CN111031875B

CN111031875B - Dirt separator for vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: CN111031875B
Application number: CN201880052153.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: C.珀西-雷恩; A.坎贝尔-希尔
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Dyson Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-11
Filing date: 2018-07-27
Publication date: 2021-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-27
Also published as: EP3664677A1; KR20200024901A; GB201712938D0; GB2565368A; WO2019030490A1; US20200163508A1; JP2020529288A; GB2565368B; CN111031875A

Abstract

A dirt separator for a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a chamber in which the filth separated by the filth separator is collected; a conduit extending within the chamber; and a flange extending outwardly from the duct. The chamber is defined by a bottom wall and a side wall. The bottom wall is movable relative to the side wall between an open position and a closed position. The tube is attached to and movable with the bottom wall, and at least a portion of the flange is flexible.

Description

Dirt separator for vacuum cleaner

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a dirt separator for a vacuum cleaner.

Background

The dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner may comprise a chamber divided into two chambers by a plate. The first part of the chamber may then be used as an area where dirt is separated from the fluid and the second part of the chamber may be used to collect the separated dirt. The divider plate then obstructs dirt collected in the second portion of the chamber from being re-entrained by the fluid in the first portion of the chamber. However, a problem with this arrangement is that the partition plate often makes emptying of the chamber difficult.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a dirt separator for a vacuum cleaner, the dirt separator comprising: a chamber in which the filth separated by the filth separator is collected; a conduit extending within the chamber; and a flange extending outwardly from the duct, wherein the chamber is bounded by a bottom wall and a side wall, the bottom wall is movable relative to the side wall between an open position and a closed position, the duct is attached to and movable with the bottom wall, and at least a portion of the flange is flexible.

Having a wall that moves between an open position and a closed position simplifies emptying of the dirt separator. The flanges extending outwardly from the duct help to reduce re-entrainment of dirt within the chamber. The conduit serves a number of functions. In addition to conveying fluid to or from the chamber, the conduit also serves to support the flange in the chamber. Thus, the dirt separator does not require additional support elements to hold the flange in place within the chamber, as compared to prior dirt separators having divider plates. The tube is attached to and movable with the bottom wall. This then helps to encourage emptying of the dirt when the bottom wall is moved to the open position. For example, moving the duct may push or pull dirt out of the chamber when the bottom wall is moved to the open position.

During use, dirt that collects in the chamber may become compressed and exert a downward force on the flange. If the flange is completely rigid, the force will be transmitted to the bottom wall, which in turn may be moved in relation to the side wall in the closed position. As a result, the mechanism for holding the bottom wall in the closed position may be more difficult to release. However, the flange is not completely rigid, but at least partially flexible. As a result, any downward force applied to the flange will cause that portion of the flange to bend downward. As a result, the movement of the bottom wall is reduced, making it easier to release the bottom wall from the closed position.

The flange may contact the sidewall and flex as the bottom wall moves between the open and closed positions. This has the advantage that a relatively wide flange can be used, thereby reducing re-entrainment of dirt, while still allowing the bottom wall to move between the open and closed positions.

The bottom wall is pivotable relative to the side wall when moving between the open and closed positions. This has the advantage that the bottom wall remains attached to the dirt separator when moving between the open and closed position, thereby simplifying emptying of the dirt separator.

The conduit may extend linearly within the chamber. This has the advantage that the fluid moves along a straight path through the conduit, thereby reducing pressure losses.

The duct may comprise an end through which the dirt-laden fluid enters the chamber, the duct extending upwardly from the bottom wall and the flange being located at or adjacent the end of the duct. The dirt-laden fluid is then introduced into the chamber portion above the flange, while dirt separated from the fluid collects in the chamber portion below the flange. As a result, re-entrainment of dirt can be reduced. Since the bottom wall is movable between the open and closed positions, dirt collected under the flange can be easily removed.

The conduit may extend through the bottom wall and the end of the conduit may be attached to different accessories of the vacuum cleaner. In particular, the conduit may be attached to different accessory tools of the vacuum cleaner. By providing a conduit to which different accessories can be directly attached, a relatively short path between the different accessories and the dirt separator can be provided. As a result, the pressure loss can be reduced.

