Vacuum cleaning appliance

• US 4,593,429 A
• Filed: 08/14/1984
• Issued: 06/10/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Prototypes Limited
• Inventors: Dyson, James
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/640,758
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 15/331, 15/334, 15/335, 15/353, 55/345, 55/357, 55/429, 55/439, 55/472, 55/436, 55/459 R, 55/DIG. 3, 209/144, 210/512.1, 210/512.2
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1633 Concentric cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaning appliance comprises a lower efficiency cyclone unit and a high efficiency cyclone unit connected in series. This enables both large and fine dirt particles to be dealt with.

Claims

1. A portable vacuum cleaning appliance comprising:

(a) an outer cyclone comprising a bottom and a substantially cylindrical casing extending to and meeting said bottom, said casing defining a substantially cylindrical interior surface which acts as a substantially constant cross-sectional dirt rotation surface for said outer cyclone throughout its length, a dirty air inlet at an upper portion of the casing spaced from the bottom and oriented to supply dirt laden air tangentially to the interior surface, and an outer cyclone air inlet communicating with the interior of the outer cyclone;

(b) an inner cyclone inside the outer cyclone having an upper end and a lower end smaller than the upper end and comprising an air inlet oriented to supply air tangentially thereto and disposed at the upper end thereof in air communication through a passage with the air outlet of the outer cyclone, the inner cyclone being of frusto-conical shape for maintaining the velocity of the air flow, and an inner cyclone air outlet communicating with the interior of the inner cyclone, the inner cyclone being separated from air flow connection with the outer cyclone except for the air inlet to the inner cyclone;

(c) a vacuum cleaner casing supporting the outer cyclone and mounted on wheels;

(d) a floor contacting cleaning head mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing including a brushing member extending transversely of the head driven by a belt attached to a shaft of a motor mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing adjacent the head;

(e) a handle mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing for moving the appliance across the floor;

(f) an air entry means providing an air flow path from the cleaning head adjacent the floor to the dirty air inlet at the upper portion of the outer cyclone;

(g) an air exit means providing a clean air flow path from the inner cyclone air outlet to the vacuum cleaner casing adjacent the cleaning head; and

(h) fan means driven by the motor for generating an air flow connected to the air exit means, wherein the air passes through the cleaning head, the air entry means, the dirty air inlet, the outer cyclone, the outer cyclone air outlet, the passage, the inner cyclone and the inner cyclone air outlet, the air exit means, the air flow rotating around the interior surface of the outer cyclone, the exterior of the inner cyclone and the interior of the inner cyclone, the outer cyclone being of lower efficiency in removing small particles of dirt from dirt laden air than the inner cyclone.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the interior surface of the outer cyclone is cylindrical.

3. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 1, wherein the outer cyclone is supported on the vacuum cleaning casing between the dirty air inlet and the inner cyclone air outlet.

4. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 1 wherein the inner cyclone further comprises a generally circular cross-sectioned portion which extends to the bottom of the outer cyclone from the lower end of the inner cyclone and wherein the circular cross-sectioned portion collects dirt from the inner cyclone.

5. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 4, wherein the generally circular cross-sectioned portion surrounds the lower end of the inner cyclone so that a part of the inner cyclone projects into the circular cross-sectioned portion.

6. A portable vacuum cleaning appliance comprising:

(a) an outer cyclone comprising a bottom and a substantially cylindrical cyclone casing extending to and meeting said bottom, said casing defining a substantially cylindrical interior surface which acts as a substantially constant cross-sectional dirt rotation surface for said outer cyclone throughout its length, a dirty air inlet at an upper portion of the casing spaced from the bottom and oriented to supply dirt laden air tangentially to the interior surface, and an outer cyclone air outlet communicating with the interior of the outer cyclone;

(b) an inner cyclone disposed concentric with and inside said outer cyclone having an upper end and a lower end smaller than the upper end, said inner cyclone comprising an air inlet which oriented to supply air tangentially thereto and disposed at the upper end thereof in air communication through a passage with said air outlet of said outer cyclone, the inner cyclone being of frusto-conical shape for maintaining the velocity of the air flow, and an inner cyclone air outlet communicating with the interior of said inner cyclone, the inner cyclone being separated from air flow connection with the outer cyclone except for the air inlet to the inner cyclone;

(c) a vacuum cleaner casing supporting the outer cyclone and mounted on wheels;

(d) a floor contacting cleaning head mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing including a brushing member extending transversely of the head and drivey by a belt attached to a shaft of a motor mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing adjacent the head;

(e) a handle mounted on the vacuum cleaner casing for moving the appliance across the floor;

(f) an air entry means providing an air flow path from the cleaning head adjacent the floor to the dirty air inlet at the upper portion of the outer cyclone;

(g) an air exit means providing a clean air flow path from the inner cyclone air outlet to the vacuum cleaner casing adjacent the cleaning head; and

(h) fan means driven by the motor for generating an air flow connected to the air exit means wherein the air passes sequentially through the cleaning head, the air entry means, and the dirty air inlet, the outer cyclone, the outer cyclone air outlet, the passage, the inner cyclone and the inner cyclone air outlet, the air exit means, the air flow rotating around the interior surface of the outer cyclone, the exterior of the inner cyclone and the interior of the inner cyclone, the outer cyclone being of lower efficiency in removing small particles of dirt from dirt laden air than the inner cyclone.

7. The appliance of claim 6 wherein the interior surface of the outer cyclone is cylindrical.

8. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 6, wherein the outer cyclone is supported on the casing between the air entry and the air exit means.

9. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 6 wherein the inner cyclone further comprises a generally circular cross-sectioned portion which extends to the bottom of the outer cyclone from the lower end of the inner cyclone and wherein the circular cross-sectioned portion collects dirt from the inner cyclone.

10. The vacuum cleaning appliance of claim 9, wherein the circular cross-sectioned portion surrounds the lower end of the inner cyclone so that a part of the inner cyclone projects into the circular cross-sectioned portion.

11. In a portable vacuum cleaning appliance for picking up dirt, the improvement which comprises:

(a) an outer cyclone comprising a bottom and a substantially cylindrical cyclone casing extending to and meeting said bottom, said cyclone casing defining a substantially cylindrical interior surface which acts as a substantially constant cross-sectional dirt rotation surface for said outer cyclone throughout its length and an upper portion spaced from the bottom, a first passage leading to a dirty air inlet provided at the upper portion of the cyclone casing leading into said casing and oriented to supply dirt laden air tangentially to and on the interior surface and an air outlet from the interior of the casing provided adjacent the upper portion of the cyclone casing;

(b) an inner cyclone having an upper end and a lower end smaller than the upper end disposed inside the outer cyclone and having a frusto-conical shape and with an opening at the lower end spaced from the bottom of the outer cyclone, the inner cyclone having an air inlet in communication through a second passage with the air outlet of the outer cyclone and oriented to supply air tangentially into the inner cyclone and an air outlet adjacent the upper end of the inner cyclone for outlet of clean air from the inner cyclone, the inner cyclone being separated from air flow connection with the outer cyclone except for the air inlet to the inner cyclone;

(c) a dependent portion positioned around the opening at the lower end of the inner cyclone and extending to the bottom of the outer cyclone for collecting dirt from the inner cyclone;

(d) fan means driven by a motor for generating an air flow mounted on the appliance which passes first through the first passage into the outer cyclone to remove larger dirt particles and then through the second passage to the inner cyclone to remove smaller dirt particles and then is removed as clean air; and

(e) means for picking up dirt connected to the first passage.

12. The appliance of claim 11 wherein the inner and outer cyclones are concentric.

13. A filterless and bagless upright vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a vacuum cleaner casing;

wheels connected with said vacuum cleaner casing, and supporting said vacuum cleaner casing for rolling movement across a floor surface to be cleaned;

a cleaning head with a brushing member extending transversely across the head driven by a belt attached to a shaft of motor means mounted on the casing adjacent the head,

said cleaning head being mounted on said vacuum cleaner casing, whereby said cleaning head is normally maintained in engagement with the floor surface to be cleaned, at least in its normal upright vacuum cleaning mode;

a handle connected with said vacuum cleaner casing to facilitate moving said vacuum cleaner casing over the floor surface;

a large particle depositing cyclone comprising a bottom and a substantially cylindrical casing extending to and meeting said bottom, said casing defining a cylindrical interior surface which acts as a substantially constant cross-sectional dirt rotation surface for said large particle depositing cyclone throughout its length, the cyclone casing having upper and lower ends,;

the lower end of said large-particle cyclone casing having an imperforate bottom sealingly closing the same to define a first dust bin;

the upper end of said large-particle cyclone casing having an inlet in communication through a passage with a cleaning head and oriented to direct a stream of dirt-laden air from the cleaning head tangentially against the interior surface of said large-particle cyclone casing, and downwardly toward the bottom thereof in a helical current, whereby relatively large-particles suspended in the dirt-laden air are forced radially outwardly against the interior surface of the large-particle cyclone casing under centrifugal forces, and are thence carried downwardly along the interior surface of the large-particle cyclone casing into the first dust bin as the air current travels along its helical course;

a small-particle depositing inner cyclone located inside said large particle depositing cyclone casing, and including a generally frustoconically-shaped body with upper and lower ends, and with the lower end having a diameter smaller than the upper end and defining an open end;

said small-particle depositing inner cyclone being oriented with the lower end directed downwardly;

the lower end of said small-particle depositing inner cyclone having a dependent portion sealingly closing the same to define a second dust bin;

the upper end of said small-particle depositing inner cyclone having an inlet oriented to direct a stream of partially cleaned air from said large-particle depositing cyclone casing tangentially into said small-particle depositing inner cyclone, and downwardly toward the dependent portion thereof in a spiralling, cyclone current, whereby relatively small-particles suspended in the partially cleaned air stream are forced radially outwardly against said small-particle depositing inner cyclone under centrifugal forces, and are carried downwardly into the second dust bin as the air stream travels along its spiralling, cyclonic course;

said large particle depositing cyclone casing and small-particle depositing inner cyclone each having an outlet disposed downstream of the respective inlet;

a passage operatively communicating the outlet of said large-particle depositing cyclone casing with the inlet of said small-particle depositing inner cyclone;

fan means in communication with said outlet of said small particle depositing cyclone and mounted on the shaft of motor means for creating a vacuum in the passage communication with said cleaning head, and flowing air into and through said large-particle depositing cyclone casing and small-particle depositing inner cyclone and the outlet of the inner cyclone, whereby both large and small dirt-particles are sequentially substantially removed from the dirt-laden air by virtue of the cyclonic cleaning action of said large-particle depositing cyclone casing and small-particle depositing inner cyclone, without any bags.

14. An upright vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

said small-particle depositing inner cyclone is positioned concentric with, and partially within said large-particle depositing cyclone casing.