Cyclone dust collecting chamber for a vacuum cleaner

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to an upright-type vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for the upright vacuum cleaner, which uses centrifugal force to collect contaminants from the air that is drawn into the vacuum cleaner.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Generally, an upright-type vacuum cleaner includes a suction brush that is movably connected to a cleaner body. The suction brush moves along a cleaning surface during the cleaning process. The cleaner body includes a dust collecting chamber having a detachable dust filter disposed therein, and a motor operating chamber having a motor for generating a suction force. When the motor operates, it generates a strong suction force at the suction brush. Accordingly, contaminants, such as dust or dirt, on the cleaning surface are drawn in together with air into the cleaner body. The contaminants entrained in the air are filtered through the dust filter that is disposed in the dust collecting chamber of the cleaner body, and the clean air is discharged back into the room through the motor operating chamber.

[0006] Conventional vacuum cleaners, however, collect contaminants with the use of a consumable dust filter. When the dust filter is filled with contaminants, the dust filter must be replaced manually. Manual replacement of a dust filter is inconvenient and can result in poor sanitation conditions.

[0007] The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for an upright-type vacuum cleaner for centrifuging and collecting contaminants from the air that is drawn into the vacuum cleaner through a suction brush.

[0008] The above object is accomplished by a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for the vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body, a suction brush, cyclone dust collecting means, and filtering means. The cleaner body includes a dust collecting chamber having an air intake port and an air discharge port, a motor operating chamber having a motor, and an air discharge path for communication between the dust collecting chamber and the motor operating chamber. The suction brush is pivotally connected to the cleaner body and moves along the cleaning surface, drawing in air and contaminants by a suction force generated by the motor. The cyclone dust collecting means, which is detachably mounted in the dust collecting chamber, inducing the air into a vortex, thereby separating by centrifugal force larger particle contaminants from the air and collecting the separated contaminants. The filtering means is removably disposed in the air discharge path to filter out fine contaminants from the air, which flows from the cyclone dust collecting means into the motor operating chamber.

[0009] The cyclone dust collecting means includes a cyclone body having a centrifuging body for inducing the air and contaminants that are drawn into an upper open end of the cyclone body into a vortex and separating the contaminants from the air by centrifugal force. The cyclone dust collecting means further includes a dust receptacle for collecting and storing the separated contaminants, and a cover removably coupled to the open upper end of the cyclone body. The cover includes an air intake channel and an air discharge channel. The air intake channel communicates with the air intake port of the dust collecting chamber, and the air discharge channel communicates with the air discharge port.

[0010] The filtering means includes a filter and a filter case. The filter case, is detachably disposed between the dust collecting chamber and the motor operating chamber, receives the filter and has an opening, which communicates with the air discharge path, and vents which communicate with the motor operating chamber.

[0011] The above object and other features and advantages of the present invention will be clarified by the following detailed description and the attached drawings, in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an upright-type vacuum cleaner having a cyclone dust collecting device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cyclone dust collecting device of FIG. 1; and

[0014] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the upright-type vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 in an assembled state.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, an upright-type vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body 10, a suction brush 20 movably connected to a lower portion of the cleaner body 10, a cyclone dust collecting device 30 removably mounted in the cleaner body 10, and a filtering device 40 for filtering fine contaminants.

[0016] The cleaner body 10 has a dust collecting chamber 11, in which the cyclone dust collecting device 20 is mounted, a motor operating chamber 12, in which a motor (not shown) is installed, and a filtering chamber 13, in which the filtering device 40 is removably mounted. An air intake port 11aand an air discharge port 11bare formed in the dust collecting chamber 11. The air intake port 11acommunicates with the suction brush 20 through an air intake path 14 disposed in the cleaner body 10. Accordingly, contaminants entrained in the air that is drawn in through the suction brush 20 are drawn into the air intake port 11avia the air intake path 14. The air discharge port 11bcommunicates with the motor operating chamber 12 via an air discharge path 15, also disposed in the cleaner body 10. That is, the air discharge path 15 communicates with the motor operating chamber 12 through the filtering chamber 13. Accordingly, the air is discharged through the air discharge port 11b, air discharge path 15, the filtering chamber 13, the motor operating chamber 12, and into the room. The filtering chamber 13 has an air inlet 13athat corresponds to the air discharge path 15 and air outlets 13bthat correspond to the motor operating chamber 12. The air inlet 13ais formed in a side of the filtering chamber 13, and the air outlets 13bare formed in the bottom of the filtering chamber. A front cover 16 is detachably disposed in front of the cleaner body 10 for opening and closing the dust collecting chamber 11 and the filtering chamber 13.

[0017] The suction brush 20 is movably disposed at a lower portion of the cleaner body 10 and moves along the cleaning surface during the cleaning process. The suction brush 20 draws into the vacuum cleaner air and contaminants, such as dust or dirt, by a suction force generated by the motor of the motor operating chamber 12.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 2, the cyclone dust collecting device 30 includes a cyclone body 31 and a cover 35 removably coupled to the cyclone body 31. The cyclone body 31 has a centrifuging portion 30aand a dust receiving portion 30b.

[0019] The centrifuging portion 30ahas a cylindrical centrifuging body 32. The dust receiving portion 30bhas a dust receptacle 33 that is disposed next to the centrifuging body 32. The centrifuging body 32 has an open upper end, a base 32a, and a cylindrical wall 32b. The cylindrical wall 32bextends from the base 32ato the open upper end. The centrifuging body 32 further includes a dust discharge port 32cthat is formed at a lower portion of the cylindrical wall 32b.

