WO2009116611A1 - Cyclone separation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a cyclone dust collection apparatus that can maintain the collected material in a firmly compressed state even when the compressing force is released. Disclosed is a cyclone separation apparatus that is equipped with a collection container with a roughly cylindrical interior surface, wherein, by causing air drawn in from air inlets disposed in the circumferential direction in the periphery of the collection container to spiral along the roughly cylindrical interior surface, and then discharging the air from the center of the collection container through a filter means, relatively large material contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the aforementioned collection container and relatively small material is collected in the aforementioned filter means, and wherein said cyclone separation apparatus is equipped with a spiral curved surface inside the collection container centered around the vertical central shaft of the collection container, and is equipped with a compression member that can rotate around the aforementioned vertical central shaft.

Description

Cyclone separator

The present invention relates to a cyclone separation apparatus for centrifuging a collection target object, and more particularly, to a cyclone separation apparatus capable of increasing the amount of collected relatively large collection target object.

Conventionally, the air in the collection container is exhausted from the exhaust part provided in the central part of the substantially cylindrical collection container, and is sucked in from the air suction part provided in the circumferential part of the collection container. The collected air is swung along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container, and then exhausted from the exhaust part through the filter means, so that relatively large dust contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container. In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a cyclone dust collector as an example of a cyclone separator that collects relatively small dust in the filter means.
This cyclone dust collecting device collects relatively large dust by centrifugal force by swirling relatively large dust, and collects relatively small dust flying on an air flow by a filter means placed in the air flow. Therefore, noise is low and dust collection efficiency is improved.

When the cyclone dust collector as described above is used in a general household, cotton dust generated from futons and clothing occupies most of the dust collection volume. Since the fibers constituting the cotton dust itself have elasticity, the density of the dust is small, and it is necessary to frequently remove (throw away) it from the dust collecting part. In addition, since such dust is light and easily scattered, there is a problem that the user feels uncomfortable when the dust is scattered and re-scattered when disposed in an external trash can.

However, since the cyclone dust collector described in Patent Document 1 collects dust by relying solely on the flow of air, it compresses low-density dust such as collected fibers to a certain level or more. It is not possible to improve the degree of dust accumulation in a limited dust collection space. Therefore, if the collected dust is not thrown away frequently, the collection efficiency will be reduced. Therefore, it takes time and effort to throw away the dust. Since it is easy to dispose of it in a trash can, it is impossible to solve the problem that it is impossible to eliminate the discomfort caused by dust scattering and re-scattering.

In order to solve such problems, it is necessary to compress the collected dust as hard as possible. As such a conventional dust collector equipped with dust compressing means, there is a dust collector equipped with mechanical compressing means described in Patent Document 2.
In the dust collector provided with such a mechanical compression means, the collected dust can be compressed hard, so that the dust collection efficiency does not decrease even when used continuously for a long time.
JP 2006-75584 A JP 2005-13312 A

However, in the dust collector described in Patent Document 2, the dust is compressed by pushing down a donut-shaped compression disk from above the dust collector via a handle operated by a person. This causes a new problem of bothering the user.
Moreover, in the dust collector of the said patent document 2, since the dust etc. are simply compressed linearly (without rotation) by pushing down the said compression disk, the said donut-shaped compression disk is started at the next operation start. When the height is increased, dust such as cotton dust whose shape is easily restored has a volume close to that before compression, and the effect of the compression operation is eventually lost.

The above-mentioned problems are not limited to dust collectors such as vacuum cleaners, but materials from air containing various materials such as powders and fibers contained in the air, or various types of materials depending on the particle size. The present invention is not limited to the typical dust collectors described above, and is intended to solve the above problems in a wide variety of cyclone separators that separate various materials. It is.

Therefore, the present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and compresses the collection target collected by the rotation of the compression unit, thereby compressing the collection target when the collection target is discharged. Can be maintained in a tightly compressed state, and therefore, even if a large amount of collected objects is accumulated in the collection container, the suction force does not decrease and high collection efficiency is achieved over a long period of time. In addition, by maintaining the tightly compressed state of the collection target as described above, even when the compression force is released when the collection target is discharged, the problem of scattering into the air again An object is to provide an excellent cyclone dust collector that does not occur.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cyclone dust collector that takes into account the reduction of the driving load of the compression unit and the miniaturization of the entire device by reducing the size of the compression unit.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
An inner peripheral surface is provided with a substantially cylindrical collection container, and air sucked from an air inlet provided in the circumferential direction on the circumferential portion of the collection container is disposed along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface. After swirling, the relatively large collection object contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container and is relatively small by exhausting from the center of the collection container through the filter means. In the cyclone separator for collecting the collection object in the filter means,
A cyclone separating device comprising a compression member that has a helically curved surface around the vertical central axis of the collection container and is rotatable around the vertical central axis in the collection container. Has been.
Specifically, it is conceivable that a separator main body provided with an exhaust part for air exhausted through the filter means is provided on the upper part of the collection container.
As an aspect of compression of the collection object by the compression member, the helical curved surface of the compression member is rotated around the vertical central axis by the rotation of the compression member, so that it is stored in the collection container. It is conceivable that the object to be collected is compressed by being pushed out toward the bottom of the collection container by the spiral curved surface.
As the shape of the spiral curved surface of the compression member, the spiral curved surface of the compression member is formed so that the screw is retracted by rotation of the compression member when the spiral curved surface is assumed to be a screw. Things can be raised. When such a spiral curved surface is assumed to be a screw, a typical example of what moves the collection target object by rotating the spiral curved surface is an Archimedian screw as a screw pump.
On the other hand, when the shape of the helically curved surface is grasped in relation to the direction of the airflow swirling and descending along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container, the helical curved surface of the compression member becomes the inner periphery of the collection container. One formed as an example is formed in a direction that coincides with the rotational direction of the airflow swirling and descending along the surface.
Conversely, in the present invention, the compression member may include the spiral curved surface formed in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the airflow swirling and descending along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container. .
It is also conceivable to further include drive means for rotationally driving the compression member.
In this case, for example, the compression member is controlled to automatically rotate after the collection process of the collection target, or the compression member is rotated during the collection process of the collection target. It can be controlled to drive, saving labor.
In the latter case, the compression member can be controlled to rotate intermittently during the collection process of the collection object.
In any case, it is preferable that the compression member is a cyclone separating device housed in the collection container via a substantially cylindrical space between the inner circumferential surface of the collection container. In this case, the radial width of the substantially cylindrical space between the inner surface of the collection container can be configured to decrease downward.

