This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner of the type for household use, and more particularly to a separator with a spider coupled to an output shaft for generating centrifugal force within the separator and to prevent liquid from entering into an area between the spider and a blower housing.
Vacuum cleaners of various designs are used in residential and commercial applications for cleaning. These vacuum cleaners create a suction airflow that picks up dirt and dust particulates from a surface to be cleaned. The vacuum cleaner separates these particulates from an ingested air for later disposal.
One type of vacuum cleaner design is a canister style vacuum cleaner with a water bath. Water bath vacuum cleaners typically include a main housing with a removably attached water bath pan. The ingested particulates are directed into a water bath that absorbs most of the particulates. The particulates are directed through an inlet in the main housing of the vacuum cleaner to an intake opening in the water bath pan.
The water bath vacuum cleaners typically include a separator assembly that is used to further separate the particulates from the ingested air that escapes entrapment within the water bath. Additionally, the separator can separate the particulates that are entrained within water droplets that are ingested into the separator. The separator provides additional filtration by centrifugation. To prevent the liquid particulates from entering the area between the separator and the output shaft of the motor disposed within the housing of the vacuum cleaner, the separator includes a spider. During vacuum cleaning process, the spider rotates with the separator and generates a counter airflow that helps to prevent the water droplets and the dust and dirt particulates from penetrating through the separator and entering inside the motor.
Numerous designs of a separator having a spider member, incorporated therewithin, are presently known in the art and shown, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,974 to Kasper et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,386 to Gustafson et al. featuring the spider removably attached to a housing of a separator. While prior art patents, cited above, disclose different designs of the separator including the spider incorporated therewithin, these prior art designs do not disclose a spider that may reduce a part count. The prior art separators do not provide for improved balancing during rotation of the separator, and do not provide an effective seal to prevent the liquid particulates from entering the area between the spider and the blower housing of the vacuum cleaner.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identified above. In one aspect of the present invention, a vacuum cleaner assembly comprises a body, a motor disposed within the body and having an output shaft for rotating about an axis, a fan coupled to the output shaft for generating a vacuum airflow through an air intake port in the body, and a separator coupled to the output shaft for separating dust and dirt particulates. The separator includes a cup shaped body having a bottom and a plurality of vanes extending upwardly from the bottom about the bottom axis to an open top. The separator comprises a flange extending radially from the open top to an outer periphery and a wall integral with and extending from the flange above the open top. The invention includes a spider defined by a hub portion surrounding the shaft and extending upwardly from the bottom to an upper end disposed above the wall.
In another aspect of the present invention an integrated spider separator for use in a vacuum cleaner assembly that has a body, a motor disposed within the body having an output shaft for rotating about an axis, a fan coupled to the output shaft for generating a vacuum airflow through an air intake port in the housing comprises a separator that includes a body having a bottom surrounded by a wall to expose an open top and coupled to the output shaft for separating dust and dirt particles. The separator includes a flange integral with the open top of the body of the separator and extending radially from the open top to an outer periphery and a spider integral with the flange and extending upwardly from the bottom to the open top.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views a vacuum cleaner assembly is generally shown at 10. The vacuum cleaner assembly 10 comprises a body 12 having an intake port 14 and an outlet 16. A motor 18 is disposed within the body 12 between the intake port 14 and the outlet 16 wherein the motor 18 includes an output shaft 20 for rotating about an axis. The assembly 10 includes a cooling fan 22, mounted within the body 12 above the motor 18 and coupled to the output shaft 20 for generating a vacuum airflow through the intake port 14 in the body 12 and to circulate cooling air around the motor 18. The assembly comprises a cooling air filter 26 surrounding the motor 18 wherein the cooling air filter 26 directs the cooling air around the motor 18 and filters the cooling air prior to being exhausted. The assembly 10 includes a blower 24 that is mounted within the body 12 below the motor 18. The blower 24 provides for drawing air into the intake port 14 and exhausting air outwardly through the outlet 16.
The assembly 10 includes a separator, generally shown at 28, coupled to the output shaft 20 to separate dust and dirt particulates. The separator 28 is mounted below the blower 24 and is designed to circulate the air and a water bath 30 within a water bath pan 32. A combination of the water bath pan 32 and the water bath 30 is used as a primary filter for filtering particulates, generally indicated at 34, from the air prior to exhausting the air outwardly through the outlet 16.
As shown in
Referring to
The longitudinally extending vanes 40 define a plurality of longitudinal gaps or openings 54, formed therebetween. The fluid and p articulates 34 are drawn into the exterior of the separator 28 via the gaps 54. As the particulates 34 are drawn in, separator body 28, which rotates at a high angular velocity, applies a centrifugal force to the particulates 34 and the air and water. The particulates 34 are forced outwardly against an outer surface 56 of the separator body 36 where they can be expelled back into the water bath 30 below. The cleaned air is then exhausted from the separator 28 and out through the outlet 16.
Referring back to
The separator 28 includes a flange 62 extending radially from the open top 44 to an outer periphery 64 and an annular ridge 66 integral with and extending axially from the flange 62 between the periphery 64 and the open top 44. The separator 28 includes a flange wall 70 integral with and extending from the flange 62 above the open top 44. The wall 70 further comprises an annular lip 68 integral with and disposed on the flange wall 70.
As shown in
The spider 72 rotates with the separator 28 and generates a counter airflow that helps to prevent the water droplets (not shown) and the dirt and dust particulates 30 from penetrating through the separator 28 and entering inside the motor 18. In addition, the spider 72 provides a seal that prevents dirt-entrained liquid from entering between the spider 72 and the blower 24. Preferably, the spider 72, the flange 62, and the wall 70 are integrally formed from a rigid material such as glass filled polystyrene material, and the like, and are injection molded.
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be in any way limiting, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
This application claims priority to a provisional patent application having a Ser. No. of 60/418,062 filed on Oct. 11, 2002.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4693734 | Erickson, Jr. | Sep 1987 | A |
5090974 | Kasper et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
5096475 | Kasper et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
5902386 | Gustafson et al. | May 1999 | A |
6090174 | Douma et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6196962 | Purvey et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6391101 | Gustafson et al. | May 2002 | B2 |
6551230 | Herman et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6553614 | Leon | Apr 2003 | B1 |
20040020004 | Pogacar et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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WO 02069778 | Sep 2002 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040068826 A1 | Apr 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60418062 | Oct 2002 | US |