U.S. patent application number 12/590260 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-01 for vacuum cleaner having detachable dust separating unit.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG GWANGJU ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Seung-Yong Cha, Jung-Gyun Han, Jang-Keun Oh.
Application Number | 20100162517 12/590260 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41612366 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100162517 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Han; Jung-Gyun ; et
al. |
July 1, 2010 |
Vacuum cleaner having detachable dust separating unit
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner having a detachable dust separating unit is
disclosed. The vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having a
first opening to open a portion of a first surface thereof and a
second opening to open a portion of a second surface thereof, a
dust separating unit to separate a dust from an air, and a seating
part formed in the cleaner body to detachably mount the dust
separating unit on the cleaner body. The dust separating unit forms
a portion of an outward appearance of the cleaner body while
closing up the first and the second openings of the cleaner body
when the dust separating unit is mounted on the seating part.
Inventors: |
Han; Jung-Gyun;
(Gwangju-City, KR) ; Oh; Jang-Keun; (Gwangju-city,
KR) ; Cha; Seung-Yong; (Gwangju-City, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Paul D. Greeley;Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle, L.L.P.
One Landmark Square, 10th Floor
Stamford
CT
06901-2682
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG GWANGJU ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
|
Family ID: |
41612366 |
Appl. No.: |
12/590260 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/352 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/1683 20130101;
A47L 9/1608 20130101; A47L 9/165 20130101; A47L 9/1641 20130101;
A47L 9/1691 20130101; A47L 9/1625 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/352 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/10 20060101
A47L009/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-0135968 |
Claims
1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body having a first
opening to open a portion of a first surface thereof and a second
opening to open a portion of a second surface thereof; a dust
separating unit to separate a dust from an air; and a seating part
formed in the cleaner body to detachably mount the dust separating
unit on the cleaner body, wherein the dust separating unit forms a
portion of an outward appearance of the cleaner body while closing
up the first and the second openings of the cleaner body when the
dust separating unit is mounted on the seating part.
2. The cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seating part
comprises a recess with an accommodating space fluidly communicated
with the first and the second openings of the cleaner body and
formed in a shape corresponding to the dust separating unit.
3. The cleaner as claimed in claim 2, wherein the accommodating
space is inclined to ascend toward at least the second opening with
respect to a horizontal plane.
4. The cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust separating
unit is configured, so that when the dust separating unit is
mounted on the seating part, a portion thereof is projected to the
outside through the first and the second openings of the cleaner
body.
5. The cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust separating
unit comprises a first cyclone unit to draw in an air and to first
centrifugally separate a dust from the air, and a second cyclone
unit to second centrifugally separate a dust from the air
discharged from the first cyclone unit, and wherein the first
cyclone unit comprises a portion that is projected to the outside
through the second opening of the cleaner body and the second
cyclone unit comprises a portion that is projected to the outside
through the first opening.
6. The cleaner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and the
second cyclone units are detachably coupled to or with each
other.
7. The cleaner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first cyclone
unit draws in the air at a lower part thereof and discharges the
air at an upper part thereof.
8. The cleaner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first cyclone
unit comprises: a first cyclone chamber having an air inlet at the
lower part thereof; a center pipe disposed in a center of the first
cyclone chamber, to guide a rotation of the air drawn in through
the air inlet; a first dust collecting chamber disposed around the
first cyclone chamber, to store the dust centrifugally separated
from the first cyclone chamber; and a second dust collecting
chamber disposed at one side of the first dust collecting chamber,
to store the dust centrifugally separated by the second cyclone
unit.
9. The cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first dust
collecting chamber is formed in a shape having a semicircular cross
section, and the second dust collecting chamber is formed in a
shape having a rectangular cross section.
10. The cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first dust
collecting chamber is configured so that at least a portion thereof
closes up the second opening of the cleaner body when the dust
separating unit is mounted on the seating part.
11. The cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first cyclone
unit further comprises a handle formed on the first dust collecting
chamber.