In any case, it is conceivable that the helically curved surface of the compression member is formed along at least one round of the inner peripheral surface along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container.
Or conversely, the spiral curved surface of the compression member may be formed along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container over less than one round of the inner peripheral surface. Thus, the compression member can be reduced in size.
In this case, the compression member includes a rotating shaft portion provided at a vertical center thereof, the spiral curved surface formed around the rotating shaft portion, and a disk-shaped shield provided above the spiral curved surface. It is conceivable that a vertical gap is interposed between the spiral curved surface and the disc-shaped shielding member.
In that case, the spiral curved surface is formed from the start end portion on the upper opening side of the collection container to the end portion on the lower bottom side of the collection container, and the outer edge of the start end portion is a compression member. By forming such a shape that the radius from the central portion to the outer peripheral portion is gradually increased, it is possible to prevent the waste fibers from being scratched on the starting end portion.
The cyclone separator described above can be used as a cyclone dust collector when the collection object is dust.

As described above, the present invention includes a collection container having an inner peripheral surface of a substantially cylindrical shape, and air sucked from an air inlet provided in a circumferential direction on the circumferential portion of the collection container. And swirling along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container, and then exhausting from the central part of the collection container through the filter means, so that a relatively large collection object contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container. In the cyclone separator for collecting and collecting a relatively small collection object in the filter means,
A cyclone separating device comprising a compression member that has a helically curved surface around the vertical central axis of the collection container and is rotatable around the vertical central axis in the collection container. Therefore, the relatively large collection object collected by the rotation of the compression unit can be compressed by the rotation.
As a result, it is possible to maintain a compressive force against the object to be collected such as dust, and at the same time, the upper surface side of the spiral curved surface is secured as a space for the dust collecting container. Therefore, even if a large amount of collection objects are accumulated in the collection container, the performance of the cyclone separator is maintained, so that the suction force does not decrease and high collection efficiency can be maintained for a long time.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, by maintaining the state where the object to be collected is tightly compressed as described above, even when the compressive force is released, there is no problem of scattering again in the air. The present invention provides an excellent cyclone separator that can be used for post-processing in the form or discarded.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the compression member that is rotationally driven can be reduced in size, and the driving load of the compression member can be reduced and the apparatus can be reduced in size.

The external view of the vacuum cleaner X which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the helical rotation compression part provided in the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention ((a) is the perspective view seen from the lower part, (b) is seen from the upper part) Perspective view). The figure for demonstrating the upper filter unit 13 provided in the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention centering on a helical rotation compression part. The disassembled perspective view for demonstrating the internal structure of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the rotational force transmission path | route to the helical rotation compression part of the cyclone dust collector Y which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector Y explaining the condition where dust is compressed and laminated | stacked by rotation of a helical rotation compression part. Sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector Y explaining the accumulation condition of the dust to a helical rotation compression part. Sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector Y when a right cylindrical dust container is used. Sectional drawing of the cyclone dust collector Y for demonstrating the setting position of a spiral part. The perspective view of the cyclone dust collector Y for demonstrating the setting position of a spiral part. The sectional side view of the cyclone dust collector Y for demonstrating the rib formed in a dust collecting container. The horizontal sectional view of the cyclone dust collector Y for demonstrating the rib formed in a dust container. FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 of the embodiment in which the spiral portion is less than one turn around the rotation shaft portion. FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 of an embodiment in which the spiral portion is less than one turn around the rotation shaft portion. FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 of an embodiment in which the spiral portion is less than one turn around the rotation shaft portion. The perspective view of the spiral part of embodiment which made the spiral part less than one round around the rotating shaft part. The perspective view (a), (b), and top view (c) of the spiral part which made arcuate the starting end part of embodiment which made the spiral part less than one round around the rotating shaft part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be understood. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
First, the schematic configuration of the electric vacuum cleaner X according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vacuum cleaner X is schematically configured to include a vacuum cleaner main body 1, an intake port 2, a connection pipe 3, a connection hose 4, an operation handle 5 and the like. The vacuum cleaner body 1 incorporates an electric blower (not shown), a cyclone dust collector Y, a control device (not shown), and the like. The cyclone dust collector Y will be described in detail later.
The electric blower has a blower fan for performing intake air and a blower drive motor that rotationally drives the blower fan. The control device includes control devices such as a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, and comprehensively controls the electric vacuum cleaner X. Specifically, in the control device, the CPU executes various processes according to a control program stored in the ROM.
The operation handle 5 is provided with an operation switch (not shown) for allowing the user to operate the vacuum cleaner X and to select an operation mode. A display unit (not shown) such as an LED for displaying the current state of the electric vacuum cleaner X is also provided in the vicinity of the operation switch.