Drawings

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner;

figure 2 is a section through a portion of a vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 3 is a section through a dirt separator of the vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a disk of the dirt separator;

FIG. 5 shows the flow of dirt-laden fluid through the dirt separator;

FIG. 6 shows the emptying of the dirt separator;

figure 7 is a section through a portion of the vacuum cleaner when the vacuum cleaner is used for above-the-floor cleaning.

FIG. 8 is a section through a portion of a vacuum cleaner having a first alternative dirt separator;

FIG. 9 is a section through a second alternative dirt separator;

FIG. 10 is a section through a third alternative dirt separator;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of a flange and inlet duct of a third alternative dirt separator;

FIG. 12 shows the emptying of the third alternative dirt separator;

fig. 13 shows an alternative disc assembly which may form part of any one of the dirt separators.

Detailed Description

The vacuum cleaner 1 of figure 1 comprises a handheld unit 2 attached to a cleaner head 4 by an elongate tube 3. The elongated tube 3 is detachable from the handheld unit 2 so that the handheld unit 2 can be used as a stand-alone vacuum cleaner.

Referring now to fig. 2 to 7, the handheld unit 2 comprises a dirt separator 10, a pre-motor filter 11, a vacuum motor 12 and a post-motor filter 13. A pre-motor filter 11 is located downstream of the dirt separator 10 but upstream of the vacuum motor 12 and a post-motor filter 13 is located downstream of the vacuum motor 12. In use, the vacuum motor 12 draws dirt-laden fluid through a suction opening in the underside of the cleaner head 4. From the cleaner head 4, dirt-laden fluid is drawn along the elongate tube 3 and into the dirt separator 10. The dirt is then separated from the fluid and retained within the dirt separator 10. The cleaned fluid exits the dirt separator 10 and is drawn through a pre-motor filter 11, which removes residual dirt from the fluid before it passes through a vacuum motor 12. Finally, the fluid discharged by the vacuum motor 12 passes through the post-motor filter 13 and is discharged from the vacuum cleaner 1 through the vents 14 in the handheld unit 2.

The dirt separator comprises a container 20, an inlet duct 21 and a disc assembly 22.

The container 20 includes a top wall 30, a side wall 31 and a bottom wall 32 that collectively define a chamber 36. The opening in the center of the top wall defines an outlet 38 of the chamber 36. The bottom wall 32 is attached to the side wall 31 by a hinge 33. A catch 34 attached to the bottom wall 32 engages with a recess in the side wall 31 to hold the bottom wall 32 in the closed position. The catch 34 is then released to swing the bottom wall 32 to the open position, as shown in fig. 6.

The inlet duct 21 extends upwardly through the bottom wall 32 of the container 20. The inlet duct 21 extends centrally within the chamber 36 and terminates a short distance from the disc assembly 22. One end of the inlet duct 21 defines an inlet 37 of the chamber 36. When the handheld unit 2 is used as a stand-alone vacuum cleaner, the opposite end of the inlet duct 21 may be attached to the elongate tube 3 or an accessory tool.

The disk assembly 22 includes a disk 40 coupled to an electric motor 41. An electric motor 41 is located outside the chamber 36 and a disc 40 is located at the outlet 38 of the chamber 36 and covers the outlet 38 of the chamber 36. When energized, the electric motor 41 rotates the disk 40 about the axis of rotation 48. The disk 40 is formed of metal and includes a central non-perforated region 45 surrounded by a perforated region 46. The periphery of the disk 40 covers the top wall 30 of the container 20. As the disk 40 rotates, the periphery of the disk 40 contacts the top wall 30 and forms a seal with the top wall 30. To reduce friction between the disk 40 and the top wall 30, a ring of low friction material (e.g., PTFE) may be disposed around the top wall 30.