12. The cleaner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the handle is
configured so that at least a portion thereof is projected to the
outside through the second opening of the cleaner body.
13. The cleaner as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second cyclone
unit comprises at least two cyclones horizontally disposed parallel
to each other above the first cyclone unit.
14. The cleaner as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the at
least two cyclones is configured so that at least a portion thereof
is projected to the outside through the first opening of the
cleaner body.
15. The cleaner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second cyclone
unit further comprises a first cover to open and close up an upper
part of the first cyclone unit.
16. The cleaner as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first cover is
configured to open and close up a first dust collecting chamber and
a second dust collecting chamber of the first cyclone unit at the
same time.
17. The cleaner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second cyclone
unit further comprises a grill member to filter a dust from the air
discharged from the first cyclone unit.
18. The cleaner as claimed in claim 17, wherein the grill member is
configured, so that at least a portion thereof is projected into
the first cyclone chamber of the first cyclone unit and maintained
in a spaced-apart relation to a center pipe of the first cyclone
unit.
19. The cleaner as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second cyclone
unit further comprises a second cover to open and close up the
first opening of the cleaner body.
20. The cleaner as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second cover is
configured to close up the first opening when the dust separating
unit is mounted on the seating part.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0135968,
filed on Dec. 29, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office,
the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner
capable of detachably mounting a dust separating unit, which draws
in an external air and separates a dust or dirt therefrom.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In general, a cyclone dust-separating apparatus includes a
cyclone unit vertically and elongately installed, a cyclone body
with an air inflow part and an air discharging part formed at a
side and a top thereof, respectively, and a dust collecting unit
connected to a bottom part of the cyclone unit. Accordingly, an
external air is drawn in through the side of the cyclone body and
lowered while being swirled therein, and a dirt or dust removed
from the air is lowered and collected in the collecting unit.
However, in such a conventional cyclone dust-separating apparatus,
there is a problem that since it has one single cyclone to separate
the dust from the air only once, a dust separating efficiency is
deteriorated.
[0006] To address the problem as described above, a multi cyclone
dust-separating apparatus having a plurality of cyclones is
actively being developed. Such a multi cyclone dust-separating
apparatus is advantageous in that since it can separate the dust
several times from the air using the plurality of cyclones, the
dust separating efficiency is improved. However, in the multi
cyclone dust-separating apparatus, there is a problem that since it
has the plurality of cyclones, it increases in volume. Accordingly,
when the multi cyclone dust-separating apparatus is installed in a
cleaner body, only some parts, such as the dust collecting unit and
the like, should be detachably installed in the cleaner body. Thus,
in maintenance and repair, there is an inconvenience that after
only some detachably installed parts, such as the dust collecting
unit and the like, are removed from the vacuum cleaner, the fixedly
installed remaining parts, such as the cyclones, should be
maintained and repaired in a narrow space in the cleaner body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is to address at least
the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the
advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present
disclosure is to provide a vacuum cleaner, which is capable of
detachably mounting a large volume dust separating unit, such as a
multi cyclone dust-separating apparatus, thereby allowing the dust
separating unit to be easily maintained and repaired.
[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a
vacuum cleaner, which is capable of detachably mounting a large
volume dust separating unit, such as a multi cyclone
dust-separating apparatus, while not greatly increasing the vacuum
cleaner in size.
[0009] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a
vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having a first opening to
open a portion of a first surface thereof and a second opening to
open a portion of a second surface thereof; a dust separating unit
to separate a dust from an air; and a seating part formed in the
cleaner body to detachably mount the dust separating unit on the
cleaner body, wherein the dust separating unit forms a portion of
an outward appearance of the cleaner body while closing up the
first and the second openings of the cleaner body when the dust
separating unit is mounted on the seating part.