The cleaner body 1 is connected to the intake port 2 via the connection hose 4 connected to the front end of the cleaner body 1 and the connection pipe 3 connected to the connection hose 4. ing.
Therefore, in the electric vacuum cleaner X, the electric blower (not shown) built in the vacuum cleaner main body 1 is operated, whereby intake from the intake port 2 is performed. Then, the air sucked from the intake port portion 2 flows into the cyclone dust collector Y through the connection pipe 3 and the connection hose 4. In the cyclone dust collector Y, dust is centrifuged from the sucked air. The air after the dust is separated by the cyclone dust collector Y is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) provided at the rear end of the cleaner body 1.

Hereinafter, a cyclone dust collector Y which is an example of a cyclone dust collector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cyclone dust collector Y has a housing 10 and an inner peripheral surface that is substantially cylindrical, and is detachably attached to the housing 10 (a collection container 11). An example), an inner cylinder 12, an upper filter unit 13, a dust receiving portion 14, a dust removal drive mechanism 15 and the like are schematically configured.
In the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y, the dust collecting container 11, the inner cylinder 12, the upper filter unit 13, and the dust receiving portion 14 are arranged coaxially around a vertical central axis P. The cyclone dust collector Y is configured to be detachable from the cleaner body 1.
The housing 10 includes an inner cylinder 12 including a filter 122.
In the cyclone dust collecting apparatus Y, the air in the dust collecting container 11 is exhausted from the inner cylinder 12 provided at the center of the substantially cylindrical dust collecting container 11, so that the circumference of the dust collecting container 11 is increased. After the air sucked from the air inlet 111a (see FIG. 7) provided in the section is swung along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11, the air passes through the upper filter unit 13 as an example of the filter means. The air is exhausted through the inner cylinder 12, and a relatively large collection target contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the dust collecting container 11, and a relatively small collection target is collected in the upper filter unit 13 and the like. It is something to collect.

The dust collecting container 11 has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface for accommodating dust separated from the sucked air, and has a cylindrical outer shape. The dust container 11 is configured to be detachable from the casing 10 of the cyclone dust collector Y. After the user removes the cyclone dust collector Y from the cleaner body 1, the user removes the dust collector 11 from the cyclone dust collector Y and discards the dust in the dust collector 11. An annular seal member 161 is provided between the casing 10 of the cyclone dust collector Y and the dust container 11. The seal member 161 prevents air leakage between the housing 10 and the dust collecting container 11.
Further, a fitting portion 11 a that fits into a rotating shaft portion 123 b described later provided in the inner cylinder 12 is provided at the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. An annular seal member 11b for filling a gap with the rotary shaft portion 123b of the inner cylinder 12 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the fitting portion 11a. The seal member 11b prevents air leakage between the rotary shaft portion 123b and the dust collecting container 11.

Further, the dust collecting container 11 is provided with a connecting portion 111 to which the connecting hose 4 (see FIG. 1) is connected. Air sucked from the intake port 2 through the connection pipe 3 and the connection hose 4 flows into the dust collecting container 11 from the connection unit 111.
Here, the air inlet (not shown) of the connecting portion 111 to the dust collecting container 11 is formed so that the air from the connection hose 4 swirls in the dust collecting container 11. Specifically, the air inlet (not shown) is formed such that the outlet on the dust collecting container 11 side faces the circumferential direction of the dust collecting container 11. Therefore, in the dust collecting container 11, the dust contained in the air is separated (centrifugated) by centrifugal force by swirling the sucked air. The dust centrifuged in the dust collection container 11 is stored in the bottom of the dust collection container 11 (dust D1 in FIGS. 2 and 3).
On the other hand, the air after the dust has been separated is exhausted from the dust collecting container 11 to the outside through an exhaust port (not shown) provided in the cleaner body 1 along an exhaust path 112 indicated by an arrow (FIG. 2). Is done. Here, on the exhaust path 112 from the dust collecting container 11 to the exhaust port (not shown), the inner cylinder 12, the dust receiving portion 14, and the upper filter unit 13 are arranged in this order.

The inner cylinder 12 is a cylindrical member disposed in the dust collecting container 11. Here, the inner cylinder 12 is rotatably supported by the dust receiver 14. Specifically, the inner cylinder 12 is rotatable by an annular recess 12a provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 being supported by an annular support part 14c provided at the lower end of the dust receiving part 14. It is suspended in a state. In addition, the structure which supports the said inner cylinder 12 rotatably is not restricted to this. For example, it is conceivable as an example that the upper and lower ends of the inner cylinder 12 are pivotally supported.
Furthermore, a plurality of connecting portions 12b that engage with engaging portions 134c provided on an inclined dust removing member 134, which will be described later, are provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 12. The connecting portion 12b is a rib provided so as to protrude upward at the opening edge of the upper end of the inner cylinder 12.
The inner cylinder 12 is connected to the inclined dust removing member 134 so as to be integrally rotatable by the engagement of the connecting portion 12b and the engaging portion 134c. As a result, the inner cylinder 12 rotates in conjunction with the inclined dust removing member 134. The connection structure of the inner cylinder 12 and the inclined dust removing member 134 is not limited to this. For example, the structure connected so that integral rotation is possible by fitting the fitting part provided in each of the said inner cylinder 12 and the said inclination dust removal member 134 is considered.

Further, an inner cylinder exhaust port 121 for exhausting the air after the dust is separated in the dust collecting container 11 toward the upper filter unit 13 is formed in the upper part of the inner cylinder 12. The inner cylinder exhaust port 121 is provided with a cylindrical inner cylinder filter 122 that covers the entire inner cylinder exhaust port 121. The inner cylinder filter 122 filters air passing through the inner cylinder exhaust port 121.
For example, the inner cylinder filter 122 is a mesh air filter or the like. The inner cylinder filter 122 may be provided either inside or outside the inner cylinder exhaust port 121. Further, a configuration in which a mesh-like hole is formed in the inner cylinder 12 instead of the exhaust port 121 and the inner cylinder filter 122 is also conceivable. In that case, the mesh holes function as the inner cylinder exhaust port 121 and the inner cylinder filter 122.

