.

In addition, in order to maintain a high ventilation, the filter member 30 may be approximately 20ppi to 120ppi (pore per inch). If the filter member 30 is less than 20ppi, a suction force may be decreased, and if the filter member 30 is more than 120ppi, filtering efficiency may be decreased.

The filter member 30 formed of a porous material can minimize loss of a suction force by the filter member 30 because of a high ventilation, reduce power consumption, and reduce noise using a sound absorption function.

Referring to FIG. 4, the protrusion 31 is formed in a hexahedral shape having an upper surface 31a and four

sides

31b, 31c, 31d, and 31e. In addition, in order to easily shake dust off depression between the protrusions 31, the four

sides

31b, 31c, 31d, and 31e are inclined. In this case, in order to minimize reduction of the surface area of the filter member 30 as well as to easily shake dust off depression between the protrusions 31, it would be better inclining two of the four

sides

31b, 31c, 31d, and 31e than inclining all the four

sides

31b, 31c, 31d, and 31e.

A cross section of the plurality of protrusions 31 may be tetragonal (see 32a of FIG. 6), hemispheric (see 32b of FIG. 7), or lozenge-shaped (see 32c of FIG. 8).

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 9, tetragonal protrusions 32a and hemispheric protrusions 32b may be alternately disposed at some intervals. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the

protrusions

32d and 32e may be arranged at increasing intervals or at decreasing intervals so that regular patterns can be formed. The

protrusions

32d and 32e may be disposed at regular intervals. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the

protrusions

32a, 32b, 32e, and 32f of irregular shapes and patterns may be disposed.

Furthermore, the protrusions 31 may have a curved surface of an embossing shape.

Referring to FIG. 13, one surface of the filter member 30 on which the protrusions 31 are not formed may be fused and connected to or bonded with a subsidiary filter 35 so as to increase filtering efficiency. Referring to FIG. 14, the subsidiary filter 35 may be bound with a side of the filter member 30 using a separate connecting member 27, for example a thread. The subsidiary filter 35 may be implemented with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to filter fine dust, but is not limited thereto. A variety of subsidiary filter 35 can be used according to the environment in which the filter member 30 is used. The filter member 30 fused or bonded with the subsidiary filter 35 may be disposed between the dust collecting chamber 13 and the motor chamber 15 as illustrated in FIG. 15, or may be disposed behind the motor chamber 15 as illustrated in FIG. 16. If the filter member 30 is disposed behind the motor chamber 15, it is possible to form a free filter F in front of the motor chamber 15.

A configuration of a vacuum cleaner according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the vacuum cleaner according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaner body 110 in which a suction motor (not shown) is mounted. The cleaner body 110 includes a receiving unit 111 at a protruding part thereof. In the receiving unit 111, a supporting frame 140 including a filter member 130 is detachably mounted. In this case, a dust separating apparatus (not shown) to collect dust is positioned on the upper part of the filter member 130 mounted in the receiving unit 111 so that the filter member 130 is interposed between the dust separating apparatus (not shown) and the suction motor (not shown).

The filter member 130 includes a plurality of protrusions 131 on one surface as in the filter member 30 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The filter member 130 is inserted into the supporting frame 140 of a case shape. The supporting frame 140 includes a cover 141 which is connected to the upper part of the supporting frame 140 so as to be opened or closed. The cover 141 includes a discharge hole 143 which guides air discharged from the dust separating apparatus (not shown) to the filter member 130. The supporting frame 140 may be formed of a polyurethane or a silicone which are flexible, or a plastic having a predetermined hardness.

The filter member 130 and the supporting frame 140 are separately formed, but are not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 19, the filter member 130 and the supporting frame 140 are integrally formed using injection molding. In this case, the filter member 130 and the supporting frame 140 are formed of the same material, so the material may be formed of a porous substance not to decrease a filtering function.

A vacuum cleaner according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 20. The vacuum cleaner according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a cyclone unit 211 at a cleaner body 210 of the vacuum cleaner, the cyclone unit 211 collecting dust from in-drawn air in a cyclone manner.

The cyclone unit 211 is disposed in front of a motor chamber 215. A filter member 230 having one of the shapes which have been described in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is interposed between the cyclone unit 211 and the motor chamber 215. The filter member 230 secondarily filters air which is primarily filtered by the cyclone unit 211 and which is entering towards the suction motor 217 so that the inflow of dust into the suction motor 217 can be prevented. The filter member 230 includes a plurality of protrusions 231 on one surface, and is disposed so that the protrusions 231 face the cyclone unit 211 so as to have more contact area with the in-drawn air. Reference numeral 219 in FIG. 20 which is not described indicates a motor housing, reference numeral 223 indicates a hose, and reference mark F indicates a discharge filter.

