Portable Cyclonic Dust Collector/Vacuum Cleaner

• US 20110094052A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Witter
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Witter
• Inventors: Witter, Robert M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,393,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/347
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2411 Filter cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2009/002 with external filters
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2009/005 with external rotors, e.g. impeller, ventilator, fan, blower, pump
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/04 Tangential inlets
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/185 Dust collectors

Abstract

A cyclonic portable vacuum cleaner/dust collector for workshop or other use has a conic body that is supported on a hand cart or dolly. A funnel shaped divider plate within the conic body divides it into a cyclonic chamber between the divider plate and the lower nose, and a filter chamber between the divider plate and a motor plate that closes the upper mouth of the conic body. The filter chamber contains a filter cartridge. A vacuum air pump is mounted on the motor plate, and is covered by a shroud or housing. Clean, filtered air is exhausted into the ambient. Process dust settled into a dust collection drum supported beneath the nose of the conic body. A pulse cleaning arrangement serves for periodic filter cleaning. The supporting cart can be wheeled or can use a wall bracket for wall mounting.

Claims

1. A portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner, comprising;

a conic body having a conic wall, and upper plate closing off a wide upper end of said conic wall, and a narrow nose at a lower end of the conic wall, said upper plate having an air passage therein;

a divider plate affixed within said conic body at a level midway between said lower end and said upper end thereof, defining a cyclonic chamber between the divider plate and the nose of the conic body, and defining a filter chamber between the divider plate and said upper plate at the upper end of the conic body, the divider plate having a central passage, and a vortex tube descending from said central passage into the cyclonic chamber;

an air inlet conduit penetrating said conic wall below said divider plate and adapted to introduce into said cyclonic chamber a flow of air in which dust particles are entrained, the air inlet conduit being adapted to attach to a flexible vacuum hose;

a dust collection drum positioned below said nose and having a lid closing off a top of the dust barrel, the lid having a dust inlet opening;

a dust conduit coupling the nose of the conic body to the inlet opening of the lid such that dust separated in the cyclonic chamber from said flow of air drops from said nose, through said conduit, into the dust collection drum, the conduit forming a dust seal with said nose and said lid to block leakage of external air into the cyclonic chamber and said drum;

an air filter mounted on said upper plate covering said air passage and suspended within said filter chamber, and adapted to filter air that enters the filter chamber from the central passage of said divider plate, before the air leaves through the air passage of said upper plate;

a vacuum blower supported upon said upper plate and having an inlet opening that communicates with the air passage of said upper plate; and

a carriage including a frame on which said dust collection drum and said conic body are supported.

2. The cyclonic dust collection arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said final filter cartridge includes a cylindrical cartridge filter.

3. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 2 comprising means securing the final filter cartridge sealably against an under side of said upper plate and surrounding said air passage.

4. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said conic body includes a mounting ring affixed at an inner periphery of the wide upper end of said conic wall, with said upper plate resting atop said mounting ring, and with an annular gasket disposed between the mounting ring and a periphery of said upper plate.

5. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, comprising a plurality of clamps disposed around the periphery of the wide upper end of said conic wall for releasably clamping said upper plate against the mounting ring with the gasket compressed therebetween.

6. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said vacuum blower has a vertical rotary axis and the inlet conduit thereof is disposed on said rotary axis and extends through the air passage of said upper plate.

7. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said divider plate is in the form of a shallow cone that slopes downward from the periphery towards the central passage thereof.

8. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 comprising a shroud disposed atop said upper plate and containing said vacuum blower, including vent openings to permit exhaust air from said blower to escape to the ambient.

9. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 8 wherein said shroud includes a generally cylindrical housing, and a layer of a sound absorbent material disposed on an interior wall of the housing.

10. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the frame of said carriage includes a horizontal base portion supporting said dust collection drum, a pair of generally vertical rails rising from said base member and extending along said conic body, each said rail having a respective strut extending towards said conic body, and a pair of brace members each associated with a respective one of said struts, and each being affixed at one end to an upper part of the conic body, and being attached to the respective one of said struts.

11. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said dust conduit includes a flexible tubular collar having a lower portion supported on the lid of said dust barrel, and an upper end fitted onto the nose of said conic body.

12. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 comprising a reverse air pulse feature including an opening in said upper plate, a plug member removably seated upon said opening for normally blocking passage of air through said opening, biasing means for urging said plug member into a seated condition on the opening of the upper plate, a handle disposed outside said conic body, and linkage means connecting said handle to said plug member for manually unseating the plug member from the opening, whereupon when the handle is released the biasing means returns the plug member back to said opening.

13. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 12 wherein said divider plate is in the form of a shallow cone that slopes downward from the periphery towards the central passage thereof to facilitate passage of dust, loosened from said air filter by means of said reverse air pulse feature, downward into the dust collection drum.

14. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, said support carriage including a pair of wheel members at a base of said frame.

15. The portable cyclonic vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said support carriage includes means on said frame for mounting the frame onto a vertical surface.