[0020] In operation, air is drawn from the upper end of the centrifuging body 32, together with contaminants and induced into a vortex along the cylindrical wall 32b. The contaminants are then separated from the air by centrifugal force and discharged through the dust discharge hole 32cto the dust receptacle 33. The dust receptacle 33 surrounds the base 32aand the cylindrical wall 32bof the centrifuging body 32. Here, a bottom 33aof the dust receptacle 33 and the base 32aof the centrifuging body 32 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance. The contaminants that are discharged through the dust discharge hole 32caccumulate on the bottom 33aof the dust receptacle 33 and do not return to the centrifuging body 32. It is preferable that the centrifuging body 32 and the dust receptacle 33 are made of a transparent plastic material to facilitate monitoring of the level of contaminants in the cyclone body 31. It is further preferable that the centrifuging body 32 and dust receptacle 33 are integrally formed. A handle 34 is disposed on an outer circumference of the cyclone body 31 to facilitate easier handling of the cyclone body 31.

[0021] The cover 35 of the cyclone dust collecting device 30 has an air intake channel 36, which corresponds to the air intake port 11a, and an air discharge channel 37, which corresponds to the air discharge port 11b.

[0022] As air is drawn through the air intake port 11a, the air is diagonally guided by the air intake channel 36 to the centrifuging portion 30a. In the centrifuging portion 30a, larger particle contaminants are removed from the air, and the cleaner air is discharged through the air discharge channel 37. The air discharge channel 37 is disposed at a center of the cover 35, thereby corresponding approximately to a center portion of the centrifuging portion 30a. It is preferable that the air intake channel 36 has a larger diameter than that of the air discharge channel 37, since the air flowing through the air intake channel 36 contains contaminants, while the cleaner air flowing through the air discharge channel 37 does not.

[0023] A grill 38, which communicates with the air discharge channel 37, is disposed on the cover 35 to filter contaminants. The grill 38 has a predetermined height and extends from the lower surface of the cover 35 into the centrifuging portion 30a. The grill has a plurality of through holes 38aformed therein for filtering large particles of contaminants.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the filtering device 40 will now be described. The filtering device 40 has a filter 41 and a filter case 43. The filter 41 has a plurality of fine through holes for filtering fine contaminants that were not collected in the cyclone dust collecting device 30. The filter 41 is widely used in conventional vacuum cleaners, and, thus, a detailed description of the filter 41 will be omitted. The filter case 43 in which the filter 41 is inserted, is detachably disposed in the filtering chamber 13. The filter case 43 has an opening 43a, which corresponds to the air inlet 13a. The air inlet 13ain turn communicates with the air discharge path 15. The filter case 43 further includes vents 43b, which correspond to the air outlets 13bleading to the motor operating chamber 12.

[0025] The operation of the upright-type vacuum cleaner of the present invention as constructed above with the cyclone dust collecting apparatus will be described in detail hereinafter.

[0026] When the motor of the motor operating chamber 12 operates, a suction force is generated at the suction brush 20. Air along with contaminants on the cleaning surface are drawn into the cyclone dust collecting device 30 through the suction brush 20 and air intake path 14 by the suction force. In the cyclone body 31 of the cyclone dust collecting device, the air intake channel 36 of the cover 35 diagonally guides the air and induces the air into a vortex along the interior of the centrifuging body 32. Then, larger particles of contaminants are separated from the air by centrifugal force and are discharged through the dust discharge hole 32c. The discharged contaminants are collected and stored at the bottom 33aof the dust receptacle 33. Because the centrifuging body 32 is located above the dust receptacle 33, contaminants in the dust receptacle 33 cannot return to the centrifuging body 32 through the dust discharge hole 32c.

[0027] The cleaner air, from which the larger particle contaminants have been removed, is discharged from the centrifuging body 32 through the through holes 38aof the grill 38 and the air discharge channel 37. The cleaner air proceeds through the air discharge path 15 to the filter case 43 of the filtering device 13. There, fine contaminants, which were not collected in the cyclone dust collecting device 30, are removed from the air by the filter 41. The filtered air is then discharged through the motor operating chamber 12 back into the environment.

[0028] The present invention improves the dust collecting efficiency of the vacuum cleaner, by first collecting larger particle contaminants with the cyclone dust collecting device 30 and then collecting fine contaminants with the filter 41.

[0029] In addition, since the contaminants that have been separated from the air in the cyclone dust collecting device 30 are collected in the dust receptacle 33, a backflow of the contaminants is prevented, thereby resulting in a high dust collecting efficiency.

[0030] When the dust receptacle 33 is filled with contaminants, the front cover 16 may be detached from the cleaner body 10 to provided access to the cyclone dust collecting device 30. The cyclone dust collecting device 30 can be detached from the dust collecting chamber 11, and the cover 35 removed from the cyclone body 31, exposing the open upper end of the cyclone body 31. When the cyclone body 31 is turned upside down, the contaminants in the dust receptacle 33 may be removed. The cyclone dust collecting device 30 is then re-assembled and mounted in the dust collecting chamber 11 for use.

[0031] When the filter 41 is filled with fine contaminants, the filter case 41 is detached from the filtering chamber 13, the filter 41 is removed from the filter case 41, and the fine contaminants are shaken off of the filter 41. The filter 41 and filter case 41 are then re-assembled and mounted in the dust collecting chamber 11. Alternatively, the filter 41 may be replaced with a new filter when it is filled with fine contaminants.

[0032] In the upright-type vacuum cleaner of to the present invention, since the cyclone dust collecting device 30 collects contaminants using the dust receptacle 33 that is disposed below the centrifuging body 32, contaminants do not return from the dust receptacle 33 to the centrifuging body 32.

[0033] Also, since the cyclone dust collecting device 30 initially collects large particles of contaminants, and the filtering device 40 later collects fine contaminants, the dust collecting efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is enhanced.

[0034] The present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.