Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6615447
-
Patent Number
6,615,447
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, November 14, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, September 9, 200320 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 015 3271
- 015 3272
- 015 3276
- 015 3277
- 015 331
- 015 347
- 015 377
- 015 409
- 015 412
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner includes a case having a collection chamber including a filter for removing extraneous matter mixed with air sucked in through main suction channels and an apparatus chamber including a fan motor assembly for generating suction force and discharging intake air behind the collection chamber and a peripheral air suction unit connected between the external surface of the case and the main suction channels or between the external surface of the case and the inside of the collection chamber in addition to the main suction channels, the peripheral air suction unit sucking up the air around the case. It is possible to suck up dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner, caused by air discharged when the vacuum cleaner is used and to purify the air. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of a user and to improve cleaning efficiency.
Description
This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 72497/2000 filed in Korea on Dec. 1, 2000, which is herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner for sucking up dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner, caused by air discharged when the vacuum cleaner is used, and purifying the air.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
In general, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus for collecting extraneous matter such as dust by a strong suction force generated by the operation of a fan motor assembly, thus performing cleaning.
FIG. 1
is a side view showing a conventional vacuum cleaner, and
FIG. 2
is a sectional view taken along the line II—II of FIG.
1
.
In the conventional vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 1
, a suction head
2
, an extension pipe
3
, and a suction hose
5
are sequentially connected to a case
10
so that extraneous matter such as dust can be sucked in from the outside
A pair of wheels
7
are installed on both sides of the case
10
so that a user can easily move the vacuum cleaner.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a collection chamber
11
that includes a dust filter bag
20
, which collects extraneous matter such as dust, which is mixed with intake air, is located in the front part of the case
10
. An apparatus chamber
13
that includes a fan motor assembly
30
which creates the suction force, and a cord chamber
14
in which a power cord
41
is wound, are located behind the collection chamber
11
such that the apparatus chamber
13
and the cord chamber
14
are separated from each other.
The collection chamber
11
, the apparatus chamber
13
, and the cord chamber
14
are separated from each other by partitions
10
a
,
10
b
, and
10
c
. A suction hole
12
is formed in the partition
10
a
between the collection chamber
11
and the apparatus chamber
13
so that air passing through the dust filter bag
20
can move toward the apparatus chamber
13
.
Discharge channels
13
a
and
14
a
are respectively formed in the case
10
at the hind parts of the apparatus chamber
13
and the cord chamber
14
so that air discharged form the fan motor assembly
30
can be discharged to the outside of the case
10
.
In the conventional vacuum cleaner that has the above structure, when the fan motor assembly
30
in the apparatus chamber
13
operates, extraneous matter such as dust included in outside air is sucked into the dust filter bag
20
through the suction head
2
, the extension pipe
3
, and the suction hose
5
, by a suction force drawing air into the collection chamber
11
toward the apparatus chamber
13
.
The air entering the dust filter bag
20
moves toward the apparatus chamber
13
by the continuous suction of the fan motor assembly
30
. At this time, the extraneous matter such as dust, which is included in the air, is caught by the dust filter bag
20
to thus remain in the dust filter bag
20
. The air that passes through the dust filter bag
20
is sucked toward the apparatus chamber
13
and is discharged to the outside of the case
10
through the discharge channels
13
a
and
14
a.
However, the conventional vacuum cleaner disturbs dust around the vacuum cleaner when the air filtered while passing through the dust filter bag
20
is discharged to the outside of the case
10
through the discharge channels
13
a
and
14
a
. Therefore, the user of the vacuum cleaner is considerably inconvenienced and cleaning efficiency deteriorates.
That is, when the vacuum cleaner is operated, filtered air is strongly discharged from the hind part of the vacuum cleaner disturbing air around the vacuum cleaner and causing dust and other extraneous matter spread over the floor and to float in the air. Therefore, the user of the vacuum cleaner and people around the vacuum cleaner are considerably inconvenienced.