On the other hand, a spiral rotary compression unit 123 for compressing the dust in the dust collecting container 11 is provided at the lower part of the inner cylinder 12.
Here, in addition to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the spiral rotation compression unit 123 will be described with reference to FIG. 4, which is a perspective view of the spiral rotation compression unit 123.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the helical rotation compression unit 123 includes a rotation shaft portion 123b that is a rotation center and a spiral portion 123a that is formed around the rotation shaft portion 123b. , At least a disk-shaped shielding member 123c provided above the spiral portion 123a.
The rotating shaft portion 123b is a hollow cylinder fitted to the fitting portion 11a provided at the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. As described above, the seal member 11b (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is interposed between the rotating shaft portion 123b and the fitting portion 11a.

The disk-shaped shielding member 123c is provided in the dust collection container 11 so as to separate the upper space (separation unit 104) that separates dust by centrifugal force of the swirling flow described later, and the lower space (collection unit) that accumulates dust. It serves as a partition with the dust part 105). This prevents the collected dust from rolling up and clogging the inner cylinder filter 122. Moreover, since it is disk-shaped, dust contained in the cyclone air current is not caught, and the dust can be efficiently guided to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11.

Further, as described above, the rotating shaft portion 123b extends spirally toward the bottom surface of the dust collecting portion 105 with the rotating shaft portion 123b as the center. A plate-like spiral portion 123a (an example of a compression member) that is curved with a spiral curved surface as a center is provided. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the spiral portion 123 a is formed from the start end portion 123 s on the upper opening side of the dust collection container 11 to the end portion 123 e on the lower bottom surface side of the dust collection container 11. The start end portion 123s is connected to the lower surface of the disk-shaped shielding member 123c, and the end portion 123e is free. However, the spiral portion 123a according to the present invention is not limited to such a shape. The start end portion 123s of the spiral portion 123a may be separated from the disk-shaped shielding member 123c, and a gap may be interposed between the spiral portion 123a and the disk-shaped shielding member 123c. Such an embodiment will be described later.
The spiral portion 123a moves the dust accumulated in the dust collection container 11 toward the bottom of the dust collection container 11 when the inner cylinder 12 is rotated as will be described later. At this time, the helical curved surface of the compression member is formed so that the screw is retracted by rotation of the compression member when the helical curved surface is assumed to be a screw. Can be compressed.
At this time, it is preferable that the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a is formed with an inclination direction similar to the swirling airflow indicated by the arrow A in FIG. By rotating the spiral portion 123a in the direction opposite to the rotation of the arrow A in FIG. 6, the dust in the dust collecting container 11 moves to the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 by friction with the inner surface of the dust collecting container 11. Will do.
However, it is also possible to incline the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the airflow swirling along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11. At this time, the rotation direction of the spiral portion 123a is the same as the rotation direction of the swirling airflow indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 6, that is, when the spiral portion 123a is assumed to be a screw, the screw is retracted by the rotation of the spiral portion 123a.
Further, when the inner cylinder 12 is rotated, the spiral portion 123a is brought into contact with the bottom surface by the friction with the bottom portion of the dust collecting container 11 against the dust that has moved to the bottom portion of the dust collecting container 11. The dust is pushed out and compressed from the center of the rotation axis to the outside by rotation. According to such a configuration, since the dust is firmly compressed by the rotation, the amount of dust that can be accumulated in the dust collecting container 11 can be increased. Therefore, for example, the dust container 11 can be downsized. In addition, since the hardly compressed dust cannot be easily dissolved, there is no problem of scattering into the air even when it is taken out, and it can be discarded as it is.

On the other hand, the air after being filtered by the inner cylinder filter 122 of the inner cylinder 12 is guided to the upper filter unit 13 through the inner cylinder 12.
Here, the upper filter unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIGS. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the upper filter unit 13 as viewed from above, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the upper filter unit 13 as viewed from below.
The upper filter unit 13 includes a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 131, a filter dust removing member 132, an inclined dust removing member 134, and the like.

The HEPA filter 131 is a kind of air filter that further filters the air exhausted from the inner cylinder 12 and flowing on the exhaust path 112.
The HEPA filter 131 is composed of a set of a plurality of filters arranged and fixed in an annular shape around the vertical central axis P. Each of the plurality of filters is fixed to a framework as shown in FIG. 5B, for example. Further, the plurality of filters included in the HEPA filter 131 are arranged in a pleat shape in which unevenness is repeated in a substantially horizontal direction. Thereby, the filter area in the HEPA filter 131 is sufficiently secured. An annular seal member 162 is provided between the lower end of the HEPA filter 131 and the housing 10. Thereby, air leakage between the HEPA filter 131 and the housing 10 is prevented.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a hollow portion 131 a into which a connecting portion 133 provided on a filter dust removing member 132 described later is fitted is formed at the center of the HEPA filter 131. The hollow portion 131a is provided with a support portion 131b that rotatably supports the connecting portion 133.

As described above, in the cyclone dust collector Y, the dust collecting power is enhanced by filtering the air in two stages of the inner cylinder filter 122 and the HEPA filter 131.
However, if dust accumulates on the HEPA filter 131 and becomes clogged, the air passage resistance increases. For this reason, the load on the electric blower (not shown) is increased, and there is a possibility that the dust absorption force is reduced. Therefore, the upper filter unit 13 is provided with the filter dust removing member 132 for removing dust adhering to the HEPA filter 131.