[0010] Here, the seating part may be a recess with an accommodating
space fluidly communicated with the first and the second openings
of the cleaner body and formed in a shape corresponding to the dust
separating unit. At this time, the accommodating space may be
configured, so that it is inclined to ascend toward at least the
second opening with respect to a horizontal plane.
[0011] The dust separating unit may be configured, so that when the
dust separating unit is mounted on the seating part, a portion
thereof is projected to the outside through the first and the
second openings of the cleaner body.
[0012] The dust separating unit may include a first cyclone unit to
draw in an air and to first centrifugally separate a dust from the
air, and a second cyclone unit to second centrifugally separate a
dust from the air discharged from the first cyclone unit. A portion
of the first cyclone unit may be projected to the outside through
the second opening of the cleaner body and a portion of the second
cyclone unit may be projected to the outside through the first
opening. At this time, the first and the second cyclone units may
be detachably coupled to or with each other.
[0013] The first cyclone unit at a lower part thereof may draw in
the air and at an upper part thereof may discharge the air.
[0014] The first cyclone unit may include a first cyclone chamber
having an air inlet at a lower part thereof, a center pipe disposed
in a center of the first cyclone chamber, to guide a rotation of an
air drawn in through the air inlet, a first dust collecting chamber
dispose around the first cyclone chamber, to store the dust
centrifugally separated from the first cyclone chamber, and a
second dust collecting chamber dispose at one side of the first
dust collecting chamber, to store the dust centrifugally separated
by the second cyclone unit. At this time, the first dust collecting
chamber may be formed in a shape having a semicircular cross
section, and the second dust collecting chamber may be formed in a
shape having a rectangular cross section. In addition, the first
dust collecting chamber may be configured so that at least a
portion thereof closes up the second opening of the cleaner body
when the dust separating unit is mounted on the seating part.
[0015] The first cyclone unit may further include a handle formed
on the first dust collecting chamber. At this time the handle may
be configured so that at least a portion thereof is projected to
the outside through the second opening of the cleaner body.
[0016] The second cyclone unit may include at least two cyclones
horizontally disposed parallel to each other above the first
cyclone unit. At this time, each of the at least two cyclones may
be configured so that at least a portion thereof is projected to
the outside through the first opening of the cleaner body.
[0017] The second cyclone unit may further include a first cover to
open and close up an upper part of the first cyclone unit, a grill
member to filter a dust from the air discharged from the first
cyclone unit, and a second cover to open and close up the first
opening of the cleaner body.
[0018] At this time, the first cover may be configured to open and
close up the first and the second dust collecting chambers of the
first cyclone unit at the same time. In addition, the grill member
may be configured, so that at least a portion thereof is projected
into the first cyclone chamber of the first cyclone unit and
maintained in a spaced-apart relation to a center pipe of the first
cyclone unit. Also, the second cover may be configured to close up
the first opening when the dust separating unit is mounted on the
seating part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0019] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of
certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be
more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view exemplifying a vacuum
cleaner to which a detachable dust separating unit according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is mounted;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view exemplifying an
operation of separating the dust separating unit of FIG. 1 from a
cleaner body;
[0022] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dust
separating unit of FIG. 2;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the dust separating unit
of FIG. 2;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the dust separating unit of
FIG. 2
[0025] FIG. 6 is a top plan-perspective view exemplifying a first
cyclone unit of the dust separating unit of FIG. 3; and
[0026] FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view exemplifying a modified
example of a second cyclone unit of the dust separating unit of
FIG. 4.
[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will be
understood to refer to the same elements, features, and
structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Hereinafter, a vacuum cleaner having a detachable dust
separating unit of according to certain exemplary embodiments of
the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference
to the accompanying drawing figures.
[0029] FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically exemplify a vacuum cleaner 1
having a detachable dust separating unit 50 according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner 1 according
to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a
cleaner body 10, an extended tube 20, a suction nozzle assembly 30,
and the detachable dust separating unit 50.