Also, the disturbed extraneous matter such as dust can settle down on the floor again after cleaning is finished, thus deteriorating cleaning efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner for sucking up the dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner, caused by air discharged when the vacuum cleaner is used, into a case, and purifying thus air, to thus reduce the inconvenience of a user and to improve cleaning efficiency.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, including a case having a collection chamber including a filter for removing extraneous matter mixed with air sucked in through main suction channels and an apparatus chamber including a fan motor assembly for generating suction force and discharging intake air behind the collection chamber and a peripheral air suction device connected between the external surface of the case and the main suction channels or between the external surface of the case and the inside of the collection chamber in addition to the main suction channels, the peripheral air suction device for sucking up the air around the case.
The vacuum cleaner further includes an ejector connected between the discharge area of the fan motor assembly and the inside of the peripheral air suction device, for ejecting some of the air discharged from the fan motor assembly into the peripheral air suction device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above object and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a side view showing a conventional vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner taken along the line II—II in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a side view of a vacuum cleaner that includes a peripheral air purifying apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner that includes a peripheral air purifying apparatus according to the present invention, taken along the line IV—IV in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 5
is a vertical sectional view of the vacuum cleaner that includes a peripheral air purifying apparatus according to the present invention, taken along the line V—V in
FIG. 4
; and
FIG. 6
is a cross sectional view of the vacuum cleaner, similar to
FIG. 4
, but illustrating an end of a horizontal suction pipe of the peripheral air purifying apparatus being directly connected to a first suction port.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The vacuum cleaner according to the present invention may be embodied in a plurality of forms. However, a preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will now be described.
FIG. 3
is a side view of a vacuum cleaner that includes a peripheral air purifying apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 4
is a sectional view taken along the line IV—IV in
FIG. 3
, and
FIG. 5
is a sectional view taken along the line V—V in FIG.
4
.
In the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, as shown in
FIG. 3
, a first suction port
51
is located in the front part of a case
50
, and a second suction port
52
is located on the top of the case
50
to suck up the air around the vacuum cleaner.
Main suction channels consisting of a suction head
55
, an extension pipe
56
, and a suction hose
57
are connected to the first suction port
51
of the case
50
to suck up extraneous matter in an area to be cleaned.
Wheels
58
are installed on both sides of the case
50
so that the vacuum cleaner can be easily moved.
In the vacuum cleaner, as shown in
FIG. 4
, a collection chamber
60
, an apparatus chamber
70
, a cord chamber
80
, and a central chamber
90
are formed in the case
50
separated from each other by respective partitions
50
a
,
50
b
, and
50
c.
That is, the collection chamber
60
is located in the front part of the case
50
and includes a dust filter bag
61
communicated with the first suction port
51
to thus collect extraneous matter such as dust, which is mixed with intake air.
The apparatus chamber
70
and the cord chamber
80
behind the collection chamber
60
are separated from each other by the central chamber
90
defined between the two partitions
50
b
and
50
c.
The apparatus chamber
70
includes a fan motor assembly
71
, which generates the suction force. The cord chamber
80
includes a cord wheel
81
, around which a power cord
83
is wound.
A suction port
53
is formed in the partition
50
a
between the collection chamber
60
and the apparatus chamber
70
so that air passing through the dust filter bag
61
can flow toward the apparatus chamber
70
.
Discharge channels
54
a
,
54
b
,
54
c
, and
54
d
are respectively formed in the hind part of the apparatus chamber
70
, the partitions
50
b
and
50
c
on both sides of the central chamber
90
, and the hind part of the cord chamber
80
, so that air discharged from the fan motor assembly
71
can be discharged to the outside of the case
50
.
The central chamber
90
includes a peripheral air suction device
100
, which is located between the two partitions
50
b
and
50
c
, for sucking up dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner during cleaning and for purifying the air.
The peripheral air suction device
100
is connected between the second suction port
52
and the collection chamber
60
so that air around the case
50
can be sucked up by subatmospheric pressure formed in the collection chamber
60
, as shown in FIG.
5
.
The peripheral air suction device
100
includes a vertical suction pipe
105
connected to the second suction port
52
on the top of the case
50
and extending into the case
50
, and a horizontal suction pipe
107
connected to the lower end of the vertical suction pipe
105
and extending into the collection chamber
60
.