The filter dust removing member 132 is rotatably supported by the support portion 131 b provided at the center of the HEPA filter 131. Specifically, the filter dust removing member 132 is provided with a connecting member 133 that is rotatably supported by the support portion 131b.
In addition, the inclined dust removing member 134 is screwed into the connecting portion 133 with a screw 133b in a screw hole 133a provided in the connecting portion 133. Accordingly, the filter dust removing member 132 and the inclined dust removing member 134 are connected so as to be integrally rotatable. An annular seal member 163 that fills the gap is provided between the inclined dust removing member 134 and the HEPA filter 131. Accordingly, air leakage between the inclined dust removing member 134 and the HEPA filter 131 is prevented.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A, the filter dust removing member 132 includes two contact portions 132a disposed at predetermined intervals along the HEPA filter 131 so as to contact the upper end portion of the HEPA filter 131. have. The contact portion 132a is a leaf spring-like elastic member. The contact portion 132a is not limited to a leaf spring-like elastic member. The contact portion 132a may be one or more.
The filter dust removing member 132 is formed with a gear 132b on the outer periphery thereof. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gear 132 b is meshed with a gear 15 a provided in the dust removal drive mechanism 15 provided in the cyclone dust collector Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is connected to a drive motor (not shown) (an example of drive means) (hereinafter referred to as “dust removal drive motor”) provided on the cleaner body 1 side. It has a reduction gear to be connected and a gear 15a connected to the reduction gear. In the dust removal drive mechanism 15, the rotational force of the dust removal drive motor is transmitted to the gear 15a via the speed reducer. The rotational force of the gear 15a of the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is transmitted to the gear 132b. Thereby, the filter dust removing member 132 is rotated.
The rotation of the filter dust removing member 132 is transmitted to the inclined dust removing member 134 as described above, and the inner cylinder 12 rotating integrally with the inclined dust removing member 134 and the helical rotation compression unit 123 integral with the inner cylinder 12 are provided. Rotate around the vertical central axis P.
In the present embodiment, the case where the filter dust removal member 132 is rotated by the dust removal drive motor will be described as an example, but the filter dust removal member 132 is manually rotated instead of the dust removal drive motor. Providing a mechanism that can be considered is another possible embodiment.
Further, it is naturally conceivable to rotate the helical rotary compression unit 123 by another motor other than the dust removal drive motor. In the case where it is desired to separately perform dust removal of the upper filter unit 13 and rotation of the spiral rotary compression unit 123, it is conceivable to employ such a separate drive.

When the filter dust removing member 132 is rotated, each of the two contact portions 132a provided on the filter dust removing member 132 intermittently collides with the HEPA filter 131 formed in a pleat shape to give vibration. Accordingly, the dust adhering to the HEPA filter 131 is knocked down by the vibration applied from the filter dust removing member 132. Note that the timing at which the dust removal drive motor (not shown) is operated is preferably, for example, before or after the start of the dust collection operation in the electric vacuum cleaner X. Thereby, the dust removal of the HEPA filter 131 can be effectively performed in the state where there is no airflow downstream in the HEPA filter 131 due to the intake air by the electric blower.

Further, as described above, the dust receiver 14 supports the inner cylinder 12 in a rotatable manner. Specifically, at the lower end of the edge portion of the opening 14a of the dust receiving portion 14, the annular support portion 14c that is fitted into the annular recess 12a provided at the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 is provided. . Thereby, the inner cylinder 12 is suspended in a rotatable state by the dust receiver 14.

Next, the structure of the helical rotation compression unit 123 will be described in more detail.
As described above, the cyclone dust collector Y is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and includes the upper filter unit 13 disposed in the upper portion and the dust collecting container 11 disposed in the lower portion.
A disc-shaped shielding member 123 c that is a boundary portion between the separation portion 104 and the dust collection portion 105 is integrally joined to the lower end of the inner cylinder 12 housed in the dust collection container 11. The outer diameter of the disk-shaped shielding member 123c and the spiral portion 123a below the disk-shaped shielding member 123c is substantially the same and smaller than the inner diameter of the separation portion 104, and is between the outer periphery of the disk-shaped shielding member 123c and the inner wall of the dust collecting container 11. There is a gap (clearance) 106 (FIG. 6). The clearance (clearance) 106 can smoothly move even when dust having a certain volume is transferred to the dust collection unit 105 when the dust separated in the separation unit 104 is moved to the dust collection unit 105. This value is suitable for rolling up the accumulated dust and preventing the inner cylinder filter 122 from being clogged. Experiments have shown that about 13 mm is desirable.

Furthermore, a clearance (clearance) 107 (corresponding to a substantially cylindrical space in the present invention) between the spiral portion 123a and the inner surface of the dust collecting container 11 is such that the diameter of the dust collecting container 11 is the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. Therefore, it is configured to become smaller toward the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. As a result, the friction between the dust and the inner wall side surface of the dust collecting container 11 is increased, and the force for moving the dust in the direction of the central axis P by the spiral rotary compression unit 123 is increased, so that the compression is efficiently performed. .

Further, the disk-shaped shielding member 123c has a predetermined thickness in the height direction. The thickness of the disc-shaped shielding member 123c in the height direction affects the centrifugal separation performance in the separation unit 104, and is about 13 mm obtained by experiments in this embodiment.

Further, as described above, the spiral portion 123a of the spiral rotary compression portion 123 is formed in a curved plate shape sandwiched between upper and lower spiral curved surfaces, and is substantially vertically downward from the disk-shaped shielding member 123c. Centering on the extending rotation shaft portion 123b, from the start end portion 123s (connection portion with the disk-shaped shielding member 123c) to the end portion 123e (lower end) toward the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11, the rotation shaft portion It is formed to wrap around the periphery of 123b. A desirable number for the winding angle is 1.6. By such wrapping, the spiral portion 123a is spirally swung downwardly along the rotational direction of the cyclonic swirling airflow (indicated by arrow A in FIG. 6) along the inner peripheral surface of the dust collecting container 11. A surface is formed.
However, the angle at which the spiral portion 123a winds around the rotating shaft portion 123b is not limited to the above numbers. For example, it is necessary to reduce the size of the spiral portion 123a as less than one turn if necessary. Such a small spiral portion 123a will be described later.