[0031] The detachable dust separating unit 50 is detachably
installed on a front part of the cleaner body 10, and a motor part
(not illustrated) on which a suction motor (not illustrated) is
mounted is installed in a rear part of the cleaner body 10.
[0032] The cleaner body 10 includes an outer casing 11 forming an
outward appearance. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the outer casing 11
at a front part of an upper surface thereof has a first opening 11a
formed in an approximately semicircle shape corresponding to a
second cover 69 (see FIG. 3) of a second cyclone unit 65 to be
described later, and at a front surface adjacent to the front part
of the upper surface thereof has a second opening 11b formed in an
approximately semicylinder shape.
[0033] A seating part 80, which detachably mounts the dust
separating unit 50 in the cleaner body 10, includes a recess 81
formed in the outer casing 11 to communicate in fluid with the
first and the second openings 11a and 11b. The recess 81 has an
accommodating space 83 in the form of a semicylinder formed in a
shape corresponding to the dust separating unit 50.
[0034] To easily mount the dust separating unit 50, the
accommodating space 83 may be formed, so that a bottom surface and
a rear surface thereof are upwardly or diagonally inclined in a
predetermined angle of, for example, 5 to 20 degrees, toward the
second opening 11b with respect to a horizontal plane and a
vertical plane, respectively. In addition, the accommodating space
83 may have a height and a front-and-rear width formed in such a
size that when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted therein, a
handle 62 of a first cyclone unit 55 and cyclones 71a and 71b
disposed on the second cover 69 of the second cyclone unit 65,
which will be described below, are projected to the outside through
the second and the first openings 11b and 11a, respectively.
Accordingly, a whole height and a whole front-and-rear width of the
cleaner body 10 may be reduced by a width of the projected handle
62 of the first cyclone unit 55 and a height of the projected
cyclones 71a and 71b. As a result, while mounting the dust
separating unit 50 having the first and the second cyclone units 55
and 65, the cleaner body 10 may be reduced in entire size.
[0035] Also, a pair of side wheels 13 and bottom wheels (not
illustrated) are disposed on both sides and a bottom surface of the
cleaner body 10 to move the cleaner body 10 along a surface to be
cleaned in cleaning.
[0036] An operating handle 21 is formed on an upper part of the
extended tube 20, and a suction hose 15, which is connected with
the cleaner body 10, is connected to a lower part of the operating
handle 21. The suction nozzle assembly 30 is connected to a lower
part of the extended tube 20 to draw in a dust or dirt along with
an air from the surface to be cleaned.
[0037] FIGS. 3 through 5 exemplify the dust separating unit 50
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0038] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5, the dust separating
unit 50, as a multi cyclone dust-separating apparatus having a
plurality of cyclones, includes a first cyclone unit 55 and a
second cyclone unit 65.
[0039] The first cyclone unit 55, which draws in the air drawn in
through the suction nozzle assembly 30, the extended tube 20 and
the suction hose 15 from the surface to be cleaned and first
centrifugally separates the dust from the air, is configured, so
that it draws in the air at a lower part thereof and discharges the
air at an upper part thereof. For this, the first cyclone unit 55
is provided with a first cyclone chamber 59 in the form of a
cylinder having a first air inlet 56 formed on a side of the lower
part thereof. The first air inlet 56 is coupled with an air
drawing-in passage (not illustrated) formed in a lower side of the
front part of the outer casing 11 to communicate in fluid with a
connection socket 81a coupled to the suction hose 15.
[0040] A center pipe 57 is disposed in a center of the first
cyclone chamber 59 to guide a rotation of the air drawn in through
the first air inlet 56. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a spiral guide 58
is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the center pipe 57
to guide the air to rotate along the center pipe 57.