In use, the vacuum motor 12 draws dirt-laden fluid into the chamber 36 through the inlet 37. The inlet duct 21 extends centrally within the chamber 36 along an axis coincident with the rotational axis 48 of the disc 40. As a result, the dirt-laden fluid enters the chamber 36 in an axial direction (i.e., in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation 48). Furthermore, the dirt-laden fluid is directed to the center of the disk 40. The central non-perforated area of the disk 40 diverts and moves the dirt-laden fluid radially outward (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation). The rotating disk 40 exerts a tangential force on the dirt-laden fluid, causing the fluid to swirl. As the dirt laden fluid moves radially outward, the tangential force exerted by the disk 40 increases. Upon reaching the perforated area 46 of the disk 40, the fluid is drawn axially through the holes 47 in the disk 40. This requires further rotation in the direction of the fluid. The inertia of the larger and heavier contaminants is too great for the contaminants to follow the fluid flow. As a result, dirt is not drawn through the holes 47 but continues to move radially outward and eventually collects at the bottom of the chamber 36. Smaller and lighter contaminants may follow the fluid through the disk 40. Most of the contaminants are then removed by the pre-and

post-motor filters

11, 13. To empty the dirt separator 10, the catch 34 is released and the bottom wall 32 of the container 20 is swung open. As shown in fig. 6, the container 20 and the inlet duct 21 are configured such that the inlet duct 21 does not impede or obstruct the movement of the bottom wall 32.

In addition to cleaning floor surfaces, the vacuum cleaner 1 may also be used to clean surfaces on a floor, such as shelves, curtains or ceilings. When cleaning these surfaces, the handheld unit 2 may be flipped over, as shown in fig. 7. Dirt 50 collected in the chamber 36 may then fall towards the tray 40. Any dirt that falls on the disk 40 is likely to pass through or block some of the holes 47 in the perforated region 46. As a result, the available open area of the disk 40 will decrease and the velocity of the fluid moving axially through the disk 40 will increase. The fluid may then carry more dirt through the disc 40 and the separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 may be reduced. The top wall 30 of the container 20 is not flat but stepped. As a result, the chamber 36 includes a groove between the sidewall 31 and the step in the top wall 30. Which surrounds the disc 40 and serves to collect dirt 50 that falls into the chamber 36. As a result, less dirt may fall onto the tray 40 when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted.

The dirt separator 10 has several advantages over conventional separators that employ porous bags. During use, the holes of the bag become quickly clogged with dust. This then reduces the suction force achieved on the cleaner head. In addition, the bag must often be replaced when full, and it is not always easy to determine when the bag is full. With the dirt separator described herein, rotation of the disk 40 ensures that the holes 47 in the perforated area 46 remain generally clean. As a result, no significant decrease in suction force was observed during use. In addition, the dirt separator 10 can be emptied by opening the bottom wall 32 of the container 20, thereby avoiding the need to replace the bag. Furthermore, by using a transparent material for the side wall 31 of the container 20, the user can relatively easily determine when the dirt separator 10 is full and needs to be emptied. The above-mentioned disadvantages of porous bags are well known and equally well solved by separators employing cyclonic separation. However, the dirt separator 10 described herein also has advantages over cyclonic separators.

In order to obtain a relatively high separation efficiency, the cyclonic separator of a vacuum cleaner typically comprises two or more separation stages. The first stage typically comprises a single relatively large cyclone chamber for removing coarse dirt, while the second stage comprises a plurality of relatively smaller cyclone chambers for removing fine dirt. As a result, the overall size of the cyclone separator may be relatively large. Another difficulty with cyclonic separators is that they require high fluid velocities to achieve high separation efficiencies. In addition, fluid moving through a cyclonic separator typically follows a relatively long path as it flows from the inlet to the outlet. Long paths and high velocities result in high aerodynamic losses. As a result, the pressure drop associated with the cyclone may be high. With the dirt separator described herein, a relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved in a more compact manner. In particular, the dirt separator comprises a single stage with a single chamber. Furthermore, the separation occurs primarily due to the angular momentum imparted to the dirt-laden fluid by the rotating disk 40. As a result, relatively high separation efficiency can be achieved at relatively low fluid velocities. In addition, the path taken by the fluid to move from the inlet 37 to the outlet 38 of the dirt separator 10 is relatively short. Aerodynamic losses are smaller due to lower fluid velocity and shorter path. As a result, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 is less than the pressure drop across the cyclone separator for the same separation efficiency. Thus, the vacuum cleaner 1 is able to achieve the same cleaning performance as a cyclonic vacuum cleaner using a less powerful vacuum motor. This is particularly important if the vacuum cleaner 1 is powered by a battery, as any reduction in power consumption of the vacuum motor 11 can be used to increase the operating time of the vacuum cleaner 1.

