Vacuum cleaner

• US 7,306,640 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuroki, Yoshiki, Yamaguchi, Seiji, Kato, Tomonori, Okushima, Masashi, Shimizu, Yuichi, Mitani, Tomomi, Mori, Hiroshi, Odachi, Toru, Onishi, Yoshiaki, Kitamura, Hidenori, Miyahara, Toshifumi, Ogawa, Takaaki, Nagaoka, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): HOPKINS, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US10/690,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 553/37, 553/42, 553/45, 554/18, 554/28, 554/67, 55D/IG.3
• US Class Current: 55/337
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/102 Dust separators cyclones A47L9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1633 Concentric cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a first dirt separation unit and a second dirt separation unit. The first dirt separation unit has a first inlet port through which a suction air stream including dirt particles is introduced thereinto, and the second dirt separation unit has a second inlet port through which the air stream introduced into the first dirt separation unit is introduced into the second dirt separation. The first and the second inlet port are disposed such that they are not registered with each other. Accordingly, the dirt particles suctioned are separated in two stages, thereby decreasing the possibility of occlusion of a filter and rapid deterioration of a suction force.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a first dirt separation unit having a first inlet port through which a suction air stream including dirt particles is introduced thereinto; and

a second dirt separation unit having a second inlet port through which the air stream introduced in the first dirt separation unit is introduced into the second dirt separation,

wherein the first and the second inlet port are disposed not to face each other, and

wherein a filter is installed on the second inlet port of the second dirt separation unit.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein a guide member is provided for circulating the air stream introduced into the first dirt separation unit.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first dirt separation unit separates dirt particles from the air stream by using a centrifugal force thereof.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second dirt separation unit has an outer wall portion defining a substantially circular space, and an inner wall portion for circulating the suction air stream including dirt particles is disposed along the outer wall portion.

5. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a first dirt separation unit having a first inlet port through which a suction air stream including dirt particles is introduced thereinto;

a second dirt separation unit having a second inlet port through which the air stream introduced into the first dirt separation unit is introduced into the second dirt separation; and

an electric blower for generating the suction air stream,

wherein the second dirt separation unit communicates with the electric blower through a first communication opening and the first dirt separation unit communicates with the electric blower through a second communication opening.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein a filter is installed on each of the second inlet port of the second dirt separation unit, the first communication opening and the second communication opening.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein a mesh size of the filter installed on the first communication opening is equal to or less than that of the filter installed on the second inlet port of the second dirt separation unit.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein a mesh size of the filter installed on the second communication opening is equal to or less than that of the filter installed on the second inlet port of the second dirt separation unit.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein a filter is installed on the second inlet port of the second dirt separation unit.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein a guide member is provided for circulating the air stream introduced into the first dirt separation unit.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the first dirt separation unit separates dirt particles from the air stream by using a centrifugal force thereof.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, further comprising a dirt collecting cover having the first communication opening which communicates with the second dirt separation unit, the dirt collecting cover being disposed on a downstream side of the second dirt separation unit, wherein the dirt collecting cover is detachably connected to the second dirt separation unit.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the second dirt separation unit has an outer wall portion defining a substantially circular space, and an inner wall portion for circulating the suction air stream including dirt particles is disposed along the outer wall portion.

14. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a first dirt separation unit having a first inlet port through which a suction air stream including dirt particles is introduced thereinto;

a second dirt separation unit having a second inlet port through which the air stream introduced in the first dirt separation unit is introduced into the second dirt separation; and

a dirt collecting cover having a first communication opening which communicates with the second dirt separation unit, the dirt collecting cover being disposed on a downstream side of the second dirt separation unit, wherein the dirt collecting cover is detachably connected to the second dirt separation unit,

wherein the first and the second inlet port are disposed not to face each other.

15. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a first dirt separation unit having a first inlet port through which a suction air stream including dirt particles is introduced thereinto; and

a second dirt separation unit having a second inlet port through which the air stream introduced in the first dirt separation unit is introduced into the second dirt separation,

wherein the first and the second inlet port are disposed not to face each other,

wherein the first dirt separation unit separates dirt particles from the air stream by using a centrifugal force thereof, and

wherein the first dirt separation unit has a plurality of accumulation sections in which dirt particles separated are accumulated.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, wherein dirt particles separated in the first dirt separation unit are accumulated in the respective accumulation sections depending on their densities.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the first dirt separation unit has a high-dense dirt accumulation section in which dirt particles of high density separated from the suction air stream therein are accumulated, and a low-dense dirt accumulation section in which dirt particles of low density separated from the suction air stream therein are accumulated, the high-dense dirt accumulation section being located farther from the first inlet port of the first dirt separation unit than the low-dense dirt accumulation section.

18. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

an electric blower for generating a suction air stream

a suction inlet unit for suctioning dirt particles by the suction air stream; and

a dirt collecting unit for separating and trapping the dirt particles from the suction air stream, wherein the dirt collecting unit includes a bulky dirt containing chamber having an inlet port through which the suction air stream from the suction inlet unit is introduced thereinto and a fine dirt separation chamber for separating from the suction air stream dirt particles passing through the bulky dirt containing chamber,

wherein the bulky dirt containing chamber communicates with the fine dirt separation chamber through a filter.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18, wherein the fine dirt separation chamber is a centrifugal separation chamber in which dirt particles are centrifugally separated from the suctioning air stream.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18, further comprising a dirt containing chamber including the bulky dirt containing chamber for accommodating dirt particles separated by the bulky dirt trapping member and a fine dirt containing chamber for accommodating dirt particles separated in the fine dirt separation chamber, and a dirt containing chamber lid openably covering the dirt containing chamber, wherein when the dirt containing chamber lid is opened, the bulky dirt containing chamber and the fine dirt containing chamber are simultaneously opened to outside.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18, further comprising a dirt containing chamber including the bulky dirt containing chamber for accommodating dirt particles separated by the filter and a fine dirt containing chamber for accommodating dirt particles separated in the fine dirt separation chamber, and a dirt containing chamber lid openably covering the dirt containing chamber, wherein when the dirt containing chamber lid is opened, the bulky dirt containing chamber and the fine dirt containing chamber are simultaneously opened to outside.