[0041] A first dust collecting chamber 60 is disposed around the
first cyclone chamber 59 to collect and store the dust
centrifugally separated at the first cyclone chamber 59. The first
dust collecting chamber 60 is formed in a tub shape with a
semicircular cross section. The first dust collecting chamber 60
has a height higher than that of the first cyclone chamber 59, so
that it can draw in the dust from the air whirling in the first
cyclone chamber 59. In addition, the first dust collecting chamber
60 forms an outer appearance of the first cyclone unit 55, and is
configured, so that a front surface thereof closes up the second
opening 11b when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted on the
seating part 80, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The front surface of the
first dust collecting chamber 60 may be formed of a transparent
plastic material, so that a user can see, from the outside, whether
it is filled with the dust.
[0042] A second dust collecting chamber 61 is disposed at the rear
of the first dust collecting chamber 60 to collect and store the
dust centrifugally separated by the second cyclone unit 65. The
second dust collecting chamber 61 may be formed in a tub shape
having a rectangular cross section, which is separated from the
first dust collecting chamber 60 by a partition 61a. In addition,
the second dust collecting chamber 61 is located in the
accommodating space 83 of the recess 81 positioned in the outer
casing 11, so that it is not exposed to the outside when the dust
separating unit 50 is mounted on the seating part 80. A rear
surface of the second dust collecting chamber 61 may be formed of a
transparent plastic material, so that the user can see, from the
outside, whether it is filled with the dust.
[0043] To reduce the cleaner body 10 in size as described above, a
whole front-and-rear width of the first and the second dust
collecting chamber 60 and 61 constructed as described above is
formed in a size corresponding to the front-and-rear width of the
accommodating space 83 of the recess 81, that is, in such a size
that when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted in the
accommodating space 83 of the recess 81, the handle 62 of the first
cyclone unit 55 is projected to the outside through the second
opening 11b (see FIG. 1).
[0044] The handle 62 is formed on a portion (that is, the front
surface) opposite to a portion (that is, a rear surface) of the
first dust collecting chamber 60 to which the second dust
collecting chamber 61 is located. Because the whole front-and-rear
width of the first and the second dust collecting chamber 60 and 61
is formed in the size corresponding to the front-and-rear width of
the accommodating space 83 of the recess 81, the handle 62 is
projected to the outside through the second opening 11b of the
outer casing 11.
[0045] The second cyclone unit 65, which second centrifugally
separates a dust from the air discharged from the first cyclone
unit 55, is detachably coupled with the first cyclone unit 55 above
the first cyclone unit 55, as illustrated in FIG. 3. For this, the
second cyclone unit 65 is provided with a first cover 66 to open
and close up upper parts of the first and the second dust
collecting chambers 60 and 61 of the first cyclone unit 55. As
illustrated in FIG. 4, a groove part 66a is formed on an
undersurface of the first cover 66 to correspond to upper edges of
the first and the second dust collecting chamber 60 and 61. The
upper edges of the first and the second dust collecting chamber 60
and 61 are inserted into or separated from the groove part 66a, and
thus the first cover 66 can simultaneously close up or open the
upper parts of the first and the second dust collecting chamber 60
and 61.
[0046] An air drawing-in pipe 67 is formed on a center of the
undersurface of the first cover 66 to draw in the air discharged
from the first cyclone chamber 59 after the dust is separated at
the first cyclone chamber 59. A grill member 68 is formed on a
lower part of the air drawing-in pipe 67, and has a plurality of
air holes to filter a fine dust from the discharged air. In the
exemplary embodiment, the grill member 68 is illustrated as being
integrally formed with the air drawing-in pipe 67, but it can be
separately formed from the air drawing-in pipe 67. The grill member
68 is projected into the first cyclone chamber 59, so that it is
maintained in a spaced-apart relation to the center pipe 57.
[0047] A guide partition 66b is formed in the first cover 66. The
guide partition 66b forms a guide passage 75 to branch off and
guide the air drawn in into the air drawing-in pipe 67 through the
grill member 68 into second air inlets 70 of the horizontally
arranged cyclones 71a and 71b to be described later.