A vacuum cleaner according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 21. The vacuum cleaner according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a similar configuration to the vacuum cleaner according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, but has the only different feature that a cyclone unit 311 is not mounted in a cleaner body 310 but is interposed between an extension pipe 321 and a hose 323. In this case, a filter member 330 may be integrally formed with the cyclone unit 311, or may be positioned at diverse places. That is, the filter member 330 may be positioned at a discharge position of the cyclone unit 311 as illustrated in FIG. 22, or may be positioned at the center of the cyclone unit 311 as illustrated in FIG. 23. In the latter case, the filter member 330 may be formed in a cylindrical shape in consideration of the flow of air rotating in the cyclone unit 311. Reference numeral 315 in FIG. 21 which is not described indicates a motor chamber, reference numeral 317 indicates a suction motor, reference numeral 319 indicates a motor housing, reference numeral 320 indicates a suction nozzle, reference numeral 325 indicates a handle, and reference mark F indicates a discharge filter.

As illustrated in the third and fourth exemplary embodiments of the present invention, if the

cyclone unit

211 or 311 is disposed in front of the

motor chamber

215 or 315, the discharge filter F may be disposed behind the

motor chambers

215 or 315.

Referring to FIG. 24, a dust separating apparatus is illustrated, which is usually applied to an upright vacuum cleaner, and a filter member 430 of a cylindrical shape may be applied to the dust separating apparatus.

The dust separating apparatus includes a cyclone unit 411 and a dust collecting receptacle which is disposed under the cyclone unit 411. The cyclone unit 411 includes an entering pipe 412 which is disposed at one side and through which dust-laden air enters, a discharge pipe 413 through which air filtered by the cyclone unit 411 is discharged, and a grill filter 415 which is disposed at the center of the cyclone unit 411.

The grill filter 415 includes a filter member 430 which has a cylindrical shape and is formed of a porous material. The filter member 430 has a plurality of protrusions 431 on the external surface, and is disposed so that the protrusions 431 face the inner surface of the grill filter 415.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a suction motor which is mounted in the cleaner body;

a dust collecting chamber which is formed in the cleaner body;

a suction nozzle which is in fluid communication with the dust collecting chamber; and

a filter member which is mounted in the cleaner body,

wherein the filter member is formed of a porous material having a plurality of breathing holes, and at least one surface of the filter member has a plurality of protrusions having winding.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are continuously formed on both sides of the filter member.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the filter member is formed of polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, or polystyrene foam.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the polyurethane foam is ether group or ester group.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the filter member is disposed between a motor chamber in which the suction motor is mounted, and the dust collecting chamber, or is disposed in the dust collecting chamber.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the filter member is approximately 20ppi to 120ppi (pore per inch).
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a supporting frame which supports the filter member,

wherein the filter member is integrally formed with the supporting frame.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one subsidiary filter which is connected to the filter member.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, wherein the filter member is bonded with the subsidiary filter or is connected to the subsidiary filter using a connecting member.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion of the filter member is formed in a hexahedral shape having an upper surface and four sides.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein at least two of the four sides are inclined.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the at least one surface of the filter member comprises the protrusions which are formed at regular intervals, and the protrusions which are formed at irregular intervals.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the at least one surface of the filter member may comprise the protrusions of non-uniform shape.
A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a suction motor which is mounted in the cleaner body;

a cyclone dust separating apparatus which is mounted in the cleaner body;

a suction nozzle which is in fluid communication with a dust collecting chamber; and

a filter member which is mounted in the cyclone dust separating apparatus,

wherein the filter member is formed of a porous material having a plurality of breathing holes, and at least one surface of the filter member has a plurality of protrusions having winding.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the cyclone dust separating apparatus further comprises a grill member, and the filter member is disposed inside the grill member.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of protrusions are continuously formed on both sides of the filter member.
The vacuum cleaner according to one of claim 14 through claim 16, wherein the filter member is formed of polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, or polystyrene foam.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the polyurethane foam is ether group or ester group.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, further comprising:

at least one subsidiary filter which is connected to the filter member.
The vacuum cleaner according to claim 19, wherein the filter member is bonded with the subsidiary filter or is connected to the subsidiary filter using a connecting member.