Further, a gap (clearance) 108 (see FIG. 6) is interposed between the terminal end (lower end) of the spiral portion 123 a of the spiral rotary compression portion 123 and the bottom surface of the dust collection portion 105. As a result, the amount of dust that can be pushed out and compressed outward from the center of the rotating shaft can be greatly increased.
Further, the width of the gap 108 is pressed against the bottom of the dust collecting portion 105, and the compressed dust is damaged between the end of the spiral portion and the bottom of the dust collecting portion 105, or the foreign matter is clogged. It is a value that can prevent. In this embodiment, the width of the gap 108 obtained by an experiment using 10 g of DMT standard waste TYPE8 based on IEC standards as test waste is 6 to 13 mm.
It is about.

The operation of the vacuum cleaner configured as described above will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the airflow that enters the separation unit 104 of the dust collecting container 11 from the air inlet 111 a of the connection unit 111 formed in the circumferential direction of the separation unit 104 is indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 6. In addition, it turns at a high speed along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the separating portion 104. Centrifugal force acts on relatively large dust in the swirling airflow to be separated from the airflow and pressed against the inner wall of the dust collecting container 11. As shown in FIG. 2, since the air outlet 121 is located below, the airflow then enters the dust collecting unit 105 while turning. In FIG. 6, the swirling airflow (main flow) as indicated by an arrow A indicated by a two-dot chain line starts to rise after reaching the bottom surface of the dust collecting unit 105. In the example of FIG. 6, the rotation direction of the airflow swirling through the gap 107 around the helical rotation compression unit 123 and the inclination direction of the spiral portion 123a of the helical rotation compression unit 123 coincide with each other, thereby preventing the cyclone swirling airflow. There is nothing. Therefore, efficient centrifugal separation is possible with little pressure loss, and a high suction power can be obtained.

Further, the dust carried by the air current indicated by the arrow A shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 is caught (trapped) in the space 112a between the terminal end (lower end) of the spiral portion 123a and the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11. Accumulated and stacked in order from the bottom along the spiral curved surface of the spiral portion 123a. For this reason, an increase in pressure loss can be further prevented.

Furthermore, since the rotational direction of the airflow swirling around the gap 107 around the spiral rotary compression unit 123 and the inclination direction of the spiral portion 123a of the spiral rotary compression unit 123 coincide, Is also slightly compressed. As a result, the volume of accumulated and stacked dust is reduced, and more efficient dust collection can be achieved.

Next, the accumulation of dust by the air flow and the action of stacking will be described.
As described above, the sucked dust is separated at the separation unit 104 and is guided to the dust collection unit 105 through the gap 106 (FIG. 6). In the dust collection unit 105, the dust is accumulated by passing through the gap 107 and being blocked (trapped) by the gap 108. This accumulation is stacked on the already accumulated dust every time the spiral rotary compression unit 123 is rotated. Therefore, in this dust collector, since the stack grows along the spiral portion 123a without being biased, it is not accumulated unevenly within the dust collector 105, and compared with a dust collector of the same volume. As a result, the dust collection capacity is dramatically improved.
Moreover, the spiral part 123a can be made into the spiral shape with the directionality which inclines below along the rotation direction of a cyclone swirl | vortex airflow. In this case, the compression effect by the cyclone airflow is also obtained. This further improves the dust collection capacity.

Next, the action of rotational compression will be specifically described.
For example, when the drive of the blower drive motor is stopped, the airflow stops turning. When the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is driven after confirming the drive stop of the blower drive motor, as described above, the inner cylinder 12, the exhaust port 121, the disk-shaped shielding member 123c, the spiral rotation compression portion 123, the rotation shaft portion. 123b is integrally rotated about the vertical central axis P in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 8 (counterclockwise as viewed from above). In this way, the rotation by the dust removal drive mechanism 15 is transmitted to the rotation shaft portion 123b via the first rotation axis 152 and the second rotation axis 153 shown in FIG.
When the helical rotation compression unit 123 rotates in this way, thrust is generated in the direction of the rotation axis (vertical downward direction indicated by arrow E in FIG. 9) due to the principle of the screw. Due to this thrust, the dust 200 of FIG. 9 accumulated in the dust collection unit 105 is pushed out in the direction of the rotation axis and compressed in the direction of the rotation axis by being pressed against the bottom surface of the dust collecting container 11.

By the way, in the conventional cyclone dust collector in which the spiral portion 123a does not rotate, when dust is stacked above 300 (approximately the position of the start end of the spiral portion 123a) in FIG. Even if the reference is sucked in, the dust 201 cannot be stacked and accumulated because there is no portion to be caught, and continues to rotate around the inner cylinder 12. By continuing to rotate, a large amount of dust adheres to the inner cylinder filter 122, and the suction force rapidly decreases. In addition, a large burden is placed on the blower drive motor, reducing the product life.

However, in this dust collector Y, the helical portion 123a is rotated to rotate the dust accumulated between the bottom surface of the dust collecting container and thereby compressed by being pushed outward from the axial center. Once the dust 200 between the rotary compression unit 123 and the bottom of the dust collecting container 11 is compressed, the dust 200 is compressed after the rotation is stopped and even after the dust collecting container 11 is released and the compressing force is released. State is maintained.

