Vacuum cleaner

• US 4,172,710 A
• Filed: 11/25/1977
• Issued: 10/30/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: van der Molen, Jacobus H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacey, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/854,780
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 55/339, 55/401, 55/403, 55/408, 55/409, 55/459 R, 55/DIG. 3, 55/340, 55/337, 55/470, 55/472, 15/353, 209/144
• US Class Current: 55/340
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1633 Concentric cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprising a first whirl chamber for receiving dust-laden air and separating heavy and light dust particles therefrom, a second whirl chamber communicating at its inlet end with said first whirl chamber for receiving air therefrom and concentrating very light dust particles in said air, an intermediate chamber arranged at the outlet end of the second whirl chamber for receiving the very light dust particle-containing air therefrom, and a separate air-passage connection between the intermediate chamber and the first whirl chamber for return of said very light dust particle-containing air thereto.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner which comprises a first whirl chamber, a motor, a compressor impeller rotatably driven by said motor to pull air through said first whirl chamber, means to introduce air laden with heavy, light, and very light dust particles into said first whirl chamber in a manner to impart a rotary motion to said air to substantially separate the heavy and light dust particles therefrom, a dust-collection compartment positioned and arranged with respect to said first whirl chamber for reception of said separated dust particles, a second whirl chamber having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inlet end communicating with said first whirl chamber, vanes rotatably mounted to said motor and positioned in the inlet end of said second whirl chamber to impart a rotary motion to the very light dust particle-laden air entering thereinto, said vanes being driven by said motor, the length of said second whirl chamber being sufficient to assure that all of the very light dust particles reach the inner wall of said second whirl chamber, an intermediate chamber arranged at the outlet end of said second whirl chamber for reception of the very light dust particle-containing air, a separate impeller rotatably mounted to said motor and positioned in said intermediate chamber and driven by said motor, said second whirl chamber having at its outlet end a centrally disposed outlet tube extending through said intermediate chamber for passage of substantially dust-free air to the compressor impeller, an annular opening situated around said outlet tube and communicating with said intermediate chamber, and air-passage means separately connecting said intermediate chamber with the first whirl chamber for return of the very light dust particle-containing air thereto.

2. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, in which the separate impeller is secured to the centrally disposed outlet tube.

3. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, in which the second whirl chamber is centrally disposed within the first whirl chamber, the intermediate chamber is separated from the first whirl chamber by a partition, and the separate air-passage connecting means between the intermediate chamber and the first whirl chamber air-passage openings formed in said partition.

4. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, in which the second whirl chamber, the intermediate chamber, and the compressor impeller are assembled to form a unit arranged separately from the first whirl chamber, and the separate air-passage connecting means between the intermediate chamber and the first whirl chamber comprises a duct tangentially joined to the first whirl chamber.