Patent Publication Number: US-6901625-B2

Title: Dust collection unit for use in vacuum cleaner and main body of vacuum cleaner having the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a dust collection unit for use in a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a dust collection unit for use in a vacuum cleaner which is constructed such that air flow path within a main body of the vacuum cleaner can be simplified while using a cyclone method of collecting dusts. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   A vacuum cleaner is constructed such that air containing foreign substances is sucked into a main body of the vacuum cleaner using a suction force generated from the main body in which the foreign substances are in turn filtered out, and the air filtered clean is then discharged to the exterior of the main body. 
   To this end, a motor for generating the suction force and the like are installed within the main body of the vacuum cleaner. A filter means for filtering out the air to be sucked therein is also installed within the main body of the vacuum cleaner. A dust collection bag formed of paper is generally used as a conventional filter means. The dust collection bag allows only the air to pass therethrough but the foreign substances such as dusts to be collected therein. 
   However, after the foreign substances such as dusts and the like have been collected in the dust collection bag, the dust collection bag with the foreign substances contained therein is generally discarded. Thus, waste of material is brought about. In particular, there is a critical disadvantage in that the dust collection efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is further lowered as the dusts are collected in the dust collection bag. 
   In order to solve the above problems, a cyclone type dust collection unit has been developed. The cyclone type dust collection unit allows spiral flow to be created within a casing thereof when the air containing foreign substances is introduced into the casing. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , at one side of a main body  1  of a vacuum cleaner is installed a dust collection unit  2  which is constructed such that a primary dust collection using the cyclone method and a secondary dust collection using a filter can be performed. Accordingly, when the vacuum cleaner is operated, air containing foreign substances, which is sucked up through a suction nozzle  4 , is introduced through an extension tube  6  and a connecting hose  8  into the main body  1  of the vacuum cleaner. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the air introduced through an inlet port  21  into the dust collection unit  2  is formed into spiral flow within a casing  22 . Relatively heavy foreign substances fall downwardly due to their own weight. The air from which the heavy foreign substances have been removed is introduced into a filter  23 , and is then exhausted through an outlet  24  formed on an upper end of the filter. The filter  23  is installed on a bottom surface of a cover  25  for substantially opening and closing the casing  22 . Such collection unit is advantageous in that the relatively heavy foreign substances can be removed through the primary dust collection using the cyclone method and even fine dusts can also be completely filtered out through the secondary dust collection using the filter  23 . 
   Air flow after the outlet will be described in detail with reference to FIG.  3 . As shown in the figure, the outlet  24  is provided on a top surface of the dust collection unit  2 . Accordingly, the air discharged through the outlet  24  is guided along a connection duct  26  which is constructed to connect the outlet  24  and a motor housing H contained within the main body of the vacuum cleaner above the dust collection unit  2 . Accordingly, the connection duct  26  for connecting the outlet positioned on the top surface of the dust collection unit  2  and the motor housing H positioned lower than the dust collection unit within the main body of the vacuum cleaner is formed in a vertically downward direction. 
   However, such a conventional structure has the following disadvantages: Since the connection duct  26  should be used for connecting the dust collection unit  2  and the motor housing H, any suction loss may be generated at their respective connecting portions. Since this suction loss results in substantial reduction of the suction efficiency of the vacuum cleaner, it has an adverse influence on the performance of the vacuum cleaner. Furthermore, since the connection duct  26  is additionally installed, the number of parts is increased and the assembly process becomes complex. Thus, there are problems in that the production costs are increased and the productivity is lowered. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is contemplated to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a dust collection unit constructed such that double filtering process using a cyclone method and a filter can be performed and simultaneously the inner structure of a main body of a vacuum cleaner can be more simplified, and a main body of a vacuum cleaner having the dust collection unit. 
   In order to accomplish the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a dust collection unit for use in a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a cylindrical casing in which air introduced through an inlet port is formed into spiral flow and of which an upper end is open; a cover for opening and closing the upper end of the casing; a filter which is installed on a bottom surface of the cover and formed in the shape of a cylinder having a predetermined length and by which fine foreign substances can be filtered out when the air is introduced from the exterior thereof, and through which the air is discharged downwardly; and an exhaust duct which comes into close contact with a bottom surface of the filter and including an exhaust port on a side surface of the casing to discharge the air from the filter to the exterior of the casing. 
   It is preferred that the exhaust port is formed at a lower portion of the side surface of the casing. 
   According to another embodiment of the present invention, a horizontal separation plate is installed in the middle of the casing, and a dust collection hole is formed on the outer circumference of the separation plate. 
   According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the separation plate includes a pair of semicircular plates, and the respective semicircular plates are pivoted only upwardly on a hinge end formed on an outer circumferential position thereof corresponding to an outmost position of the diameter thereof. 
   It is a technical spirit that a main body of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, comprising: a motor housing installed within the main body of the vacuum cleaner for accommodating therein a motor for generating suction force; and a dust collection unit installed adjacent to the motor housing, and including an exhaust port through which, after filtering out foreign substances from air introduced by the suction force of the motor, the filtered air is exhausted, wherein the exhaust port of the dust collection unit is formed on a side surface of the dust collection unit so that the air can be introduced directly to the motor housing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exemplary perspective view of a vacuum cleaner to which the present invention is applicable; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a dust collection unit; 
       FIG. 3  is a partially cut-away perspective view of the interior of a main body of a conventional vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 4A  is an exploded perspective view of a dust collection unit according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4B  is an enlarged view of a section of the dust collection unit according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a main body of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 6  is a longitudinal sectional view of the dust collection unit according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 4A  is an exploded perspective view of a dust collection unit  100  according to the present invention,  FIG. 4B  is an enlarged view of a section of the dust collection unit  100  according to the present invention, and  FIG. 6  is a longitudinal sectional view of the dust collection unit  100  according to the present invention. As shown in the figures, the dust collection unit  100  includes a casing  130  of which an upper end is open, and a cover  110  for opening and closing the upper end of the casing. 
   The casing  130  defines a predetermined space therein and is formed in a cylindrical shape. As described later, air containing foreign substances, which is sucked into the casing, is the casing  130 , is formed into spiral flow, and relatively heavy (large) foreign substances fall downwardly into the casing due to their own weight. An inlet port  134  is formed on one side of the casing  130 . The inlet port  134  is designed to be tangential to an inner surface of the casing  130  so that the air introduced through the inlet port is formed into the spiral flow while flowing along the inner surface of the casing. 
   The casing  130  is provided with an open upper end, and the cover  110  is installed on the upper end of the casing  130  so as to open and close the casing  130 . A filter  114  is installed at a central portion of a bottom surface of the cover  110 . It is preferred that the filter  114  is constructed to be detachably installed so that the filter can be easily exchanged and cleaned. The cover  110  is provided with a handle  116  so that a user grips the handle when separating it from the main body of the vacuum cleaner in a case where the filter is filled with the foreign substances such as dusts. Such a handle may also be formed on the casing  130 . 
   The filter  114  serves to filter out fine foreign substances such as dusts contained within air which is introduced into the casing. The filter  114  is formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder. In order to efficiently filter out the aforementioned fine dusts and the like, it is preferred that a contact area of the filter with the air be large as possible. In the shown embodiment, the filter with a plurality of vertical folds formed on the external surface thereof is used to induce sufficient contact of the filter with the air so that the dusts can be efficiently collected. 
   The filter is constructed such that the fine foreign substances contained within the air can be filtered out while the air within the casing  130  passes from the exterior to the interior of the filter, and the filtered air can be discharged to the exterior of the dust collection unit through an exhaust port  136  to be described later. 
   The exhaust port  136  is formed on a lower portion of the casing  130 . The exhaust port  136  serves to exhaust clean air, from which the fine dusts have been filtered out within the filter  114 , to the exterior of the dust collection casing  100 . The exhaust port is constructed such that the air from the exhaust port  136  can be introduced into a motor housing H to cool a drive motor within the motor housing, as shown in FIG.  5 . 
   The exhaust port  136  of the present invention is formed on a side surface of the casing  130 , as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 6 . The exhaust port  136  is formed by an exhaust duct  138  which extends downwardly from a vertically middle portion of the casing  130  and then toward the side surface thereof. 
   As can be seen from  FIG. 6 , an upper end  138   a  of the exhaust duct  138  is constructed to come into close contact with a bottom surface of the cylindrical filter  114 . That is, the air introduced from the exterior to the interior of the cylindrical filter  114  can be discharged through the central portion of the bottom surface of the filter  114 , and the discharged air can be introduced directly into the exhaust duct  138 . 
   A separation plate  140  is installed in the middle of the inner surface of the casing  130  according to the present invention. It can be seen that a dust collection hole  142  is formed between an outer circumference of the separation plate  140  and the inner surface of the casing  130 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4A , the separation plate  140  is constructed preferably in the form of a pair of semicircular plates, and most preferably in the form of the plates which can be pivoted upwardly. These plates are used to discharge the foreign substances collected in the dust collection portion  144  to the exterior. 
   The constitution of the separation plate will be described in detail. As shown in an enlarged section of  FIG. 4B , a hinge end  140   a  at an outer circumferential position corresponding to an outmost position of the diameter of the semicircular separation plate  140  is pivotably supported onto a support portion  130   a  formed on the inner surface of the casing  130 . For example, the support portion  130   a  may be constructed in the form of a predetermined round groove so that the hinge end  140   a  of the separation plate  140  can be pivotably supported thereon. Furthermore, the support portion  130   a  may be constructed in the form of a hinge hole which is formed into an inner wall of the casing  130  to support the hinge end  140   a  of the separation plate  140 . 
   A support protrusion  130   b  is formed on the inner surface of the casing  130  to catch and support the separation plate  140 . Since the separation plate  140  is placed and supported onto the support protrusion  130   b , the separation plate  140  cannot be substantially pivoted downwardly, and thus can be pivoted only upwardly on the hinge end  140   a.    
   In addition to the shown embodiment, various modifications and changes on the constitution that a pair of the semicircular separation plates  140  are kept horizontal in a state where the dust collection unit is properly mounted into the vacuum cleaner (a state where the dust collection unit stands up-right), whereas they are opened to allow the foreign substances within the dust collection portion  144  to be discharged through the open upper end of the casing  130  in a case where the casing is turned upside down, can be made. 
   Next, the dust-collecting operation and peripheral construction of the dust collection unit for use in the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention constructed as such will be described in detail. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the dust collection unit  100  according to the present invention is installed within the main body  200  of the vacuum cleaner. When the vacuum cleaner starts to operate, the drive motor within the motor housing H is driven to generate a suction force by which the air containing the foreign substances is introduced through an inlet  202  of the main body  200 . Then, the air containing the foreign substances such as dusts are introduced into the dust collection unit  100  through the inlet port  134  installed on one side of the casing  130 . The introduced air is formed into the spiral flow swirling along the inner surface within the casing  130 . During the process, heavy foreign substances fall and are collected onto the bottom surface of the casing  130  due to their own weight. 
   In the shown embodiment, the heavy foreign substances falling downward due to their own weight are collected onto the bottom surface of the casing  130  through the dust collection hole  142  formed on the outer periphery of the separation plate  140 . 
   The air from which the relatively large foreign substances are removed is introduced into the cylindrical filter  114 . Further, the foreign substances such as fine dusts are completely filtered out from the air while the air is passing through the filter  114 . Thus, the completely filtered air is discharged through the central portion of the bottom surface of the filter  114 . 
   The air discharged through the central portion of the bottom surface of the center of the filter  114  is exhausted through the exhaust duct  138 . This means that the air is discharged through the exhaust port  136  formed at the lower portion of the side surface of the casing  130 . 
   The air discharged through the exhaust port  136  can be introduced directly into the motor housing H which is disposed substantially parallel to and adjacent to the dust collection unit  100 . Accordingly, the air cools the motor, which is installed within the motor housing H to generate the suction force, and is then discharged to the exterior, i.e. a room. 
   According to the present invention, the exhaust port  136  of the dust collection unit  100  is installed on the side surface of the casing  130  so that the air can be introduced directly into the motor housing H. Thus, it can be seen that an additional long, curved connection duct is not required since the air can be substantially introduced into the motor housing H through the shortest passage. Furthermore, since the dust collection unit is connected directly to the motor housing H, the number of parts can be decreased and any suction loss generated between the dust collection unit and the motor housing can be minimized. 
   According to the present invention described above, the exhaust port  136  of the cyclone dust collection unit  100  is installed on the side surface of the casing  130  so that the exhaust port can be connected directly to the motor housing H. With such a constitution, any suction loss of the air can be substantially minimized since the air is supplied through the shortest passage from the dust collection unit  100  to the motor housing. Accordingly, the inner constitution of the main body of the vacuum cleaner can be further simplified. Therefore, there is an advantage in that the number of parts can be reduced and the productivity in the assembly process can be enhanced. 
   As described above, it can be understood by the skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the present invention can be made within the scope of the basic technical spirit of the present invention. The present invention should be construed by the accompanying claims.