Thus, by maintaining the compressed state, the dust is held below the height 300, and even when the dust 201 is newly sucked from above, the dust is collected and spirally rotated. Due to the rotation of the compression unit 123, new dust 201 can be further compressed, and efficient continuous compression can be performed. As a result, according to the experiment, it was confirmed that the dust collection capacity improvement effect about 3 times in the dust collection part of the same capacity.

Further, in this dust collector Y, a large amount of dust is captured by one suction, and even when the dust height reaches 300 in FIG. 10, it is integrated with the dust in contact with the spiral portion 123a. It can be compressed by being pushed in the direction of the rotation axis.

In addition, since the helical rotation compression unit 123 rotates and performs a compression operation, the rotation of the helical rotation compression unit 123 generates an outward force from the shaft rotation center to the dust. For this reason, the dust tends not to adhere to the cylindrical rotating shaft portion 123b so that the maintainability is remarkably improved. Further, even when dust adheres to the helical rotation compression unit 123, the rotation of the helical rotation compression unit 123 causes the dust to be peeled off when being compressed downward. Thus, the maintainability of the spiral rotary compression unit 123 is very high.

Furthermore, as described above, since the compressed dust is consolidated into a donut shape and integrated, it is possible to prevent dust from being scattered or spilled at the time of throwing away the waste, and to efficiently throw away the waste.

By rotating the helical rotation compression unit 123 by a driving means such as a motor, the helical rotation compression unit 123 can be automatically rotated while the blowing drive motor is being driven (during suction). By this operation, dust can be collected and collected and simultaneously compressed. Thereby, it can compress more efficiently and the above-mentioned effect further increases. In addition, even if a large amount of dust is sucked at once, it can be compressed, so cleaning can be performed continuously for a long time.

Further, by intermittently rotating the helical rotation compression unit 123 while the blower drive motor is being driven (during suction), it is possible to perform compression simultaneously with the collection of dust, and the helical rotation compression unit 123 Since it does not continue to drive for a long time, an increase in power consumption can be prevented, and the product life associated with the life of the drive mechanism can be increased. Furthermore, the noise when the compressor drive mechanism is driven can be reduced, and a cyclone dust collector that is quieter and easier to use can be obtained.

Further, by providing the longitudinal rib 400 shown in FIG. 14 on the side of the inner wall of the dust collecting container 11, the clearance between the spiral rotary compressor 123 and the dust collecting container 11 can be partially reduced. With such a configuration, the thrust in the direction of the rotation axis by the helical rotary compression unit 123 is increased, so that compression can be performed more efficiently. Further, the rib 400 on the side surface of the inner wall of the dust collection container 11 is attached so that the clearance between the spiral rotary compression portion 123 and the dust collection container 11 becomes smaller toward the bottom surface of the dust collection container 11, so that dust can be more efficiently collected. Can be compressed.
Even if one rib 400 is effective, it is desirable that a plurality of ribs 400 be provided equally for balance.
In addition, the structure for generating the resistance for generating the friction for pushing out the dust between the spiral portion 123a and the inner wall side surface of the dust collecting container 11 is not limited to the rib 400 on the inner wall side surface of the dust collecting container 11, but a resistance. The unevenness and surface treatment to become may be used.

11 has a gap (clearance) 107 between the outer peripheral end of the spiral portion 123a and the inner wall side surface of the dust collecting portion 105, and the diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the dust collecting container 11 is as shown in FIG. Is constant, and there is no portion that decreases toward the bottom of the dust collection container 11. That is, the clearance (clearance) 107 is constant toward the bottom of the dust collecting container 11. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. In the case of such a dust collecting container 11, there is no portion whose inner diameter becomes smaller toward the bottom of the dust collecting container 11, so that the volume of the dust collecting part 105 is increased and compression can be performed with a thrust in a constant rotation axis direction. ， Accumulate and stack more dust. Further, since the clearance (clearance) 107 is constant toward the bottom of the dust collecting container 11, the friction between the dust and the inner wall side surface of the dust collecting container 11 does not change, and compression is performed with a thrust in a constant rotation axis direction. Since it can do, the effect that the spiral rotation compression part 123 prevents the lock | rock fixed by clogging of dust is acquired.

The spiral rotary compression unit 123 continues to rotate without being locked, so that the amount of dust that can be collected per unit volume of the dust collection unit 105 increases, and when collecting the same dust volume, a more compact and lightweight electric A vacuum cleaner can be provided. As a result, handling is facilitated, the burden on the user can be reduced, and the user's cleaning efficiency can be dramatically increased.

As can be seen from the dust compressing action by the spiral rotary compressing section 123, the dust compressing action is performed in the vicinity of the terminal end 123e of the spiral part 123a, and a very positive compressing action is exhibited near the starting end 123s. Not. From this point of view, it is considered that the spiral portion 123a described so far is not required to be formed along the inner circumferential surface of the dust collecting container 11 over at least one round of the inner circumferential surface. . Therefore, it may be desirable to consider the miniaturization of the entire spiral rotary compression unit 123 by deleting the portion near the start end 123s of the spiral portion 123a that does not contribute to the compression action. In that case, it is also conceivable that the winding angle of the spiral portion 123a is less than one round along the inner circumference of the dust collecting container 11. Thus, by reducing the winding angle of the spiral portion 123a, the spiral portion 123a or the entire spiral rotary compression portion 123 including the spiral portion 123a can be reduced in size. By reducing the size of the helical rotary compression unit 123 in this way, it is possible to reduce the rotational load of the helical rotary compression unit 123 and to reduce the size and weight of the entire apparatus.
FIG. 19 shows the helical rotation compression unit 123 in which the winding angle of the helical portion 123a as described above is less than one turn. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the helical rotation compression unit 123 as viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the spiral rotation compression unit 123 as viewed from diagonally above.