It is known to provide a rotating disc in a dirt separator of a vacuum cleaner. For example, DE19637431 and US4382804 each describe a dirt separator with a rotating disk. However, there is a prejudice that the dirt separator must comprise a cyclone chamber to separate dirt from the fluid. The disc then acts merely as an auxiliary filter to remove residual dirt from the fluid as it leaves the cyclone chamber. There is also a prejudice that the rotating disc must be protected from the large quantities of dirt that enter the cyclone chamber. Thus, the dirt-laden fluid is introduced into the cyclone chamber in a manner that avoids direct collision with the disk.

The dirt separator described herein makes use of the following findings: dirt separation can be achieved with a rotating disk without the need for a cyclone chamber. The dirt separator further makes use of the finding that an effective dirt separation can be achieved by introducing the dirt-laden fluid into the chamber in a direction directly towards the disk. By directing the dirt-laden fluid onto the disk, the dirt is subjected to relatively high forces when in contact with the rotating disk. The dirt in the fluid is then thrown radially outward, and the fluid passes axially through the holes in the disk. As a result, effective dirt separation can be achieved without the need for cyclonic flow.

The separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 and the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 is sensitive to the size of the holes 47 in the disc 40. For a given total opening area, the separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 increases as the size of the holes decreases. However, as the size of the aperture decreases, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 also increases. The separation efficiency and pressure drop are also sensitive to the total open area of the disk 40. In particular, as the total open area increases, the axial velocity of the fluid moving through the disk 40 decreases. As a result, the separation efficiency is improved and the pressure drop is reduced. Therefore, it is advantageous to have a large total opening area. However, increasing the total open area of the disk 40 is not without difficulty. For example, as already noted, increasing the size of the holes to increase the total open area may actually decrease the separation efficiency. Alternatively, the total open area may be increased by increasing the size of the perforated region 46. This can be achieved by increasing the size of the disc 40 or by decreasing the size of the non-perforated area 45. However, each option has its drawbacks. For example, more power will be required to drive a disk 40 having a larger diameter due to the contact seal formed between the periphery of the disk 40 and the top wall 30. In addition, a larger diameter of the rotating disk 40 may create more agitation within the chamber 36. As a result, re-entrainment of dirt that has collected in the chamber 36 may increase, and thus the separation efficiency may actually decrease net. On the other hand, if the diameter of the non-perforated region 45 is reduced, the axial velocity of the fluid moving through the disk 40 may actually increase, for reasons detailed below. Another way to increase the total open area of the disk 40 is to reduce the area between the holes 47. However, reducing blocks has its own difficulties. For example, the stiffness of the disk 40 may decrease and the perforated region 46 may become more fragile and therefore more susceptible to damage. Additionally, reducing the blocks between the holes may introduce manufacturing difficulties. Accordingly, many factors are considered in the design of the disk 40.

The disk 40 includes a central non-perforated region 45 surrounded by a perforated region 46. Providing the central non-perforated region 45 has several advantages, which will now be described.

The stiffness of the disk 40 may be important to achieve an effective contact seal between the disk 40 and the top wall 30 of the container 20. Having a central region 45 that is not perforated increases the stiffness of the disk 40. As a result, thinner disks can be used. This has the advantage that the disc 40 can be manufactured in a more timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, for certain manufacturing methods (e.g., chemical etching), the thickness of the disk 40 may define the smallest possible size of the holes 47 and lands. Thus, a thinner disc has the advantage that: this method can be used to manufacture discs having relatively small hole and/or block sizes. Furthermore, the cost and/or weight of the disk 40 and the mechanical power required to drive the disk 40 may be reduced. Thus, the disc 40 can be driven using a motor 41 that is less powerful and possibly smaller and cheaper.

By having a central non-perforated area 45, the dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber 36 is forced to turn from an axial direction to a radial direction. The dirt laden fluid then moves outwardly over the surface of the disk 40. This then has at least two benefits. First, as the dirt-laden fluid moves over the perforated area 46, it is necessary to rotate the fluid through a large angle (approximately 90 degrees) to pass through the holes 47 in the disk 40. As a result, less dirt carried by the fluid can match the rotation and pass through the aperture 47. Second, the dirt-laden fluid helps scrub the perforated area 46 as the dirt-laden fluid moves outwardly over the surface of the disk 40. Thus, any contaminants that may have been trapped in the holes 47 are removed by the fluid.

