Abstract:
A dust-separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner separates dust from air without a filer and without a cyclone by repeatedly colliding air and air-borne dust particles against surfaces as the air passes through the dust-separating apparatus. The dust-separating apparatus includes: an air inlet formed in an upper surface of the dust-separating apparatus; an inlet pipe coupled to the air inlet that guides dust-laden air downwardly into the dust-separating apparatus, the end of which opens just above the bottom surface of the dust-separating apparatus where dust particles collide with the bottom surface. An air outlet is formed in a sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus. One or more guide members formed inside the dust-separating apparatus prevent dust from flowing upwardly and provide surfaces against which air-borne particles can collide. A removable dust collection bin stores collected dust.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-100258, filed Dec. 2, 2004 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a dust-separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, which separates dust from air by repeatedly colliding dust-laden air against surfaces, thereby causing suspended dust particles to separate out.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     At least one prior art dust-separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner uses a dust bag to collect dust, however, such dust bags, must be frequently replaced. Because of this, many vacuum cleaners now use centrifugal dust filters to separate dust from drawn-in air. An example of such a dust-separating apparatus is a cyclone dust-separating apparatus, one such structure being disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-0104810. Such a cyclone dust-separating apparatus includes an air inlet formed at the edge of a sidewall thereof to generate a circular airflow and an air outlet formed on an upper wall thereof. Air flowing into the air inlet circulates inside the cyclone dust-separating apparatus so that dust or dirt heavier than the collected air is separated from the collected air by centrifugal force and collected by gravity in a dust bin located at the bottom or lower portion of the cyclone dust-separating apparatus.  
         [0004]     As is known, centrifugal force increases with an increase of a rotation radius of a cyclone dust-separating apparatus. Thus, in order to improve dust separation, the radius of curvature of a cyclonic dust separator should be as large as practical. Also, as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2002-0073464, an additional grill or filter is provided at an air outlet to improve dust collection.  
         [0005]     Centrifugal or cyclonic dust separators are recognized as being effective separating dust without having to replace a dust bag. However, the air inlet of a cyclonic dust separator is preferably formed at the edge of a sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus in a location and with a geometry that will either generate or assist in the generation of a rotary air flow. As stated above, the radius of the dust-separating apparatus must be relatively large to increase centrifugal force on air-borne dust. Therefore, an inflow path inside a cleaner is complicated, and the dust-separating apparatus cannot be made compact. As a result, a dust or particle separator that does not rely on cyclonic air flow would be an improvement over the prior art cyclonic dust separators.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In consideration of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a dust-separating apparatus including an improved air inflow and outflow path.  
         [0007]     Another object of the preferred invention is to provide a dust-separating apparatus having a simple structure and an improved internal inflow path.  
         [0008]     Another object of the preferred invention is to provide a dust-separating having a relatively simple structure and a freely variable inside diameter.  
         [0009]     In light of the foregoing objects, there is provided a dust-separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner that does not rely on cyclonic air currents. The preferred embodiment of the dust separating apparatus includes a cylindrically-shaped dust separating apparatus having an air inlet in a top cover and an orthogonal air outlet in a side wall, however, alternate embodiments include air inlet paths and air outlet paths that could also be parallel to each other as well as any angle there between. An inlet pipe coupled to the air inlet guides air into the dust-separating apparatus, toward the bottom of the dust-separating apparatus. Inertia of dust particles suspended in the air causes most of the suspended dust particles to strike or collide with the bottom surface of the dust-collecting apparatus where they are held in place by gravity and separated from the in-flowing air.  
         [0010]     Air that strikes the bottom surface of the dust separating apparatus curls upwardly or “upstream” of the in-flowing air, toward an air outlet formed in a sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus. Dust particles that do not collide with the bottom surface of the dust-collecting apparatus, and which continue to be carried by air, upwardly toward the air outlet, collide with one or more guide members formed inside the dust-separating apparatus to extend away from the inside wall of the dust-separating apparatus and which slant downwardly to prevent air-borne dust from flowing upstream and out of the dust-separating apparatus. A dust collection bin installed under the guide member, stores the collected dust.  