A suction net
101
is installed in the second suction port
52
to prevent extraneous matter larger than a certain size from entering the case
50
. A cone-shaped suction guide
103
is installed between the second suction port
52
and the vertical suction pipe
105
.
An ejector pipe
110
is connected to the horizontal suction pipe
107
so that high-pressure discharge air can flow in from the apparatus chamber
70
. A nozzle
111
, which is located in the middle of the horizontal suction pipe
107
, is formed in the end of the ejector pipe
110
.
An orifice
107
a
, in which the diameter of the horizontal suction pipe
107
becomes smaller in the portion where the nozzle
111
of the ejector pipe
110
is located, is formed in the horizontal suction pipe
107
, for increasing the velocity of airflow.
This is for minimizing the external pressure when high-pressure air is ejected from the ejector pipe
110
at high speed, thus increasing the suction force of the peripheral air suction device
100
.
The ejector pipe
110
passes through the partition
50
b
between the apparatus chamber
70
and the central chamber
90
and the horizontal suction pipe
107
and is connected to the orifice
107
a
, as shown in FIG.
4
.
Therefore, the ejector pipe
110
ejects the high-pressure air discharged to the apparatus chamber
70
through the fan motor assembly
71
into the horizontal suction pipe
107
through the nozzle
111
, to thus augment the suction force by which the air around the case
50
is sucked into the collection chamber
60
through the peripheral air suction device
100
.
An cover
102
for opening and closing the peripheral air suction device
100
can be installed above the suction net
101
in the peripheral air suction device
100
.
The cover
102
is connected to the case
50
by a hinge
102
a
and can be opened or closed by a user, to thus suck in the air around the vacuum cleaner or not to suck in the air around the vacuum cleaner.
The area of the channel of the peripheral air suction device
100
is preferably formed to be smaller than the areas of main suction channels, to which the first suction port
51
, the suction head
55
, the extension pipe
56
, and the suction hose
57
are connected.
This is so that most of the suction force formed by the operation of the fan motor assembly
71
goes to smoothly sucking up the extraneous matter in the area to be cleaned, in which the suction head
55
is located. Also, the dust particles floating in the air around the case
50
are relatively small and light and can be easily sucked in by a small suction force.
In the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the vertical suction pipe
105
is formed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the first suction port
51
, as shown in FIG.
5
.
The horizontal suction pipe
107
includes an extension pipe
107
b
, in which the area of the channel is gradually enlarged from the orifice
107
a
toward the portion extending into the collection chamber
60
. The end
107
c
of the horizontal pipe
107
is largely extended to the inside of the collection chamber
60
, to thus pass through the partition
50
a
between the central chamber
90
and the collection chamber
60
and to be inserted into the dust filter bag
61
.
An opening
61
a
is formed in the dust filter bag
61
so that the horizontal suction pipe
107
can be inserted thereinto. A surrounding guide ring
62
formed of a firm material so that the horizontal suction pipe
107
remains stably inserted into the dust filter bag
61
is installed around the hole
61
a.
In the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention having the above structure, when the fan motor assembly
71
in the apparatus chamber
70
operates, extraneous matter in the space where the suction head
55
is located is sucked into the dust filter bag
61
through the first suction port
51
by the suction force generated by the operation of the fan motor assembly
71
.
The air, out of which extraneous matter is filtered while passing through the dust filter bag
61
, passes through the fan motor assembly
71
and is discharged through the discharge channels
54
a
,
54
b
,
54
c
, and
54
d.
When the cover
102
on the top of the case
50
is opened, the air around the vacuum cleaner is sucked into the collection chamber
60
through the second suction port
52
and the peripheral air suction device
100
, is purified while passing through the dust filter bag
61
, and is discharged to the outside of case
50
through the apparatus chamber
70
and the discharge channels
54
a
,
54
b
,
54
c
, and
54
d.
Some of the air discharged from the fan motor assembly
71
is ejected into the horizontal suction pipe
107
of the peripheral air suction device
100
through the ejector pipe
110
at high speed and low pressure.