The tangential velocity of the disk 40 decreases from the periphery to the center of the disk 40. As a result, the tangential force applied by the disk 40 to the dirt-laden fluid decreases from the periphery to the center. If the central area 45 of the disk 40 is perforated, more contaminants may pass through the disk 40. By having a central non-perforated area 45, the holes 47 are provided at areas where the tangential velocity of the disk 40 and thus the tangential force applied to the contaminants is relatively high.

As the dirt-laden fluid introduced into the chamber 36 changes from axial to radial, the relatively heavy dirt may continue to travel in the axial direction and strike the disk 40. If the central area 45 of the disk 40 is perforated, a relatively hard object striking the disk 40 may puncture or damage the area between the holes 47. By having a non-perforated central area 45, the risk of damaging the disc 40 is reduced.

The diameter of the non-perforated area 45 is greater than the diameter of the inlet 37. As a result, hard objects carried by the fluid are less likely to hit the puncture area 46 and damage the disk 40. In addition, the dirt laden fluid is better encouraged to turn from an axial direction to a radial direction upon entering the chamber 36. The separation distance between the inlet 37 and the disk 40 plays an important role in achieving these two advantages. As the separation distance between the inlet 37 and the disc 40 increases, the radial component of the velocity of the dirt-laden fluid at the perforated area 46 of the disc 40 may decrease. As a result, more dirt may be carried through the holes 47 in the disk 40. As a result, as the separation distance increases, hard objects carried by the fluid are more likely to hit the puncture area 46 and damage the disk 40. Therefore, a relatively small separation distance is desired. However, if the separation distance is too small, dirt larger than the separation distance will not pass between the inlet duct 21 and the disc 40 and will therefore be captured. The size of the dirt carried by the fluid will be limited in particular by the diameter of the inlet duct 21. In particular, the dirt is unlikely to be larger in size than the diameter of the inlet duct 21. Thus, by employing a separation distance that is no greater than the diameter of the inlet 37, the benefits described above can be achieved while providing sufficient space for dirt to pass between the inlet duct 21 and the disk 40.

Regardless of the separation distance selected, the non-perforated region 45 of the disk 40 continues to provide advantages. In particular, the non-perforated area 45 ensures that the holes 47 on the disk 40 are arranged at areas where the tangential force applied by the disk 40 to the contaminants is relatively high. In addition, although the dirt-laden fluid follows a more divergent path as the separation distance increases, relatively heavy objects may continue along a relatively straight path as they enter the chamber 36. Thus, the central non-perforated region 45 continues to protect the disk 40 from potential damage.

Although advantageous, the diameter of the non-perforated area 45 need not be greater than the diameter of the inlet 37. By reducing the size of the non-perforated region 45, the size of the perforated region 46 may be increased, which may increase the total open area of the disk 46. As a result, the pressure drop across the dirt separator 10 may be reduced. In addition, a reduction in the axial velocity of the dirt-laden fluid moving through the perforated region 46 can be observed. However, as the size of the non-perforated region 45 decreases, there will be a point at which fluid entering the chamber 36 is no longer forced to turn radially from an axial direction before encountering the perforated region 46. Thus, a point will occur at which the decrease in axial velocity due to the larger opening area is offset by the increase in axial velocity due to the smaller rotational angle.

It is envisioned that the central region 45 of the disk 40 may be perforated. Although many of the advantages described above will be subsequently nullified, a disc 40 with complete perforations may still have advantages. For example, it may be simpler and/or less expensive to manufacture the disk 40. In particular, the tray 40 may be cut from a continuously perforated sheet. Even if the central region 45 is perforated, the disk 40 will continue to exert tangential forces on the dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber 36, although the forces at the center of the disk 40 are small. The disc 40 will therefore continue to separate dirt from the fluid despite the reduced separation efficiency. In addition, if the central region 45 of the disk 40 is perforated, dirt may block the very center hole of the disk 40 due to the small tangential force exerted by the disk 40. In the event that the hole at the very center is blocked, the disk 40 will behave as if the center of the disk 40 is non-perforated. Alternatively, the central region 45 may be perforated, but have an open area that is less than the open area of the surrounding perforated region 46. Also, the open area of the central region 45 may increase as one moves radially outward from the center of the disk 40. This has the benefit that as the tangential velocity of the disk 40 increases, the open area of the central region 45 increases.

