Multistage Cyclonic Separating Apparatus

• US 20090031524A1
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: Comiciaga-Pereda, Ricardo, Dyson, James, Courtney, Stephen Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 7,867,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/347
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1633 Concentric cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/24 Multiple arrangement thereof combination types according to other /00 groups, B04C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/26 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A cyclonic separating apparatus includes a first cyclonic separating unit including at least one first cyclone, a second cyclonic separating unit located downstream of the first cyclonic separating unit and including a plurality of second cyclones arranged in parallel, and a third cyclonic separating unit located downstream of the second cyclonic separating unit and including a plurality of third cyclones arranged in parallel. The number of second cyclones is higher than the number of first cyclones and the number of third cyclones is higher than the number of second cyclones, providing an apparatus which achieves a higher separation efficiency than known separation apparatus.

Claims

1. A cyclonic separating apparatus, comprising:

a first cyclonic separating unit including at least one first cyclone;

a second cyclonic separating unit located downstream of the first cyclonic separating unit and including a plurality of second cyclones arranged in parallel; and

a third cyclonic separating unit located downstream of the second cyclonic separating unit and including a plurality of third cyclones arranged in parallel;

wherein a number of second cyclones is higher than a number of first cyclones and a number of third cyclones is higher than the number of second cyclones.

2. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first cyclonic separating unit comprises a single first cyclone.

3. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein each first cyclone is substantially cylindrical.

4. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second cyclones are substantially identical to one another and the third cyclones are substantially identical to one another.

5. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein each second and third cyclone is tapering in shape.

6. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 5, wherein each second and third cyclone is frusto-conical.

7. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the angle of taper of each second cyclone is greater than the angle of taper of each third cyclone.

8. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein each second cyclone has at least two inlets which communicate with the first cyclonic separating unit.

9. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the inlets to each second cyclone are circumferentially spaced about an axis of the relevant second cyclone.

10. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein each cyclonic separating unit has a collector which can be emptied simultaneously with other collectors.

11. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising additional cyclonic separating units downstream of the third separating unit, each additional cyclonic separating unit including a plurality of further cyclones arranged in parallel and a number of further cyclones being greater than the number of cyclones included in the cyclonic separating unit immediately upstream thereof.

13. A vacuum cleaner comprising the cyclonic separation apparatus of claim 1 or 2.

14. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second cyclones are substantially identical to one another and the third cyclones are substantially identical to one another.

15. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 14, wherein each second and third cyclone is tapering in shape.

16. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 15, wherein each second and third cyclone is frusto-conical.

17. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 16, wherein the angle of taper of each second cyclone is greater than the angle of taper of each third cyclone.

18. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 4, wherein each second cyclone has at least two inlets which communicate with the first cyclonic separating unit.

19. The cyclonic separating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inlets to each second cyclone are circumferentially spaced about an axis of the relevant second cyclone.

12. (canceled)