Vacuum cleaner having cyclonic separator

• US 9,775,483 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Rukavina, Douglas M., Redinger, Matthew, Aviles, Juan, Friend, Richard, Nabors, William
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US14/920,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20160113461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 15353, 55337, 55345, 55336, 55DIG 3
• 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: B01D 45/12 by centrifugal forces centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner including a debris separator having a cyclonic separator including a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end, the cylindrical wall located in within the housing, the cyclonic separator further including a dirty air inlet, a clean air outlet, an end wall at the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a debris outlet adjacent the second end of the cylindrical wall. The debris separator further includes a lid coupled to an upper end of the housing, a debris collection chamber located within the housing and in fluid communication with the debris outlet of the cyclonic separator, and a door coupled to a lower end of the housing to empty the debris collection chamber through the lower end of the housing. A portion of the cyclonic separator is removable from the housing through the lower end of the housing.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a suction nozzle;

a suction source operable to generate an airflow through the vacuum cleaner from the suction nozzle through a debris separator to a clean air exhaust;

the debris separator operable to separate debris from the airflow, the debris separator including

a housing having a upper end and a lower end,

a cyclonic separator including a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end, the cylindrical wall located in within the housing, the cyclonic separator further including a dirty air inlet, a clean air outlet, an end wall at the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a debris outlet adjacent the second end of the cylindrical wall,

a lid coupled to the upper end of the housing,

a debris collection chamber located within the housing and in fluid communication with the debris outlet of the cyclonic separator,

a door coupled to the lower end of the housing and movable from a closed position to an open position to empty the debris collection chamber through the lower end of the housing, and

wherein a portion of the cyclonic separator is removable from the housing through the lower end of the housing, wherein the portion of the cyclonic separator moves relative to the door when the door is in the closed position.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the lid is fixed to the upper end of the housing such that the lid is immovable relative to the housing.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the debris collection chamber is adjacent the cyclonic separator in generally a side-by-side arrangement.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the debris separator includes a latch that removably couples the debris separator to the vacuum cleaner.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the end wall of the cyclonic separator is a first end wall, wherein the lid forms a second end wall of the cyclonic separator at the second end of the cylindrical wall.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the second end wall defines a portion of the debris outlet.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the portion of the cyclonic separator that is removable from the housing through the lower end of the housing includes the end wall of the cyclonic separator.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the clean air outlet extends through the end wall.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the cyclonic separator includes a perforated tube located within the cylindrical wall, the perforated tube extending from the end wall of the cyclonic separator and forming the clean air outlet.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the perforated tube is removable through the lower end of the housing.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the cylindrical wall is not removable from the housing through the lower end of the housing with the end wall.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the cyclonic separator includes a seal between the end wall and the cylindrical wall.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 12, wherein the seal is coupled to the end wall and removable with the end wall through the lower end of the housing.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the debris separator includes a clean air duct that extends from the clean air outlet to the lower end of the housing between the clean air outlet and the suction source, and wherein the clean air duct is removable from the lower end of the housing.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein a housing portion removable with the clean air duct surrounds at least a portion of the clean air duct.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein the debris separator includes a latch that couples the housing portion and the clean air duct to the housing.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein a portion of the latch extends through an aperture in the housing to couple the housing portion and the clean air duct to the housing.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dirty air inlet is adjacent the end wall of the cyclonic separator.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cyclonic separator includes a longitudinal axis along the cylindrical wall extending in generally a vertical orientation.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, wherein the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the upper end of the housing and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part between the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, and the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the lid forming the second end wall of the cyclonic separator, and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part by the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, and the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the lid forming the second end wall of the cyclonic separator, and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part by the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

23. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, and the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the lid forming the second end wall of the cyclonic separator, and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part by the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

24. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, and the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the lid forming the second end wall of the cyclonic separator, and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part by the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the housing includes an inner wall that extends from the lower end toward the upper end of the housing, and the debris outlet is located between the inner wall and the lid forming the second end wall of the cyclonic separator, and the debris collection chamber is bounded in part by the inner wall and outer walls of the housing.

26. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a conduit between the suction nozzle and the debris separator and a seal coupled to the conduit, wherein the housing of the debris separator includes an aperture adjacent the dirty air inlet of the cyclonic separator, wherein the seal extends through the aperture of the housing and contacts the cylindrical wall of the cyclonic separator to provide fluid communication between the conduit and the dirty air inlet.