The inlet duct 21 is attached to the bottom wall 32 and may be integrally formed with the bottom wall 32. Thus, the inlet duct 21 is supported within the chamber by the bottom wall 32. Alternatively, the inlet duct 21 may be supported by the side wall 31 of the vessel 20, for example using one or more brackets extending radially between the inlet duct 21 and the side wall 31. An advantage of this arrangement is that the bottom wall 32 can be freely opened and closed without moving the inlet duct 21. As a result, a taller container 20 with a greater dirt capacity may be employed. However, a disadvantage of this arrangement is that the brackets for supporting the inlet duct 21 may prevent dirt from falling out of the chamber 36 when the bottom wall 32 is open, thereby making emptying of the container 20 more difficult.

The inlet duct 21 extends linearly within the chamber 36. This has the advantage that the dirt-laden fluid moves along a straight path through the inlet duct 21. However, this arrangement is not without difficulties. The bottom wall 32 is arranged to open and close and is attached to the side wall 31 by means of a hinge 33 and a catch 34. Thus, when a user applies a force to the handheld unit 2 to manoeuvre the cleaner head 4 (e.g. a pushing or pulling force to manoeuvre the cleaner head 4 forwards and backwards, a twisting force to manoeuvre the cleaner head to the left or right, or a lifting force to lift the cleaner head 4 off the floor), this force is transmitted to the cleaner head 4 via the hinge 33 and the catch 34. Therefore, the hinge 33 and the catch 34 must be designed to withstand the required forces. As an alternative arrangement, the bottom wall 32 may be fixed to the side wall 31, and the side wall 31 may be removably attached to the top wall 30. The container 20 is then emptied by removing the side and

bottom walls

31, 32 from the top wall 30 and inverting. Although this arrangement has the advantage that it is not necessary to design the hinge and catch to withstand the required forces, emptying of the dirt separator 10 is less convenient.

Fig. 8 shows an alternative dirt separator 102 in which the inlet duct 21 extends linearly through the side wall 31 of the container 20. The bottom wall 32 is then attached to the side wall 31 by a hinge 33 and held closed by a catch 34. In the arrangement shown in fig. 3, the chamber 36 of the dirt separator 10 is substantially cylindrical, with the longitudinal axis of the chamber 36 coinciding with the rotational axis 48 of the disc. The disc 40 is then positioned towards the top of the chamber 36 and the inlet duct 21 extends upwardly from the bottom of the chamber 36. References to top and bottom should be understood to mean that contaminants separated from the fluid preferentially collect at the bottom of the chamber 36 and gradually fill in the direction of the top of the chamber 36. With the arrangement shown in fig. 8, the shape of the chamber 36 can be thought of as a combination of a cylindrical top and a cubic bottom. The disc 40 and the inlet duct 21 are then both positioned towards the top of the chamber 36. Since the inlet conduit 21 extends through the side wall 31 of the receptacle 20, this arrangement has the advantage that the receptacle 20 can be easily emptied through the bottom wall 32 without the need for hinges and catches that can withstand the forces required to operate the cleaner head 4. This arrangement has at least three other advantages. First, the dirt capacity of the dirt separator 102 is significantly increased. Second, when the handheld unit 2 is inverted for floor cleaning, dirt within the container 20 is less likely to fall onto the tray 40. Thus, the chamber 36 need not include a protective channel around the disk 40, and thus a larger disk 40 having a larger total open area may be used. Third, the bottom wall 32 of the container 20 may be used to support the handheld unit 2 when placed on a horizontal surface. However, this arrangement is not without difficulties. For example, a larger container 20 may obstruct access to narrow spaces, such as between furniture or appliances. In addition, the bottom of the chamber 36 is radially spaced from the top of the chamber 36. That is, the bottom of the chamber 36 is spaced from the top of the chamber 36 in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis 48 of the disk 40. As a result, dirt and fluid thrown radially outward by the disk 40 may interfere with dirt collected in the bottom of the chamber 36. In addition, any vortex within the chamber 36 will tend to move up and down the chamber 36. As a result, re-entrainment of contaminants may increase, resulting in reduced separation efficiency. In contrast, in the arrangement shown in fig. 3, the bottom of the chamber 36 is axially spaced from the top of the chamber 36. Dirt and fluid thrown radially outward by the disc 40 is therefore less likely to interfere with dirt collected in the bottom of the chamber 36. In addition, any vortex flow within the chamber 36 moves around the chamber 36 rather than up and down the chamber 36.