         [0011]     The guide members extend away from the inside surface of the cylindrically shaped dust-separating apparatus toward the inlet pipe but do not contact the inlet pipe. Instead, the inlet pipe and the guide members form an annular-shaped opening through which outbound air flows.  
         [0012]     The guide member may include a first guide member and a second guide member installed above the first guide member, and a second air passage hole may be formed between the second guide member and the inlet pipe so as to pass the air. An end of the first guide member may be positioned under an end of the inlet pipe, and a first air passage hole may be formed between the end of the first guide member and an end of the inlet pipe so as to pass the air.  
         [0013]     The inlet pipe may penetrate through an opening of the first guide member so as to position the end of the first guide member above the end of the inlet pipe.  
         [0014]     The guide member may slantingly protrude from the sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus, and the inlet pipe may penetrate through the upper wall of the dust-separating apparatus to protrude.  
         [0015]     The dust-separating apparatus may further include a filter installed at an air path formed between at least one of the first and second guide members and the inlet pipe so as to pass the air.  
         [0016]     The dust collection bin is in the shape of a frustum of a right circular cone.  
         [0017]     According to another aspect of the preferred invention, there is provided a dust-separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, separating dust from air including the dust flowing thereinto by an indraft force, the dust-separating apparatus including: an air inlet formed in the center of an upper wall of the dust-separating apparatus; and an air outlet formed at a sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus. Here, the dust is separated from the air flowing into through the air inlet, and then the air is discharged through the air outlet.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     The above aspects and features of the preferred invention will be more apparent by describing certain embodiments of the preferred invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a dust-separating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the dust-separating apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the dust-separating apparatus, taken along line  3 - 3  shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4A  is a plan view of a first guide member shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 4B  is a plan view of a second guide member shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the dust-separating apparatus, taken along line  5 - 5  shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a second air passage hole shown in  FIG. 3  at which a filter is mounted;  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a dust-separating apparatus according to another embodiment of the preferred invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a second air passage hole of  FIG. 7  at which a filter is mounted; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a dust-separating method according to an embodiment of the preferred invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0029]     Certain embodiments of the preferred invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0030]     In the following description, same drawing reference numerals are used for the same elements even in different drawings. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would tend to obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , a preferred embodiment of a dust-separating apparatus  100  includes a substantially planar upper cover  100   a , a cylindrical dust separating apparatus sidewall  100   b , a circular air inlet  111 , a cylindrical air inlet pipe  112  that extends towards the bottom surface  120   a , a circular air outlet  113 , a cylindrical air outlet pipe  114 , a dust collection bin  120 , in the shape of the frustum of a right circular cone, which has bottom surface  120   a , and a guide member  130  comprised of one or more inverted-funnel shaped panels or surfaces  131  and  132  that slantingly extend downwardly away from the inside wall of the sidewall  100   b . In the preferred embodiment, the dust-separating apparatus  100  is made to have an inside diameter D 2  of 154 mm and a height H 1  of 250 mm so as to be suitable for a household cleaner.  
         [0032]     The upper cover  100   a  and the sidewall  100   b  form a cylindrical vessel that separates dust from collected air by using both inertia and centrifugal force as described below.  
         [0033]     The circular air inlet  111  is located in the center of the upper cover  100   a  and allows dust-laden collected air to flow into the dust-separating apparatus  100  vertically. In the preferred embodiment, the circular air inlet  111  is formed as the interior of the inlet pipe  112 .  
         [0034]     The inlet pipe  112  penetrates through the upper cover  100   a  so that a portion of it extends above the upper cover  100   a  and the other portion thereof is inserted into the dust-separating apparatus  100  and extends downwardly, into the dust-separating apparatus  100  where it terminates just above the bottom surface  120   a . Accordingly, air flowing through the the inlet pipe  112  is guided or directed downwardly, into the dust-separating apparatus  100  and toward the bottom surface.  
