This application is the U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2019/082002 filed Nov. 21, 2019, which claims the benefit of European Patent Application Number 18209329.4 filed Nov. 29, 2018. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a tube and a hose.
Current vacuum cleaner components have been developed in times that 2100 W input power could be used to drive a vacuum cleaner. Due to the huge amount of (air) power there was no need to develop components with a focus on low-resistance to airflow.
Currently, vacuum cleaners are being re-developed to work at low input power levels even down to 300 W, i.e. about 1/7 of original input power level. This means all components need to be optimized to have a resistance and an airflow leakage that are as low as possible to achieve the highest possible suction power at the nozzle.
US20170007085 discloses a vacuuming apparatus, wherein a hollow wand handle includes a first circumferential surface portion having a first outer diameter and a second circumferential surface portion having a second outer diameter that is larger than the first outer diameter.
It is, inter alia, an object of the invention to provide an improved vacuum cleaner. The invention is defined by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
One aspect of the invention provides a vacuum cleaner, comprising a tube having a first diameter, a hose having a second diameter exceeding the first diameter by at least 15%, and a transition piece having a first end arranged for being connected to the tube, and a second end arranged for being connected to the hose, wherein the transition piece has a curved part that has a non-circular cross-section, the curved part having a first part in which in a direction from the first end to the second end, a first dimension of the cross-section increases to a diameter exceeding the first diameter by 15%, the first dimension being in a radial direction of the curved part, while a second dimension of the cross-section, perpendicular to the first dimension, does not exceed the first diameter by more than 10%. Preferably, the transition piece has a second part, between the first part and the second end, the second part having a non-circular cross-section where the second part meets the first part, and a circular cross-section where the second part meets the second end. Advantageously, in the first part, in a direction from the first end to the second end, the first dimension of the cross-section increases to a diameter exceeding the second diameter, while the second dimension stays below the second diameter. Preferably, the second diameter exceeds the first diameter by at least 25%, and more preferably, by at least 35%.
The invention is based on the following considerations. One of current main high-resistance components is the hose of the vacuum cleaner. Due to the small diameter in combination with the ribbed-structure the resistance of the hose is very high and a main contributor to the losses in the current vacuum cleaners. By increasing the hose diameter by 5 mm, the resistance may go down by a factor 2.
To achieve this benefit of a larger diameter, preferably not only the hose diameter itself should become larger, but also the upstream and downstream parts and connections should be adapted to prevent abrupt changes in diameter causing turbulences and thus losses.
One embodiment of this invention focusses on a solution especially for the upstream part, the bend of the vacuum cleaner, which is positioned between the tube and the hose. A problem that occurs is that the start of the bend, it needs to have the relatively small diameter of the tube, while the end of the bend needs to have the enlarged diameter of the increased hose. So the bend has to be shaped as a diffuser (increasing diameter and always circular). However, the bend is being used as handle/grip for the vacuum cleaner therefor it has a curved shape. A problem that occurs is that a curved shape in combination with an increasing diameter delivers conflicts. A main conflict is that due to an airflow in a bend having an increasing diameter, additional turbulences occur. If the bend increases in diameter in all directions, the turbulences will not only occur in the upper and lower corner but also at the sides of the corner leading to more turbulence. As more turbulence leads to more resistance, this will result in more losses.
An embodiment of this invention provides a solution on how to design a flow-efficient diffusing bend, by using an oval cross section: provide an increased diameter in a first direction (a radial direction of the curve) and (substantially) not in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. As the flow will separate in the upper and lower corner of the bend, increasing the cross-section there will have no negative impact on the resistance. Increasing the cross-section there will give more space for the air to ‘turn the corner’. Therefore, the flow will experience the diffusing tube in this direction as a less ‘steep’ corner and therefore giving a lower resistance. Because of (substantially) not increasing the bend in the sideway (perpendicular to the radial direction, the width of the bend when viewed in the radial direction of the curve) direction, the flow will not separate on the sides of the corner. This will lead to a lower total resistance of the bend while diffusing to a bigger diameter. As a result of manufacturing constraints, the dimension in the second direction may not be entirely constant.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The notion non-circular includes not only an oval but also an ellipse. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. Measures recited in mutually different dependent claims may advantageously be used in combination.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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18209329 | Nov 2018 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2019/082002 | 11/21/2019 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2020/109118 | 6/4/2020 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210378470 A1 | Dec 2021 | US |