In the arrangement shown in figures 3 and 8, the dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber 36 is directed to the centre of the disc 40. This has the advantage that the dirt-laden fluid is distributed evenly over the surface of the disc 40. Conversely, if the inlet duct 21 is eccentric at the disc 40, the fluid will be unevenly distributed. Such uneven distribution of fluid may have one or more adverse effects. For example, the axial velocity of the fluid passing through the disk 40 may increase at those areas of maximum exposure to the dirt-laden fluid. As a result, the separation efficiency of the dirt separator 10 may be reduced. In addition, dirt separated by the disk 40 may collect unevenly within the container 20. As a result, the capacity of the dirt separator 10 may be compromised. Re-entrainment of dirt 50 that has collected within the container 20 may also increase, resulting in further reduction in separation efficiency. Another disadvantage of directing the dirt laden fluid off-center is that the disk 40 is subjected to uneven structural loads. The resulting imbalance may result in poor sealing with the top wall 30 of the container 20 and may shorten the service life of any bearings used to support the disc assembly 22 in the vacuum cleaner 1. Despite the above disadvantages, an effective separation of the dirt can still be achieved by directing the dirt-laden fluid to an eccentric. Furthermore, in some cases it is desirable to guide the dirt-laden fluid eccentrically. For example, if the central region of the disk 40 is perforated, the dirt-laden fluid may be directed eccentrically, thereby avoiding the region of the disk 40 where the tangential velocity is slowest. As a result, a net increase in separation efficiency can be observed. By way of example, fig. 9 shows an arrangement in which the dirt-laden fluid entering the chamber 36 is directed eccentrically at the disc 40. The inlet duct 21 is integrally formed with the side wall 31 of the container 20, and the bottom wall 32 is attached to the side wall 31 by a hinge 33 and a snap (not shown). The position of the inlet duct 21 remains fixed as the bottom wall 32 moves between the closed position and the open position. This has the advantage that the container 20 is easy to empty without the need to design hinges and catches to withstand the forces required to manoeuvre the head 4.

In a more general sense, the dirt-laden fluid can be said to enter the chamber 36 along the flow axis 49. The flow axis 49 then intersects the disk 40 such that the dirt-laden fluid is directed to the disk 40. This has the advantage that the dirt-laden fluid hits the disc 40 shortly after entering the chamber 36, the disc 40 then exerts a tangential force on the dirt-laden fluid. Fluid is drawn through the holes 47 in the disk 40, while dirt moves radially outward and collects in the chamber 36 due to its greater inertia. In the arrangement shown in figures 3 and 8, the flow axis 49 intersects the centre of the disc 40, whereas in the arrangement shown in figure 9, the flow axis 49 intersects the eccentricity of the disc 40. Although it is advantageous to have a flow axis 49 that intersects the center of the disk 40, effective separation of contaminants can still be achieved by having a flow axis 49 that intersects the eccentricity of the disk 40.

The dirt separator 10 shown in FIG. 3 includes a groove around the disk 40. The gutter then serves to collect the dirt 50 that falls onto the chamber 36 when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted as shown in figure 7. The dirt separator may include additional or alternative means for protecting the disc 40 from dirt when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted. By way of example, fig. 10-12 show an alternative arrangement in which the dirt separator 105 includes a flange 60 extending outwardly from the inlet duct 21. The flange 60 is located at the extreme end of the inlet duct 21 and extends in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis 48 of the disc 40. The flange 60 serves to protect the disc 40 from dirt falling from the chamber 36 when the hand-held unit 2 is inverted. In addition, the flange 60 helps to reduce re-entrainment of dirt. As shown in fig. 5, a portion of the fluid thrown radially outward by the disk 40 circulates around the top of the chamber 36. When the chamber 36 is full of dirt, this circulating fluid may re-entrain dirt, resulting in a reduction in separation efficiency. The provision of the flange 60 forces the circulating fluid to follow a more tortuous path back to the disc 40. As a result, contaminants that may have been re-entrained are more likely to fall out of the fluid flow.