         [0035]     As best seen in  FIG. 3 , dust suspended in the air that descends through the inlet pipe  112  continues descending by inertia, after the air and dust leaves the bottom end of the air inlet pipe  112 . Inertia causes such dust particles to collide against the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120  so as to separate from the collected air. The separated dust is collected on the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120  under the force of gravity, from which it can be disposed of by detaching the dust collection bin  120  from the dust separating apparatus  100 . The air traveling downwardly through the air inlet pipe  112  also collides against the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120  but after the air collides with the bottom surface  120   a , it readily curls upward along and against the inclined surfaces of the cone-shaped bin  120  and ascends upwardly toward the outlet  113 .  
         [0036]     Since dust is separated from air using an inertial force, the air inlet  111  does not need to be sized, shaped or arranged in the cover  100   a  to generate a rotating or cyclonic air flow, which separates dirt using centrifugal force. As a result, the inside diameter D 2  of the dust-separating apparatus  100  does not need to be large to form a circular airflow. Thus, the dust-separating apparatus  100  can be made relatively compact so as to have a simple structure and an inside diameter D 2  that is freely variable.  
         [0037]     In order to effectively guide the collected air into the dust-separating apparatus  100 , an internal portion of the inlet pipe  112  should have a height H 2 , 0.6 to 0.8 times the overall height H 1  of the dust-separating apparatus  100 . The inside diameter D 1  of the inlet pipe  112  should be 0.5 to 0.6 times the overall inside diameter D 2  of the dust-separating apparatus  100 .  
         [0038]     An air outlet  113  is formed in the sidewall  100   b  to discharge the air separated from the dust. The air outlet  113  is preferably formed as part of the sidewall  100   b , however, in the preferred embodiment, the air outlet  113  is embodied as a cylindrical outlet pipe  114 , installed into the sidewall  100   b . In the preferred embodiment, the outlet pipe  114  has an inside diameter D 3  of 36 mm.  
         [0039]     The air separated from the dust ascends inside the dust-separating apparatus  100  and discharges through the air outlet  113 . The air outlet  113  is preferably located at the top of the dust-separating apparatus  100  so that fine dust that does not collide with the bottom surface  120   a  and which remains suspended in the ascending air can be subsequently intercepted by the elements  131  and  132  of a guide member  130  inside the dust-separating apparatus  100 , which operated to separate fine dust particles from the air. As a result, the air can be further purified and then discharged through the air outlet  113 .  
         [0040]     The air outlet  113  is not sized, shaped or positioned to impart or aid in the creation of a rotating or cyclonic air flow, and thus not need to be installed at a particular location in the sidewall  100   b . Therefore, the air outlet  113  can be sized, shaped and installed to reduce the size of the dust-separating apparatus  100 .  
         [0041]     The dust collection bin  120  is preferably in the shape of an inverted frustum of a right-circular cone. The bottom surface  120   a  is formed by one surface of the frustum. The dust collection bin  120  is attachable to and detachable from the sidewall  100   b  under a first guide member  131  so as to easily dump collected dust.  
         [0042]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 through 5 , the guide member  130  includes a plurality of guide member sections identified by reference numerals  131  and  132 . They prevent dust collected in the dust collection bin  120  and fine dust that does not strike the bottom surface  120   a , from flowing upstream and out of the air outlet  113 . The guide member sections  131  and  132  slantingly protrude from the sidewall  100   b  of the dust-separating apparatus  100 , inwardly toward the dust collection bin  120 .  
         [0043]     Due to the guide member  130 , an additional grill member does not need to be installed at the air outlet  113  as in prior art cyclone dust separators. Thus, the structure of the dust-separating apparatus  100  can be simplified and an air filter eliminated.  
         [0044]     The guide member  130  preferably includes a plurality of guide members, however, in a case where the guide member  130  includes an excessively large number of guide members, an inflow path inside the dust-separating apparatus  100  becomes complicated and airflow through the apparatus  100  impeded. As a result, in the preferred embodiment, the guide member  130  preferably includes first and second guide members  131  and  132 .  
         [0045]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 A, the first guide member  131  is bonded, welded, screwed or otherwise attached to the sidewall  100   b  to forms a single body together with the sidewall  100   b  located above the dust collection bin  120 . The first guide member  131  is a section or portion of an inverted funnel having an inclination angle of θ1 with respect to the sidewall  100   b . It extends inwardly from the sidewall  100   b  and downwardly toward the dust collection bin  120 . It forms an opening  131   e  with a diameter D 3  in the center thereof.  
