GB2372200A

GB2372200A - Rotating Baffle Plate for a Filterless Vacuum Cleaner

Info

Publication number: GB2372200A
Application number: GB0202016A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wolfgang Hentzchel
Original assignee: SCHOETTLE KG ELECTROSTAR
Current assignee: SCHOETTLE KG ELECTROSTAR
Priority date: 2001-02-15
Filing date: 2002-01-29
Publication date: 2002-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2022-01-29
Also published as: DE10202192A1; GB0202016D0; CN1371655A; DE20102723U1; ITMI20020293A1; GB2372200B; ITMI20020293A0

Abstract

A filterless vacuum cleaner is provided with a rotating baffle plate 9 which covers the suction opening 7 of the fan 5 and motor 6 assembly, to effect the separation of both coarse and fine dusts from the airstream. An air guiding hood 11, which is a truncated hollow cone, may be positioned in front of the baffle plate 9. There may also be guide webs inside the air guiding hood 11, an inner cylinder 3, and a flow duct 4.

Description

Vacuum cleaner Filterless vacuum cleaners are already known, these particu larly being cyclone vacuum cleaners. Preliminary filters are used therein for separating the coarse dust, the preliminary filters usually being located in a separate housing which is connected to the actual vacuum cleaner housing by a hose.

Owing to the necessity of having to use two housings, vacuum cleaners of this type are relatively complex to manufacture, take up a great deal of space and also have a relatively low level of efficiency. Therefore, the problem addressed by the present invention is to provide a filterless vacuum cleaner, in which the separation of both the coarse and the fine dust from the airstream is effected without filters, in the same housing.

This is achieved according to the invention in that there is provided in front of the suction opening of the fan of the vacuum cleaner a rotating baffle plate which at least covers the opening. The drawn-in airstream mixed with the dust first rebounds from the plate in a preferably axial manner, whereby the coarse dust and a majority of the fine dust drop into a dust collection container. Owing to the continuity of flow (suction flow through different cross-sections), the dust-charged air is inevitably"spun"from its path around the plate against a side wall, the air losing its kinetic energy there in the cross-section which has become larger in the radial direction at the same time, whereby the dust falls downwards into a collection container.

An air guiding hood, which is in the form of a truncated hollow cone and whose smaller diameter is located in front of the baffle plate, is preferably provided in front of the baffle plate in an axial direction. The rotating baffle plate accelerates the mixture of air and dust, which flows near the plate, radially outwards along the path of flow, whereas the annular cross-section of flow widens in the outer region of the air guiding hood in a similarly radial direction as the radius becomes larger. The speed of flow is also reduced as a result so that the air loses its carrying capacity. In this region, the purely radial flow is overlaid with a flow which rotates in the manner of a torus and which is produced owing to the differently-sized speed vectors between the mixture of air and dust near the plate and near the periphery of the cone. The resulting flow is, according to tendency, drawn downwards thereby, that is to say, away from the sealing opening in the direction of the fan.

However, the continuity of flow ensures that the air is drawn around the sharp outer edge of the baffle plate and is guided through the opening between the baffle plate and the fan receiver to the fan. The reduction in kinetic energy, which reduction is associated with the rebounding of the dust from the wall, and the substantially greater inertia of the pneumatically impelled dust in comparison with the air ensure that the fine dust is not capable of being deflected counter to the centrifugal force and to penetrate the opening which is located in front of the fan.

The air guiding hood is advantageously provided, at the larger diameter, with a hollow-cylindrical projection which acts as a flow rectifier. Guide webs, in particular in the form of a lattice, are advantageously provided in the lower region of the air guiding hood and/or in the hollowcylindrical projection.

The fan motor is advantageously used to drive the plate, the baffle plate being arranged either on the extended drive axle of the fan or on an additional shaft which is driven by the drive axle. The diameter of the baffle plate exceeds, according to a further feature of the invention, the width dimension of the suction opening of the fan so that it is ensured that dust is prevented from being drawn by the fan past the baffle plate.

The baffle plate itself is located in an inner cylinder, which is arranged in the housing towards which the flow is directed, there being provided, between the outer walls of the inner cylinder and the inner walls of the flow housing, a flow duct, in which a portion of the coarse dust similarly falls down even at that point.

The drawing is a schematic illustration of the inner contour of a vacuum cleaner.

A flow housing 1 is arranged on a dust collection container 2. An inner cylinder 3 is located in the housing 1, a flow duct 4, which is connected to a suction opening in a manner not illustrated, being produced by the inner walls of the flow housing 1 and the outer walls of the inner cylinder 3.

A fan 5 having a motor 6, whose suction opening 7 (which may be circular) extends into the inner cylinder 3, adjoins the flow housing 1. The drive shaft 8 of the fan 5 is extended into the flow housing 1 and carries a baffle plate 9 at the free end thereof.

The air containing dust is drawn into the flow duct 4 through an opening which is not illustrated and supplied to the inner cylinder 3. The airstream 10 passes through an air guiding hood 11 which is in the form of a truncated hollow cylinder and which opens, at the smaller diameter 12 thereof, in front of the baffle plate 9. A hollow-cylindrical projection 14 acting as a flow rectifier adjoins the larger diameter 13.

The air 10 which is laden with dust strikes the baffle plate 9 after passing through the air guiding hood 11, the coarse dust and a portion of the fine dust bouncing off and falling downwards, whereas the remainder of the fine dust is spun outwards by the continuity of flow against the walls of the inner cylinder 3 and drops downwards from there into the dust collection container 1. Cleaned air passes through the small gap (in the manner of a slot) between the back face of the baffle plate and the end wall of the container 1, as indicated by the arrows.

Claims

1. Vacuum cleaner, characterised in that there is provided in front of the suction opening (7) of the fan (5) a rotat ing baffle plate (9) which at least covers this opening and which defines a narrow slot.

2. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterised in that an air guiding hood (11), which is in the form of a truncated hollow cone and whose smaller diameter (12) is located in front of the baffle plate (9), is provided in an inner cylinder (3) in front of the baffle plate (9) in an axial direction.

3. Vacuum cleaner according to either or both of the preceding claims, characterised in that the baffle plate (9) is arranged on the extended drive axle (8) of the fan (5) or an additional shaft driven thereby.

4. Vacuum cleaner according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the diameter of the baffle plate (9) exceeds the diameter of the suction opening (7) of the fan (5).

5. Vacuum cleaner according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the baffle plate (9) is provided in an inner cylinder (3) which is arranged in the flow housing (1).

6. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, characterised in that a flow duct (4) is provided between the walls of the flow housing (1) and the walls of the inner cylinder (3).

7. Vacuum cleaner according to any one or more of the preceding claims 2 to 6, characterised in that the air guiding hood (11) at the larger diameter (13) has a hollowcylindrical projection which acts as a flow rectifier (14).

8. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, characterised in that guide webs are provided in the lower region of the air guiding hood (11).

9. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 7 or claim 8 where guide webs are provided in the hollow-cylindrical projection (14).

10. Vacuum cleaner according to claim 8 or claim 9 where said guide webs are in the form of a lattice.

11. Vacuum cleaner substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.