[0048] To reduce the cleaner body 10 in size as described above, a
thickness of the first cover 66 having the guide passage 75 is
formed in such a size that a whole height of which a height of the
first cyclone unit 55 is added thereto conforms to the height of
the accommodating space 83 of the recess 81, that is, in such a
size that when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted in the
accommodating space 83 of the recess 81, the cyclones 71a and 71b
disposed on the second cover 69 are projected to the outside
through the first opening 11a.
[0049] The second cover 69 is disposed on the first cover 66. The
second cover 69 is detachably coupled with an upper edge of the
first cover 66 and an upper edge of the guide partition 66b by a
projected part 69a formed on a lower part of the second cover 69.
Alternatively, as in a second cyclone unit 65' of a modified
example illustrated in FIG. 7, the second cover 69 may be
integrally formed with the first cover 66.
[0050] The second cover 69 is formed in a size and a shape (that
is, a semicircular shape) corresponding to the first opening 11a of
the outer casing 11, so that when the dust separating unit 50 is
mounted on or separated from the seating part 80, it can close up
or open the first opening 11a.
[0051] A plurality of, for example, two cyclones 71a and 71b are
installed on the second cover 69 to second separate a dust from the
air by using a centrifugal force. The two cyclones 71a and 71b are
symmetrically arranged in parallel and adjacent to each other.
Because the two cyclones 71a and 71b are formed in such a size that
a height of which the height of the first cyclone unit 55 and the
thickness of the first cover 66 are combined conforms to the height
of the accommodating space 83 of the recess 81 as described above,
they are projected to the outside through the first opening 11a of
the outer casing 11 when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted on
the seating part 80. In addition, to allow the air drawn in through
the guide passage 75 of the first cover 66 from the first cyclone
unit 55 to flow and discharge in a horizontal state or direction by
a whirling motion thereof, each of the cyclones 71a and 71b is
arranged, so that a line of center axis thereof is positioned in a
right angle to a line of center axis of the whirling current in the
first cyclone chamber 59.
[0052] Each of the cyclones 71a and 71b includes a second air inlet
70, a second cyclone chamber 72, a guide pipe 73, a discharging
pipe 77, and a dust charging part 74. Since each of the cyclones
71a and 71b has the same elements and functions, only one cyclone
71a will be explained.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the second air inlet 70 at a lower
end thereof is coupled with the guide passage 75 and at an upper
end thereof is coupled in a tangential shape to a front side (a
left side in FIG. 4) of the second cyclone chamber 72. The second
cyclone chamber 72, which provides a space to allow the air drawn
in through the second air inlet 70 to whirl, may be formed in a
cylinder shape. Alternatively, the second cyclone chamber 72 may be
formed in a convex cylinder shape or a truncated cone shape. The
second cyclone chamber 72 may be formed of a transparent plastic
material.
[0054] To allow the air drawn in into the second cyclone chamber 72
to smoothly form a whirling current, the guide pipe 73 and the
discharging pipe 77 are arranged in the front and the rear of the
second cyclone chamber 72 to face to each other while having the
same center axis.
[0055] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the discharging pipe 77 has a
grill 77a disposed on a front end thereof to filter a fine dust
from the air discharged from the second cyclone chamber 72.
According to the design, the grill 77a may be omitted or removed,
as in the second cyclone unit 65' of the modified example
illustrated in FIG. 7. The discharging pipe 77 at a rear end (a
right side end in FIG. 4) thereof is penetrated through and
slightly projected from the second cyclone chamber 72. Accordingly,
when the dust separating unit 50 is mounted on the seating part 80,
the rear end of the discharging pipe 77 is connected to an inlet of
a discharging passage (not illustrated) formed in the seating part
80 to communicate in fluid with the suction motor. Thus, the air
from which the dust is separated in the second cyclone chamber 72
of each of the cyclones 71a and 71b can be mixed or united into one
in the discharging passage and discharged toward the suction
motor.