         [0046]     Dust that collects on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131  can fall into the dust collection bin  120  due to the inclination angle θ1. Dust contained in the air that ascends from the bottom surface  120   a  passes through the first air passage hole  141 . Some of the dust collected in the dust collection bin  120  is carried by the air but collides against a lower surface  131   c  of the first guide member  131  to fall back into the dirt collection bin  120 . The opening  131   e  may form the first air passage hole  141  along with the inlet pipe  112  and is described in detail later.  
         [0047]     The second guide member  132  is also bonded, welded, screwed or otherwise attached to the sidewall  100   b  to form a single body together with the sidewall  100   b  and is positioned between the first guide member  131  and the air outlet  113 . The second guide member  132  is also a funnel-shaped rib having an inclination angle of θ2. It extends downwardly toward the dust collection bin  120  and including an opening  132   e  with a diameter of D 5  in the center thereof.  
         [0048]     Dust piled on an upper surface  132   b  of the second guide member  132  may slide on the upper surface  132   b  and then fall on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131  due to the inclination angle θ2. Dust contained in air ascending to pass through the second air passage hole  142  collides against a lower surface  132   c  of the second guide member  132  and then falls on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131 . The dust piled on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131  slides on the upper surface  131   b  to fall into the dust collection bin  120 . The opening  132   e  forms the second air passage hole  142  along with the inlet pipe  112 . This will be described in detail later.  
         [0049]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the air passage hole  140  includes a plurality of air passage holes inside the dust-separating apparatus  100  due to the guide member  130  and the inlet pipe  112 . In the preferred embodiment, the air passage hole  140  includes the first and second air passage holes  141  and  142 .  
         [0050]     The first air passage hole  141  is an air inflow path formed by positioning an end of the first guide member  131  under an end of the inlet pipe  112 . In more detail, the first air passage hole  141  is a belt-shaped hole, which has a height H 3  and is formed by an upper surface corner  131   a  of the first guide member  131  and an end  112   b  of the inlet pipe  112 .  
         [0051]     The height H 3  of the first air passage hole  141  may vary depending on the inclination angle θ1 of the first guide member  131  and the internal height H 2  of the inlet pipe  112 . For example, as the inclination angle θ1 of the first guide member  131  is small and the internal height H 2  of the inlet pipe  112  is low, the height H 3  of the first air passage hole  141  is high. For reference, in the preferred embodiment, the height H 3  of the second air passage hole  142  is 15 mm.  
         [0052]     The second air passage hole  142  is an air inflow path formed around the inlet pipe  112  so as to pass air between the second guide member  132  and the inlet pipe  112 . For this purpose, the inlet pipe  112  penetrates through the opening  132   e  of the second guide member  132 . In more detail, the second air passage hole  142  is a belt-shaped hole formed between a right side  132   a  of the second guide member  132  and the inlet pipe  112  so as to have a width W 1  (see  FIG. 4 ).  
         [0053]     The width W 1  of the second air passage hole  142  may vary depending on the inclination angle θ2 of the second guide member  132  and the inside diameter D 1  of the inlet pipe  112 . For example, as the inclination angle θ2 of the second guide member  132  is small and the inside diameter D 1  of the inlet pipe  112  is small, the width W 1  of the second air passage hole  142  increases. For reference, in the preferred embodiment, the width W 1  of the second air passage hole  142  is 8.5 mm.  
         [0054]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a filter  150  may be bonded to or inserted into the first air passage hole  141  shown in  FIG. 3  to improve dust collection efficiency. Air filters may be installed at either one or both of the first and second air passage holes  141  and  142  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a dust-separating apparatus according to another embodiment of the preferred invention. The first air passage hole  141  is formed by positioning an end of the first guide member  131  above the bottom  200  end of an inlet pipe  112 ′. In other words, the inlet pipe  112 ′ has a height H 3  to extend through the opening  131   e  of the first guide member  131  shown in  FIG. 4A  so as to form the annulus-shaped first air passage hole  141  as an air inflow path passing air between the first guide member  131  and the outer surface  202  of the inlet pipe  112 ′.  