Therefore, the pressure in the horizontal suction pipe
107
becomes lower. Accordingly, dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner, caused by air discharged from the case
50
, can be smoothly sucked in through the second suction port
52
of the case
50
.
The air and dust sucked in through the second suction port
52
are sucked into the dust filter bag
61
through the suction net
101
, the suction guide
103
, the vertical suction pipe
105
, and the horizontal suction pipe
107
. The dust sucked into the dust filter bag
61
is filtered by the dust filter bag
61
. Only the purified air passes through the dust filter bag
61
and is discharged to the outside of the case
50
through the fan motor assembly
71
and the discharge channels
54
a
,
54
b
,
54
c
, and
54
d.
In the above embodiment, the second suction port
52
connected to the peripheral air suction device
100
is installed on the top of the case
50
. However, the second suction port
52
can be formed on the side, in the hind part, or on the bottom of the case
50
.
Also, the horizontal suction pipe
107
of the peripheral air suction device
100
is directly inserted into the dust filter bag
61
. However, the end of the peripheral air suction device
100
can be directly connected to the first suction port
51
, as illustrated in FIG.
6
.
In this case, a conventional dust filter bag
61
, in which only the part connected to the first suction port
51
is opened, can be used without forming an additional opening
61
a
in the dust filter bag
61
.
The vacuum cleaner according to the present invention having the above structure and operation is formed so that the dust that floats in the air around the vacuum cleaner, caused by air discharged from the vacuum cleaner, is sucked into the case through the peripheral air suction device and is purified. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of the user and to improve the cleaning efficiency by sucking up even the dust that floats in the air around the cleaned area.
Claims
- 1. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:a case having a collection chamber including a filter for removing extraneous matter mixed with air sucked in through main suction channels in the case and an apparatus chamber including a fan motor assembly for generating suction force and discharging intake air behind the collection chamber; and a peripheral air suction means connected between an external surface of the case and the main suction channels or between the external surface of the case and the inside of the collection chamber in addition to the main suction channels, the peripheral air suction means sucking up the air around the case.
- 2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the area of a channel of the peripheral air suction means is formed to be smaller than the areas of the main suction channels.
- 3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the peripheral air suction means is connected to the inside of the filter of the collection chamber.
- 4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an ejector connected between a discharge area of the fan motor assembly and the inside of the peripheral air suction means, the ejector ejecting some of the air discharged from the fan motor assembly into the peripheral air suction means.
- 5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein an orifice, whose area is relatively reduced at a portion where an end of the ejector is located, is formed in the peripheral air suction means.
- 6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the ejector includes a nozzle at an end thereof located in the peripheral air suction means.
- 7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein a suction port connected to the peripheral air suction means is formed in the top of the case.
- 8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the suction port includes a cover means for opening and closing the peripheral air suction means.
- 9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the suction port includes a suction net through which materials larger than a certain size cannot pass.
- 10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the peripheral air suction means comprises:a suction guide decreasing in diameter from the suction port toward the inside of the vacuum cleaner; a vertical suction pipe connected to the suction guide and extending toward the inside of the vacuum cleaner; and a horizontal suction pipe connected between the end of the vertical suction pipe and the inside of the collection chamber.
- 11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the horizontal suction pipe includes an ejector connected between the discharge area of the fan motor assembly and the inside of the horizontal suction pipe, the ejector ejecting air discharged from the fan motor assembly into the horizontal suction pipe, thus strengthening a suction force therein.
- 12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the filter includes an opening through which extraneous matter can be sucked in from the peripheral air suction means.
- 13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the case comprises the collection chamber in a front part thereof, and the apparatus chamber and a cord chamber in which a power cord is stored in a hind part thereof, separated from the collection chamber by a partition;and wherein the peripheral air suction means is installed in a space separated by two partitions between the apparatus chamber and the cord chamber.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000-72497 |
Dec 2000 |
KR |
|
US Referenced Citations (3)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
10-155707 |
Jun 1998 |
JP |