[0056] The dust charging part 74 is arranged below a rear end of
the second cyclone chamber 72 to send the fine dust centrifugally
separated from the air to the second dust collecting chamber 61 of
the first cyclone unit 55 through a dust discharging passage 76 of
the first cover 66.
[0057] In the above description, although in the vacuum cleaner 1
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,
the dust separating unit 50 is illustrated and explained as being
the multi cyclone dust separating apparatus including the second
cyclone unit 22 with the two cyclones 71a and 71b, the present
disclosure is not limited thereto. For instance, the dust
separating unit 50 may be formed in a configuration including a
second cyclone unit with a plurality of cyclones arranged in a
radial direction above a first cyclone unit.
[0058] As explained above, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is configured, so
that the entire of the dust separating unit 50 having the plurality
of cyclones, that is, the first and the second cyclone units 55 and
65 is detachably mounted to the cleaner body 10. Accordingly, in
maintenance and repair, the user can separate the entire of the
dust separating unit 50 from the cleaner body 10 and then move the
dust separating unit 50 to an outer wide area to maintain and
repair the dust separating unit 50 thereat.
[0059] In addition, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure is configured, so that the
first and the second cyclone units 55 and 65 of the dust separating
unit 50 are detachably coupled to or with each other. Accordingly,
the first and/or the second cyclone units 55 and/or 65 can be
easily maintained and repaired.
[0060] Also, the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure is configured, so that some
components of the dust separating unit 50, that is, the handle 62
of the first cyclone unit 55 and the cyclones 71a and 71b of the
second cyclone unit 65 are arranged to project to the outside.
Accordingly, there is no need for forming the seating part 80 of
mounting the dust separating unit 50 to have a height and a width
identical to or larger than the entire height and the entire width
of the dust separating unit 50. Thus, the vacuum cleaner 1
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can
detachably mount the dust separating unit 50 with the plurality of
cyclones for superior dust-separating performance while not greatly
increasing the vacuum cleaner 10 in size.
[0061] Hereinafter, an operation of the vacuum cleaner 1 having the
detachable dust separating unit 50 according to the exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure constructed as described above
will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through
6.
[0062] First, as the vacuum cleaner is supplied with an electric
power, the suction motor is operated. As a result, an air is drawn
in into the first air inlet 56 through the suction nozzle assembly
30, the extended tube 20 and the suction hose 15 along with a dust
or dirt in the vicinity of a surface to be cleaned.
[0063] The air drawn in into the first air inlet 56 is changed into
a whirling current while being guided by the spiral guide 58 of the
center pipe 57, and is drawn into the first cyclone chamber 59.
With a centrifugal action of the whirling current ascending by a
suction force of the suction motor, a relatively large dust is
separated from the air drawn in into the first cyclone chamber 59.
The separated dust is moved toward and collected into the first
dust collecting chamber 60.
[0064] The air from which the dust is first separated passes
through the grill member 68 to filter off a fine dust therefrom
again, and flows into the second air inlets 70 of the two cyclones
71a and 71b via the air drawing-in pipe 67 and the guide passage
75.
[0065] The air flowed into the second air inlets 70 is changed into
a whirling current while being dashed against an inner
circumferential surface of the second cyclone chamber 72 and guided
by the guide pipe 73 and the discharging pipe 77. A dust is second
separated from the air by the centrifugal force of the whirling
current. The dust separated from the air in the second cyclone
chamber 72 is collected into the second dust collecting chamber 61
through the dust discharging part 74 and the dust discharging
passage 76.
[0066] The air from which the dust is second separated passes
through the grill 77a to filter off a fine dust therefrom again,
and discharges into the discharging passage formed in the seating
part 80 through the discharging pipe 77. The discharged air is
united into one in the discharging passage and discharged to the
outside through the suction motor.
[0067] After the cleaning operation is completed as described
above, if the user wants to empty the first and the second dust
collecting chamber 60 and 61, she or he carries out a dust removing
operation as follows.