         [0056]     In more detail, the first air passage hole  141  is an annular-shaped opening or hole formed between the end  131   d  of the first guide member  131  and the outside wall  202  of the inlet pipe  112 ′. As can be seen in the figure, the first air passage hole has a width W 2 .  
         [0057]     The width W 2  of the first air passage hole  141  can be varied by the inclination angle θ1 of the first guide member  131 , the length of the guide member  131  and the outside diameter of the inlet pipe  112 ′. For example, as the inclination angle θ1 of the first guide member  131  is small and the outside diameter of the inlet pipe  112 ′ is small, the width W 2  of the first air passage hole  141  increases. The other elements of the preferred embodiment are the same as those of the previous embodiment, denoted by like reference numerals, and will not be described herein.  
         [0058]     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a filter  160  may also be installed at the first air passage hole  141  to improve dust collection efficiency. If desired or necessary, filters  160  may be installed at either or both of the first and second air passage holes  141  and  142  shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0059]     The operation of the dust-separating apparatus  100  shown in  FIG. 1  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5  and  9 .  
         [0060]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 9 , when a vacuum cleaner (not shown) operates, an indraft force is generated such that air is drawn from the separating apparatus through the circular air outlet  113 . As a result of the evacuation of air through the air outlet  113 , air containing dust flows into the air inlet  111  formed in the upper cover  100   a  of the dust-separating apparatus  100 . The air passes through an end of the inlet pipe  112  and then descends through the pipe  112  to the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120 .  
         [0061]     Relatively heavy dust particles contained in the collected air continues to descend past the end  200  of the pipe  112  by inertia. These particles collide against the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120  and are usually thereafter separated from the collected air. Such dirt particles pile up on the bottom  120   a  of the dust collection bin  120 .  
         [0062]     The air separated from the dust changes its direction as it collides against the bottom surface  120   a  and ascends where it collides with the lower surface  131   c  of the first guide member  131 . Thereafter, the air passes through the first air passage hole  141  to continue its travel upward toward the air outlet pipe  113 .  
         [0063]     In a case where fine dust does not separate from the air after passing through the first air passage hole  141 , fine dust carried in the upwardly flowing air collides against the lower surface  132   c  of the second guide member  132 , and separates from the air under the second guide member  132 , while the air changes direction and passes through the second air passage hole  142 .  
         [0064]     Any dust still remaining after collision with the second guide member separates as the air re-passes through the second air passage hole  142 , and falls on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131 . The fallen dust slides on the upper surface  131   b  of the first guide member  131 , passes through the first air passage hole  141 , and falls into the dust collection bin  120 .  
         [0065]     The air from which the dust is removed through the second air passage hole  142  is discharged outside the dust-separating apparatus  100  through the air outlet  113  formed in the sidewall  100   b  of the dust-separating apparatus  100 .  
         [0066]     As described above, in a dust-separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner and a dust-separating method for the same according to the preferred invention, an air inlet can be installed in an upper cover of the dust-separating apparatus, and an air outlet can be formed in a sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus. Thus, the inflow and outflow paths and the separation structure for air can vary to provide inflow and outflow paths that can range from being parallel to being orthogonal flows as shown in the figures. As a result, the air inlet does not need to be installed at the edge of the sidewall of the dust-separating apparatus to generate a circular airflow. In particular, an inside diameter of the dust-separating apparatus can be made compact.  
         [0067]     Also, an additional grill member does not need to be installed at the air outlet, and the dust-separating apparatus includes an inlet pipe and a guide member so as to have simple structure. Thus, manufacturing cost for the dust-separating apparatus can be reduced.  
         [0068]     Moreover, an inflow path of the dust-separating apparatus can be simplified. Thus, pressure loss of air passing through the inflow path can be reduced and loss of an in draft force can be reduced.  
         [0069]     The foregoing embodiment and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the preferred invention. The preferred teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Also, the description of the embodiments of the preferred invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.