Twin cyclone vacuum cleaner

• US 20060207055A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ivarsson, Bengt Ivar Anders, Proud, Reuben, Matusz, Glenn
• Granted Patent: US 7,410,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a housing having a suction airstream inlet and a suction airstream outlet. A dirt container is selectively mounted to the housing for receiving and retaining dirt and dust separated from the suction airstream. The suction airstream inlet and the suction airstream outlet are in fluid communication with, respectively, an inlet and an outlet of the dirt container. The dirt container includes a first cyclonic airflow chamber and a second cyclonic airflow chamber, each cyclonic airflow chamber including a longitudinal axis. The second cyclonic airflow chamber is spaced from the first chamber, wherein the first and second chambers are each approximately vertically oriented and are arranged in a parallel relationship. An air manifold is disposed at a top portion of the dirt container. The air manifold includes an inlet section through which dirty air passes and an outlet section. The inlet section directs a flow of dirty air into two separate inlet conduits leading to a respective one of the first and second airflow chambers. The outlet section collects a flow of cleaned air from both of the chambers and merges the flow of cleaned air into a single outlet conduit. An airstream suction source is mounted to the housing and is in communication with the outlet conduit of the manifold.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a housing having a suction airstream inlet and a suction airstream outlet;

a dirt container selectively mounted to said housing for receiving and retaining dirt and dust separated from said suction airstream, and said suction airstream inlet and said suction airstream outlet being in fluid communication with, respectively, an inlet and an outlet of said dirt container, said dirt container including;

a first cyclonic airflow chamber including a longitudinal axis,

a second cyclonic airflow chamber including a longitudinal axis, said second chamber being spaced from said first chamber, wherein said first and second chambers are each approximately vertically oriented and are arranged in a parallel relationship, and

an air manifold disposed at a top portion of said dirt container, said air manifold including an inlet section through which dirty air passes, said inlet section directing a flow of dirty air into two separate inlet conduits leading to a respective one of said first and second airflow chambers, and an outlet section, said outlet section collecting a flow of cleaned air from both of said chambers and merging the flow of cleaned air into a single outlet conduit; and

,

an airstream suction source mounted to said housing, said suction source being in communication with said outlet conduit of said manifold.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein said vacuum cleaner further includes a cleaned air outlet passage, including a longitudinal axis which is oriented approximately parallel to said longitudinal axes of said first and second cyclonic chambers.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein said cleaned air outlet passage communicates with said manifold outlet conduit.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein said cleaned air outlet passage is mounted to said dirt container.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein each of said cyclonic chambers is generally cylindrical in shape.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 further comprising:

a first perforated tube extending in said first cyclonic chamber; and

,

a second perforated tube extending in said second cyclonic chamber, wherein each of said first and second tubes includes a closed lower end and an open upper end in fluid communication with said inlet of said air manifold.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 wherein said closed lower end of each of said first and second tubes includes an outwardly flared portion.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein each cyclonic chamber includes a separator cone having a larger diameter end located adjacent said top portion of said dirt container and a smaller diameter end spaced from said top portion.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a filter in fluid communication with said air manifold outlet conduit.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 wherein said filter is positioned in a plenum located in said housing.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein said air manifold is selectively detachable from said dirt container.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein said air manifold is secured to said dirt container.

13. A vacuum cleaner including a housing, a nozzle base having a main suction opening, said housing being pivotally mounted on said nozzle base, an airstream suction source mounted to one of said housing and said nozzle base for selectively establishing and maintaining a suction airstream from said nozzle main suction opening to an exhaust outlet of said suction source, and a dirt cup selectively mounted to said housing, said dirt cup comprising:

a first centrifugal chamber having a first longitudinal axis, said first centrifugal chamber including a first cyclone assembly;

a second centrifugal chamber having a second longitudinal axis, oriented parallel to said first longitudinal axis, said second centrifugal chamber including a second cyclone assembly, wherein said first and second cyclone assemblies act simultaneously to remove at least some contaminants from the airstream; and

,

an air manifold including;

a dirty air inlet in fluid communication with said main suction opening, and

a pair of dirty air outlets communicating with a respective one of said first and second centrifugal chambers,

a pair of cleaned air inlets communicating with a respective one of said first and second centrifugal chambers, and

a cleaned air outlet in fluid communication with an inlet of said airstream suction source.

14. The vacuum-cleaner of claim 13 wherein said dirt cup further includes a cleaned air outlet conduit, said cleaned air outlet conduit including a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to said longitudinal axes of said first and second centrifugal chambers, said cleaned air outlet conduit having an inlet end in fluid communication with said manifold cleaned air outlet and an outlet end in fluid communication with said airstream suction source.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13 further including a filter disposed downstream from said first and second centrifugal chambers for filtering dirt from the airstream.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15 further comprising a plenum mounted to one of said housing and said nozzle base for accommodating said filter.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16 wherein said plenum is located beneath said dirt cup.

18. A dirt container for a vacuum cleaner comprising:

a dirt cup;

a first cyclonic flow chamber located in said dirt cup;

a second cyclonic flow chamber located in said dirt cup, said second chamber being positioned adjacent to and parallel to said first chamber, wherein said first and second chambers are oriented generally vertically;

a first perforated tube and a first separator cone extending in said first chamber;

a second perforated tube and a second separator cone extending in said second chamber, each tube including a plurality of small holes disposed in a side wall of said tube, each tube further including an outwardly flared end wall for retarding an upward flow of dust that has fallen below said end wall, and

an air manifold for directing dirty air to each of said first and second cyclonic flow chambers and directing a flow of cleaned air from each of said first and second cyclonic flow chambers to a suction source of the vacuum cleaner.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18 further comprising a cleaned air outlet passage extending along said dirt cup.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18 wherein said dirt cup comprises a lid, which can be selectively opened to empty said dirt cup.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 20 wherein said lid is located on a top end of said dirt cup and is removable from said dirt cup.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 21 further comprising a latch for selectively securing said lid to said dirt cup.