HANDHELD VACUUM CLEANER

• US 20180333021A1
• Filed: 11/10/2016
• Published: 11/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Bohlen, John, Friend, Richard, Saunders, Joseph, Makarov, Sergey V., Paulla, Kirti Kant
• Granted Patent: US 10,786,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/55 for cleaning appliances, e.g. suction cleaners suction cleaners comprising filters A47L9/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0004 Details of removable closures, lids, caps or filter heads
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2403 characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/64 arranged concentrically or coaxially
• 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 5/103 Bodies or members, e.g. bulkheads, guides, in the vortex chamber cores B04C5/107
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/12 Construction of the overflow ducting, e.g. diffusing or spiral exits
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 9/00 Combinations with other devices, e.g. fans, expansion chambers, diffusors, water lockswith filters B01D50/00

Abstract

A handheld vacuum cleaner includes a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet, a main body including a handle, and a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path. The vacuum cleaner further includes a dirt collection region with an openable bottom and a cyclonic separator in the fluid flow-path. The cyclonic separator includes a cyclone chamber having a first end wall and a second end wall, a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and a cyclone clean fluid outlet. The vacuum cleaner further includes a filter chamber in the fluid flow path downstream from the cyclonic separator and upstream from the fluid flow motor. The filter chamber includes an outlet fluidiy communicating the filter chamber and the fluid flow motor and a tangential inlet fluidiy communicating the cyclonic separator and the filter chamber.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

a main body;

a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;

a dirt collection chamber;

a cyclonic separator in the fluid flow path, the cyclonic separator including a cyclone chamber having a first end and a second end, a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and a cyclone clean fluid outlet; and

a filter chamber and a filter in the fluid flow path downstream from the cyclonic separator and upstream from the fluid flow motor;

wherein the filter chamber includes an outlet fluidly communicating the filter chamber and the fluid flow motor and a tangential inlet fluidly communicating the cyclonic separator and the filter chamber.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, the filter including a cylindrical filter.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the fluid flow path extends through the cylindrical filter in a normal flow orientation.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the filter includes a first cylindrical filter and a second cylindrical filter, the second cylindrical filter being nested within the first cylindrical filter.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, further comprising a gap between the cylindrical filter and an adjacent sidewall of the filter chamber, the gap being in a range from 5 to 10 millimeters.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the fluid flow path through the filter chamber outlet is perpendicular to the fluid flow path through the filter chamber inlet.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein filter chamber outlet includes a circular cross-section and the filter chamber inlet includes a rectangular cross-section.

23. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the filter chamber includes a scroll inlet having the tangential inlet to the filter chamber between 90 and 360 degrees from entry of the scroll inlet.

24. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the filter chamber includes a lid removable to open the filter chamber, and wherein the filter is coupled to the lid.

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the fluid flow motor defines a fluid flow motor axis that is vertical when the vacuum cleaner is positioned on a horizontal surface.

26. The vacuum cleaner of claim 25, wherein the filter chamber defines a filter chamber axis that is coaxial with the fluid flow motor axis.

27. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the fluid flow motor defines a fluid flow motor axis and the filter chamber defines a filter chamber axis that is coaxial with the fluid flow motor axis.

28. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

a main body;

a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;

a dirt collection chamber;

a cyclonic separator in the fluid flow path, the cyclonic separator including, a cyclone chamber having a first end and a second end, a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and a cyclone clean fluid outlet; and

a ramp in the cyclone chamber extending along a sidewall toward the cyclone dirt outlet; and

wherein a beginning of the ramp is spaced from the second end wall and an end of the ramp is positioned at the second end wall of the cyclone chamber.

29. The vacuum cleaner of claim 28, wherein the first end wall and the second end wall of the cyclone chamber both intersect a common horizontal plane when the vacuum cleaner is positioned on a horizontal surface.

30. The vacuum cleaner of claim 28, further comprising:

a downstream duct connected to the cyclone clean fluid outlet in the fluid flow path between the cyclonic separator and the motor; and

an outlet scroll between the cyclone clean fluid outlet and the downstream duct;

wherein the fluid flow path along the cyclone clean fluid outlet is along a first direction and the fluid flow path along the downstream duct is along a second direction different than the first direction.

31. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

a main body;

a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;

a dirt collection chamber;

a cyclonic separator in the fluid flow path, the cyclonic separator including, a cyclone chamber having a first end and a second end, a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and a cyclone clean fluid outlet; and

a downstream duct connected to the cyclone clean fluid outlet in the fluid flow path between the cyclonic separator and the motor; and

an outlet scroll between the cyclone clean fluid outlet and the downstream duct;

wherein the fluid flow path along the cyclone clean fluid outlet is along a first direction and the fluid flow path along the downstream duct is along a second direction different than the first direction.

32. The vacuum cleaner of claim 31, wherein the outlet scroll is configured to change the airflow path from a generally helical airflow along the first direction through the clean fluid outlet to an airflow having less rotation along the second direction through the downstream duct.

33. The vacuum cleaner of claim 31, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.