In the spiral rotary compression unit 123 shown in FIG. 19, the spiral portion 123a formed around the rotary shaft portion 123b provided at the vertical center thereof, and the disc-shaped shield provided above the spiral portion 123a. The member 123c is separated, and a vertical gap W is interposed between the spiral portion 123a and the disk-shaped shielding member 123c. The gap W is shown in FIG. 16 corresponding to FIG. 6 and FIG. 18 corresponding to FIG. 8, and can be clearly understood.

By the way, if the gap W is formed by cutting the vicinity of the start end portion 123s of the spiral portion 123a as shown in FIG. 16 or FIG. 18 as described above, fiber waste or the like is formed in the newly formed start end portion 123s ′. It is conceivable that the dust will easily adhere. In particular, in the example in which the spiral rotary compression portion 123 rotates in the direction in which the spiral screw of the spiral portion 123a moves backward as indicated by the arrow D shown in FIG. 18, dust such as fiber scraps adheres to the start end portion 123s ′. Cheap. Such a problem that fiber waste or the like is easily entangled with the start end portion is remarkable when the cut start end portion 123s ′ is formed in the radial direction of the rotating shaft portion 123b as shown in FIG.
In order to solve such a problem, as shown in FIG. 20, the cut-off start end portion 123s ′ may be formed in an arc shape. Strictly speaking, it is necessary that the radius from the central portion of the spiral portion 123a of the outer edge portion of the start end portion 123s is formed in a curved shape that gradually increases in the direction from the start end portion 123s ′ to the end portion. That is, as shown in FIG. 20 (c), the radius r from the center point O of the spiral portion 123a of the outer edge portion of the start end portion 123s 'provided in the spiral portion 123a of radius r0 is changed from the start end portion 123s' to the end portion. In the case where it is formed in a curved shape that gradually increases in the direction (indicated by the arrow Yx) (gradually increases as r1, r2,. Since it is easy to move along the outer edge and the fiber scraps are easily displaced from the starting end portion 123s' and it is difficult for the dust to adhere thereto, it is not necessary to clean the part over a long period of time or permanently.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the spiral portion 123a and the disc-shaped shielding member 123c are discontinuous as a result of cutting a part of the spiral portion 123a and the gap W is formed between the two is described. This is an example, and a part of the spiral part 123a is not cut away, and the start end part 123s of the spiral part 123a is continuously connected to the disk-shaped shielding member 123c, and there is no gap between the two. It does not matter if you do it.

Industrial availability

The present invention can be used for a cyclone separator including a dust collector such as a vacuum cleaner.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Case (separator main body)
11 ... Dust collection container (collection container)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Inner cylinder 13 ... Upper filter unit 14 ... Dust receiving part 15 ... Dust removal drive mechanism 104 ... Separation part 105 ... Dust collection part 123 ... Spiral rotational compression part 123a ... Spiral part (compression part)
123b ... Rotating shaft 123c ... Disc-shaped shielding members 123s, 123s' ... Start end 123e ... Ends 200, 201 ... Dust 400 ... Ribs

Claims (15)

An inner peripheral surface is provided with a substantially cylindrical collection container, and air sucked from an air inlet provided in the circumferential direction on the circumferential portion of the collection container is disposed along the substantially cylindrical inner peripheral surface. After swirling, the relatively large collection object contained in the air is collected at the bottom of the collection container and is relatively small by exhausting from the center of the collection container through the filter means. In the cyclone separator for collecting the collection object in the filter means,
A cyclone separating apparatus comprising a compression member that has a spiral curved surface centered on a vertical central axis of the collection container and is rotatable around the vertical central axis in the collection container. The cyclone separator according to claim 1, wherein a separator main body having an exhaust part for air exhausted through the filter means is provided on the upper part of the collection container. By rotating the compression member, the helical curved surface of the compression member is rotated around the vertical central axis, thereby compressing the collection object stored in the collection container with the helical curved surface. The cyclone separator according to claim 1 or 2. The cyclone according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the helical curved surface of the compression member is formed so that the screw is retracted by rotation of the compression member when the helical curved surface is assumed to be a screw. Separation device. The cyclone separation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the helical curved surface of the compression member is formed in a direction substantially coinciding with a direction of an airflow swirling and descending along an inner peripheral surface of the collection container. apparatus. The cyclone separator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising driving means for rotationally driving the compression member. The cyclone separation device according to claim 6, wherein the compression member is controlled to be driven to rotate after the collection step of the collection object. The cyclone separation device according to claim 6, wherein the compression member is controlled so as to be driven to rotate during the collection step of the collection object. The cyclone separation device according to claim 8, wherein the compression member is controlled so as to be intermittently rotated during the collection step of the collection object. The cyclone separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the compression member is housed in the collection container through a substantially cylindrical space between the collection container and the inner peripheral surface thereof. 11. The spiral curved surface of the compression member is formed along the inner peripheral surface of the collection container over at least one turn or less than one turn of the inner peripheral surface. The cyclone separator described. A separation member having at least one spiral curved surface centered on a vertical central axis of the collection container in the collection container, and an upper space of the collection container and the collection space. The cyclone separator according to claim 11, further comprising a disk-shaped shielding member that separates the lower space of the collection container. 113. The cyclone separator according to claim 112, wherein a vertical gap is interposed between the spiral curved surface and the disc-shaped shielding member. The spiral curved surface is formed from a starting end portion on the upper opening side of the collecting container to a terminal end portion on the lower bottom surface side of the collecting container, and the outer edge of the starting end portion extends from a central portion of the compression member. The cyclone separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cyclone separation device is formed in a curved shape in which a radius toward an outer peripheral portion gradually increases. The cyclone separator according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the collection object is applied to a cyclone dust collector that is dust.

Images