[0068] First, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the user grasps the handle
62 and draws out the entire of the dust separating unit 50 from the
seating part 80. And then, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the user pulls
the second cyclone unit 65 up while grasping the handle 62. As a
result, the upper edges of the first and second dust collecting
chambers 60 and 61 are separated from the groove part 66a of the
first cover 66 to open the upper parts of the first and second dust
collecting chambers 60 and 61. In this state, the dust collected in
the first and second dust collecting chambers 60 and 61 is removed
from the first and second dust collecting chambers 60 and 61 and
dumped on a dustbin, and the dust removing operation is
completed.
[0069] After that, if the user wants to mount the dust separating
unit 50 on the seating part 80 again, she or he carries out a
mounting operation as follows.
[0070] First, the user places the second cyclone unit 65 on the
first cyclone unit 55 and then inserts the upper edges of the first
and second dust collecting chambers 60 and 61 into the groove part
66a of the first cover 66 to couple the second cyclone unit 65 with
the first cyclone unit 55. And then, the user grasps the handle 62
and pushes the dust separating unit 50 into the recess 81 of the
seating part 80 to mount the dust separating unit 50 in the seating
part 80. At this time, the second cover 69 closes up the first
opening 11a of the outer casing 11 and the front surface of the
first dust collecting chamber 60 closes up the second opening 11b
of the outer casing 11. In addition, the first air inlet 56 is
connected with the air drawing-in passage communicating in fluid
with the connection socket 81a coupled to the suction hose 15, and
the rear ends of the discharging pipes 77 of the two cyclones 71a
and 71b are coupled with inlets of the discharging passage. Also,
the two cyclones 71a and 71b and the handle 62 are projected to the
outside of the outer casing 11 through the first and the second
openings 11a and 11b of the outer casing 11, respectively. As a
result, the mounting operation is completed.
[0071] As apparent from the foregoing description, according to the
exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum cleaner
is configured, so that the entire of the large volume of dust
separating unit, such as the multi cyclone dust separating
apparatus, having the plurality of cyclones, that is, the first and
the second cyclone units, is detachably mounted to the cleaner
body. Accordingly, in maintenance and repair, the user can separate
the entire of the dust separating unit from the cleaner body and
then move the dust separating unit to the outer wide area to
maintain and repair the dust separating unit thereat. Thus, the
inconvenience in that after only some detachably installed parts,
such as the dust collecting unit and the like, are removed from the
vacuum cleaner, the fixedly installed rest, such as the cyclones,
should be maintained and repaired in the narrow space in the
cleaner body, as in the conventional vacuum cleaner, is
prevented.
[0072] In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure is configured, so that the
first and the second cyclone units of the dust separating unit are
detachably coupled to or with each other. Accordingly, the first
and/or the second cyclone units can be easily maintained and
repaired.
[0073] Also, the vacuum cleaner according to the exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure is configured, so that some
components of the large volume of dust separating unit, such as the
multi cyclone dust separating apparatus, that is, at least the
handle of the first cyclone unit and the cyclones of the second
cyclone unit, are arranged to project to the outside. Accordingly,
there is no need for forming the seating part of mounting the dust
separating unit to have the height and the width identical to or
larger than the entire height and the entire width of the dust
separating unit. Thus, the vacuum cleaner according to the
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can detachably mount
the large volume of dust separating unit, but design the cleaner
body to have about the same size as the dust separating unit having
the single cyclone in the conventional vacuum cleaner. As a result,
the vacuum cleaner according to the exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure can detachably mount the large volume of
separating unit, such as the multi cyclone dust separating
apparatus, for superior dust-separating performance while not
greatly increasing the vacuum cleaner in size.
[0074] Although representative embodiments of the present
disclosure have been shown and described in order to exemplify the
principle of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not
limited to the specific embodiments. It will be understood that
various modifications and changes can be made by one skilled in the
art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure
as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, it shall be
considered that such modifications, changes and equivalents thereof
are all included within the scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *