Patent Abstract:
A vacuum machine is provided, comprising: an engine secured to a frame and having an engine shaft; an impeller coupled to the engine shaft; a shroud surrounding the impeller and having an inlet and an outlet; a disk secured to the frame between the engine and the shroud, the disk having a plurality of spaced-apart notches around its perimeter; and a spring-loaded latch pin secured to the shroud and configured to engage one of the notches when in a first, locking position, and to disengage from the notch when in a pulled-back, unlocked position, thereby permitting the shroud to rotate about the impeller and lock in any of a plurality of positions corresponding to the plurality of notches.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    The present application is related to, and claims the benefit of, commonly-assigned and co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/905,132, entitled HIGH POWERED VACUUM MACHINE, filed on Nov. 15, 2013, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/064,307, entitled HIGH POWERED VACUUM MACHINE, filed on Oct. 15, 2014, and is related to, claims the benefit of, and is a continuation in part of, commonly-assigned and co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 29/472,851, entitled SERRATED CUTTING BLADE FOR INSULATION VACUUM MACHINE, filed on Nov. 15, 2013, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to high-powered vacuum machines. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0003]    Vacuum machines are used by contractors and homeowners to recycle and/or remove undesirable material (such as insulation, leaves, twigs, and other debris) from the interior and exterior of houses and other buildings. Recycle of insulation is popular when contractors are installing loose fill insulation into walls of new buildings; removal may be required due to damage to the structure, such as from flood or fire, or may be desired during a renovation. Vacuums may also be used to pick up leaves and other yard debris when cleaning yards in autumn. Some vacuums may be used in reverse as blowers to move unwanted items such as leaves and twigs from lawns and streets. In either event, using a vacuum machine provides a safe and efficient method to recycle or remove unwanted items such as insulation from an attic or a floor on which it was over-sprayed and scrubbed off, or debris such as leaves and twigs from a yard. A hose is connected to an inlet of the machine, the other end of which is moved about in the undesirable material to be removed. Rotating vanes or blades on a flywheel within a shroud are connected to the shaft of an engine in the machine to create a suction to pull the undesirable material through the hose and into the machine. The undesirable material is then sent into a collection receptacle, either directly or through another hose connected to an outlet of the machine. 
         [0004]    Frequently, debris may be concealed within the undesirable material and not seen by the operator of the machine. If the debris is small enough, it will pass through the machine without incident. However, larger debris, such as scrap wood left during construction, may be small enough to be pulled through the hose but too large to pass through the machine. Typically, then, the debris will enter the impeller in the shroud area. As a result, one or more impeller blades may bend or break creating an unbalanced impeller which, due to its high revolution speed, causes the vacuum to immediately vibrate with catastrophic failure occurring in seconds. Other times the debris may jam between the impeller and vacuum housing causing the impeller to stop which also creates a catastrophic failure. The catastrophic failures typically are a broken engine shaft, often combined with a broken shroud, and irreparable impeller. Repairing a broken engine shaft generally is not done; either a is replacement vacuum is purchased (typical), or a new engine is purchased to replace the current one with additional purchases of a new shroud and impeller. These repairs cannot be done in the field causing significant downtime for the vacuum user. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Current vacuum machines are (a) limited in vacuuming power due to placement of the impeller directly on the engine axle, (b) prone to costly catastrophic failures when operated in typical conditions, and (c) limited in function to either vacuum only or blow only, thereby often requiring multiple systems to complete a task. The present invention removes these limitations and provides safeguards to make for a vacuum machine that is more powerful, more robust, and more versatile than what is offered in today&#39;s market. 
         [0006]    The present invention provides a vacuum machine, comprising: an engine having an engine shaft; a vacuum housing having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet having an inlet filter comprising a circular frame with an inner opening and a set of cross-pieces across the inner opening; an impeller within the vacuum housing. The impeller comprises: an impeller base, either circular in shape or space-aged shaped with six sides alternating between straight or radius ends for three sides, to half moon convex radius for alternating three sides, to reduce weight while providing structural support; an impeller shaft secured to the impeller base, the impeller shaft having first and second end sections with a first diameter and a middle section between the first and second end section with a second diameter larger than the first diameter, the impeller shaft allowing for any length to completely fit the hub assembly of any height of impeller; and a plurality of impeller blade modules spaced apart around, and secured to, the impeller base. Each impeller blade module comprises: a pie-piece shaped flat plate, which may or may not have a triangular piece cut out for weight savings, having two edges; and a side piece extending perpendicularly from each edge to the edge. Each side piece comprises; a back edge; a flat top edge perpendicular to the back edge, which may or may not be flat in two or more planes; and a sloped inner edge. The lower of the planes on the flat top edge may have one or more support piece(s)—circular or any shape—connecting each of the impeller blade modules. The vacuum machine further comprises a is break-away coupler connecting the engine shaft with the second end section of the impeller shaft, the coupler may be solid or a break away coupler; and a hub assembly secured to the vacuum housing around the impeller shaft. The hub assembly comprises: a first set of tapered roller bearings overlapping a portion of the first end section and abutting a first end of the middle section of the impeller shaft; a second set of tapered roller bearings overlapping a portion of the second end section and abutting a second end of the middle section of the impeller shaft; and first and second bearing mounts supporting the first and second tapered roller bearing sets. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1A  is a side view of an embodiment of a vacuum machine of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 1B  is a front perspective view of the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a break-away coupler and hub assembly that may be used with the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a portion of the break-away coupler of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4A  is a side view of the hub assembly of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4B  is a close-up top perspective view of the hub assembly of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the hub assembly of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a top view one embodiment of an impeller that may be used with the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an impeller blade module that may be used with the impeller of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8A  is a top view another embodiment of an impeller that may be used with the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8B  is a perspective view the impeller of  FIG. 8A ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of still another embodiment of an impeller that may be used with the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10A  illustrates a front view of an inlet filter that may be used with the vacuum machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10B  illustrates the inlet filter of  FIG. 10A  in place on the vacuum machine is of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11A  illustrates another embodiment of a vacuum machine of the present invention having a rotatable shroud shown in a first position; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11B  is a close up view of one embodiment of an outlet module attached to the shroud of  FIG. 11A  in the first position; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  illustrates the shroud of  FIG. 11A  in a second position with an alternative embodiment of an outlet module. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0024]    The described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. 
         [0025]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are side and perspective views of a high-powered vacuum machine  100  of the present invention. The machine  100  includes an engine  110  and a vacuum housing  200 . The vacuum housing  200  has an inlet  202  and an outlet  204 . An impeller  210  ( FIG. 5 ) connected indirectly to an engine shaft is within the housing  200  and, when rotated by the engine  110 , creates suction to pull debris through a hose (not shown) connected to the inlet and release it through the outlet into a collection receptacle (not shown), such as a bag. For convenience, the machine  100  may be mounted on a wheeled frame  102 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  illustrates the connection of the impeller  210  (within the housing or shroud  200 ) to the engine  110 . An engine shaft  112  is connected to one end of a coupler, such as a break-away coupler  120 . A shaft  212 , which is connected to the impeller  210 , extends through the housing  200  and through a hub assembly  300  and is connected to the other end of the break-away coupler  120 .  FIG. 3  illustrates two sections of the coupler  120 . One outer section  122  connects to the impeller shaft  212 . An inner section  124  is designed to break if the torsional force on one of the shafts  112  or  212  exceeds a predetermined amount, such as if debris jams the impeller. A second outer section  126  connects to the engine shaft  112 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]    Because the engine and impeller shafts  112  and  212  rotate at high speed, such as approximately 3600 RPM, it is critical that there be no wobble or “play” in the shafts  112 ,  212 ; any such imbalance creates a high risk of damage to the impeller  210 , the engine  110 , or the shafts  112 ,  212 . Consequently, the vacuum machine  100  of the present invention provides a hub assembly  300  around the impeller shaft  212  between the impeller housing  200  and the break-away coupler  120 . The hub assembly  300  supports the impeller shaft  212 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  5 . The hub assembly  300  may be bolted onto the impeller housing  200 . In the FIGs., the end of the shaft  212  that is connected to the impeller  210  has been labeled  212 (A), the end that is connected to the coupler  120  has been labeled  212 (B), and the middle section of the shaft  212  that is within the hub assembly has been labeled  212 (C). Within the hub assembly  300 , the shaft section  212 (C) has a diameter slightly larger, such as ⅛ inch, than the diameter of the impeller shaft sections  212 (A),  212 (B) outside the hub assembly  300 . The impeller shaft  212  passes through the hub assembly  300  and is supported at both ends of the hub assembly  300  by tapered roller bearings  304 A,  304 B. One set of tapered roller bearings  304 A overlaps a portion of one impeller shaft section  212 A and abutting against one end of the middle section  212 (C); the other set of tapered roller bearings  304 B overlaps a portion of the impeller shaft section  212 B and abutting against the other end of the middle section  212 (C). Thus, the tapered roller bearings  304 A,  304 B are held in position by both the bearing mounts  306 A,  306 B and the larger shaft section  212 (C). As a result, the impeller shaft  212  is held securely and is prevented from moving in any direction other than rotational. That is, the hub assembly with shaft  212  supports the heavy weight, at times up to 40 lbs, of the impeller while connecting to the engine  110  and removing all torsional loads that may otherwise take place on the engine shaft  112  if it were not for this hub assembly  300 , shaft  212 , and break-away coupler  120 . 
         [0028]      FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate an embodiment of an impeller  210  that may be used with the vacuum machine  100  of the present invention. The impeller  210  may include an impeller base  214  and two or more precision engineered impeller blade modules, three of which  220 A,  220 B,  220 C are shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 7  illustrates one blade module  220 A which may be formed as a pie-piece shaped flat plate  230  with two side pieces  222 A,  222 B folded perpendicular to the flat plate  230 . Alternatively, the side pieces  222 A,  222 B may be formed separately from the flat plate  230  and secured, such as by welding, perpendicular to the flat plate  230 . Each side piece  222 A,  222 B has a flat top edge  224 A,  224 B, which is parallel to the flat plate  230 , a sloped inner edge  226 A,  226 B, and a back or outer edge  228 A,  228 B, which is perpendicular to the flat top edge. The blade modules  220 A,  220 B,  220 C are symmetrically spaced apart around the flywheel  214  and may be bolted or welded, or a combination of bolted and welded, onto the flywheel  214 . In the event that a blade is damaged during use, such as from large debris being pulled into the machine  100 , it is relatively easy and inexpensive to remove and replace a blade module. And, because no balancing is necessary due to the precision engineered and formed blade modules, the repair may be performed in the field with little down time. If desired, all of the modules may be replaced at the same time. 
         [0029]    To improve the performance of the vacuum machine  100 , the sloped inner edges  226 A,  226 B of the blades may be serrated ( FIG. 7 ). Serrations on the inner edges  226 A,  226 B allow the vacuum machine  100  to more thoroughly cut insulation and small debris before it is ejected through the outlet  204 . Such cutting may also reduce the risk that debris will jam the impeller  210 . 
         [0030]      FIGS. 8A ,  8 B are top and perspective views, respectively, another embodiment of an impeller  800  that may be used with the vacuum machine of the present invention. The impeller  800  may include an impeller base  802  and two or more precision engineered impeller blade modules  804  (three of which are shown in the embodiment of  FIGS. 8   a ,  8 B) symmetrically space apart around the impeller base  802 . The impeller base  802  may be a six-sided shape having three straight sides  802 A alternating with three concave sides  802 B to reduce weight, herein referred to as “space-aged shape”. The impeller modules  804  may be solid (as in the embodiment of  FIG. 7 ) or may have material removed creating triangular openings  804 A for further weight reduction without reducing strength. In an alternative embodiment, the impeller base  802  may have material removed rather than material being removed from the blade modules  804 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of still another embodiment of an impeller  900  that may be used with the vacuum machine of the present invention. The impeller  900  includes at least one structural support for the impeller blades  902 . An inner ring  904  is secured to each impeller blade  902  at a radial location close to the sloped inner edges. An outer ring  906  is secured to each impeller blade  902  at a location close to the outer radius of impeller  900 . The rings  904 ,  906  can be secured to the blades  902  by various means including welding, precision machining of a receiving and mating end, fasteners, or a combination of these methods. It will be appreciated that the rings  904 ,  906  may be replaced with other shapes and configurations to provide structural support for the blades  902  and provide even weight distribution. 
         [0032]    Referring back to  FIG. 7 , the serrated inner edges  226 A,  226 B of the blade modules  220 A,  220 B reduce the risk that small debris will damage the impeller  210 . However, an inlet filter  400  ( FIGS. 10A and 10B ) secured to the inlet  202  of the vacuum housing  200  may be used to prevent larger pieces of debris, such as pieces of 2×4 lumber, from entering the inlet  202 . The filter  400  may have a annular frame  402  with an inner opening  404  having a diameter approximately the same as the diameter of the inlet  202 . A set of cross-pieces  406  within the inner opening  404  will prevent the larger pieces of debris from passing into the inlet  202 . The entire inlet filter  400  (frame  402  and cross-pieces  406 ) may be formed from a single piece of material. Alternatively, frame  402  and cross-pieces  406  may be formed separately with the cross-pieces  406  being bolted or otherwise secured to the frame  402 . The cross-pieces  406  are shown in the FIGs. as being perpendicular two bars intersecting at the center of the opening  404 . However, it will be appreciated that other configurations may also be used. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 11A ,  11 B, and  12  illustrate another embodiment of a vacuum machine  500  of the present invention having an impeller shroud or housing  502  that is rotatable about the engine/impeller shaft. The outlet  504  of the shroud  502  may thus be moved into different positions, allowing a single vacuum machine  500  to be deployed in different markets, such as commercial insulation, retail, rental, and lawn is and garden. In  FIGS. 11A ,  11 B, the outlet  504  is shown in a first position on one side of the machine  500  and in  FIG. 12 , the outlet  504  is shown in a second position on the opposite side of the machine  500  after being rotated approximately 180°. Preferably, the outlet may be locked in any of a number of positions between the first and second positions. A spring-loaded latch pin  506 , biased toward the impeller shaft, is attached to the shroud  502  and locks the shroud  502  in place when the latch pin  510  is in a locked or released position. The latch pin  506  may be pulled outward into an unlocked position by a machine operator against the spring from the locked position to release the shroud  502 . For convenience, the latch pin  506  may have a handle  508  on the outer end. When the latch pin  506  is in the outward, unlocked position, the shroud  502  and latch pin  510  are free to rotate about the impeller shaft. The operator may then move the shroud  502  into a desired position and release the latch pin  506 . When released, the inner end of the pin  506  engages one of several notches  510  radially spaced around the perimeter of an orbital disk  512  secured to a stationary part of the vacuum machine  500 , such as on the frame, thereby locking the shroud  502  in place at that location. The spring-loaded pin  506  and corresponding notches  510  represent one method of locking the rotatable shroud  502 . It will be appreciated that the shroud  502  may be locked in place using other appropriate means. 
         [0034]    The outlet  504  may be fitted with a variety of interchangeable outlet attachments, depending on the use to which the machine  500  is to be put. For example,  FIG. 11B  illustrates the shroud  502  with one type of outlet notches  512  to which a collection bag may be attached.  FIG. 12  illustrates the shroud  502  with a different type of outlet notches  514 , which is more appropriate when the machine  500  is used as a blower, such as to remove leaves or other debris from a lawn. 
         [0035]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. For example, although the description and accompanying figures are primarily directed towards a vacuum machine used to remove insulation from structures, the features described and illustrated herein may be incorporated into any high-powered vacuum machine. Further, many is modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5