VACUUM CLEANER

• US 20090313783A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukumoto, Masami, Murakami, Makoto, Nakano, Koichi, Kouda, Tetsuya, Hirota, Masanobu
• Application Number:
  US11/913,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313783A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1675 movable, revolving or rotary
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/20 Means for cleaning filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/26 Incorporation of winding devices for electric cables devices specially adapted for repeatedly paying-out or re-storing cables B65H75/34; arrangements of electrical cables or lines between relatively-movable parts H02G11/00

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner is disclosed, and this cleaner maintains sucking power at a high level while it resists lowering the suction force although it sucks dust. The vacuum cleaner includes a cylindrical dust collecting case which takes air in sucked by an electric air blower and including dust. The case includes a suction port through which the air including dust flows into the case along a tangent line, and a dust collector communicates with the port. A dust filter in the case is placed in an air-duct through which the case communicates with the electric air blower. This structure allows whirling airflow in the case to whirl continuously in the case, so that dust can be removed from the filter even if the dust attaches to the filter. As a result, sucking airflow can be always secured.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

an electric air blower;

a dust separator disposed on an upper stream side of the electric air blower for taking air in, which air is sucked by the electric air blower and includes dust; and

a dust collector for accommodating the dust separated by the dust separator,

wherein the dust separator includes a whirling airflow air-duct for running the air, which is taken in through a suction port and includes the dust, as whirling airflow, and a dust filter forming at least a part of the whirling airflow air-duct, and

wherein the dust filter is surrounded by a space, on which suction force of the electric air blower acts, and an air vent of the dust filter is disposed nearer to the dust collector than to the suction port so that the whirling airflow can be generated toward the dust collector.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the whirling airflow air-duct is provided with the dust filter at an entire circumference.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust collector is disposed below the dust filter.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the whirling airflow air-duct forms an approximately cylindrical shape, and the suction port is disposed along a tangent line of the approximately cylindrical shape.

5. The vacuum cleaner of any one of claims 1-4, wherein a main air-duct is formed in the space surrounding the circumference of the dust filter, and the suction force of the electric air blower acts on the circumference of the dust filter through the main air-duct.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the dust collector includes a sub air-duct on which the suction force of the air blower acts.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the sub air-duct runs from the dust collector through the dust filter and reaches an exterior of the dust filter.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein a third dust filter is disposed in the sub air-duct.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the dust filter includes at least a first dust filter for catching rough dust on an upper stream side of sucking airflow, and a second dust filter disposed outer circumference of the first dust filter and on a downstream side of the sucking airflow for catching fine dust.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the dust collector includes a sub air-duct on which the suction force of the electric air blower acts.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the main air-duct runs from the whirling airflow air-duct to circumference of the dust separator via the first dust filter and the second dust filter, and the sub air-duct runs from the dust collector to the circumference of the dust separator via a third dust filter and the second dust filter.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the third dust filter catches rough dust.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the first dust filter includes at least one of punching metal, metal mesh, and resin mesh.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the second dust filter shapes like a cylinder formed by rounding a pleated member.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein the pleated member shapes like letter U and rounded inward at outside of the cylindrical second dust filter.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust filter rotates.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first dust filter and the second dust filter rotates.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the first dust filter rotates in step with the second dust filter.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a dust removing means for removing dust attaching to the dust filter.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16 further comprising a dust removing means brought into contact with the dust filter rotating.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17 further comprising a dust removing means which is brought into contact with at least one of the first dust filter and the second dust filter rotating, wherein the dust removing means vibrates the contacted dust filter for removing dust attaching to the contacted dust filter.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17 further comprising a dust removing means which is brought into contact with at least one of the first dust filter and the second dust filter rotating, wherein the dust removing means removes dust attaching to the contacted dust filter by scraping or rubbing off the dust from the contacted dust filter.

23. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the dust removing means moves while it contacts the dust filter for removing dust attaching to the filter by vibrating the filter, or scraping or rubbing off the dust from the filter.

24. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the third dust filter shapes like a truncated cone having a lower diameter greater than an upper diameter, and the truncated cone opens at its upper end and lower end.

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust filter shapes like a truncated cone having a lower diameter greater than an upper diameter.

26. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein an opening is disposed at a part of the third dust filter, and a dust removing means is disposed near the opening, a dust chamber communicating with the opening is disposed in the dust collector, and dust removed by the dust removing means passes through the opening before it is accommodated in the dust chamber.

27. The vacuum cleaner of claim 26, wherein the dust chamber has a vent hole communicating with the dust collector, and a fourth dust filter is disposed to the vent hole.

28. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust collector opens its bottom for discharging the dust.

29. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dust separator and the dust collector at least in part is formed of see-through material.

30. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the dust filter is formed of see-through material.