Although the flange 60 is located at the extreme end of the inlet duct 21, the same advantages will be observed if the flange 60 is located further along the inlet duct 21. However, as the flange 60 moves further along the inlet duct 21, the dirt capacity of the chamber 36 will be reduced if the flange 60 is used to define the portion of the chamber 36 for collecting dirt. By positioning the flange 60 at or near the end of the inlet duct 21, the above-mentioned advantages can be achieved without adversely affecting the dirt capacity of the chamber 36.

In the particular arrangement shown in fig. 10 to 12, the diameter of the flange 60 is slightly less than the diameter of the disc 40. The larger diameter flange 60 will better protect the disk 40. However, as the diameter of the flange 60 increases, the gap between the flange 60 and the sidewall 31 of the container 20 decreases. If the gap is too small, dirt may be trapped above the flange 60. Additionally, for this particular arrangement, the inlet duct 21 is attached to the bottom wall 32 and is movable with the bottom wall 32. If the flange 60 is too large, the flange 60 may prevent the bottom wall 32 from moving between the open and closed positions. In fact, this particular arrangement of the flange 60 contacts the side wall 31 of the container 20 when the bottom wall 32 is moved between the open position and the closed position. In order that the flange 60 does not prevent the bottom wall 32 from opening and closing, the flange 60 is formed by two parts: a rigid portion 61 and a flexible portion 62. The rigid portion 61 is formed integrally with the inlet duct 21, and the flexible portion 62 is formed of a rubber material molded onto the rigid portion 61. The shape of the flange 60 may be considered as a ring around the inlet duct 21, and the rigid and

flexible portions

61, 62 may be considered as the primary and secondary portions connected along a chord of the ring. As shown in fig. 12, the flexible portion 62 of the flange 60 contacts the sidewall 31 and flexes as the bottom wall 32 moves between the open and closed positions, thereby allowing the bottom wall 32, inlet duct 21, and flange 60 to move relative to the sidewall 31.

Although flange 60 includes flexible portion 62, it should be understood that flexible portion 62 need not be provided if the diameter of sidewall 31 is slightly larger or if the diameter of flange 60 is slightly smaller. That is, the provision of the flexible portion 62 does have the following advantages: which enables the use of a relatively tall inlet duct 21 and a relatively wide flange 60 without having to have a relatively wide side wall 31. The advantage of a tall inlet duct 21 is that a relatively tall chamber 36 can be used whilst also ensuring that the separation distance between the inlet 37 and the disc 40 is relatively small. On the other hand, having a wide flange 60 better protects the disc 40.

The flange 60 may be generally flexible rather than including a flexible portion 62. This may facilitate emptying of the container 20, as will now be explained. Although it is suggested that the dirt separator 10 be emptied once the dirt in the chamber 36 reaches the flange 60, it is likely that the user will continue to use the vacuum cleaner 1. Dirt will then collect in the region of the chamber 36 above the flange 60. Contaminants collected between the flange 60 and the top wall 32 of the container 20 or between the flange 60 and the disk 40 may be compressed and exert a downward force on the flange 60. If the flange 60 is rigid, the downward force will be transmitted to the bottom wall 32, which in turn will move downward relative to the side wall 31. As a result, the catch 34 will bear against the side wall 31 with a greater force, making it more difficult to release the catch 34. On the other hand, if the flange 60 is flexible, a downward force applied to the flange 60 will cause the flange 60 to bend downward. As a result, movement of the bottom wall 32 will be reduced and, therefore, the catch 34 will be more easily released.

In each of the above arrangements, the inlet duct 21 has a circular cross-section, and thus the inlet 37 has a circular shape. It is envisaged that the inlet duct 21 and the inlet 37 may have alternative shapes. Also, the shape of the disk 40 need not be circular. However, since the disk 40 rotates, it is unclear what advantage would be gained by having a non-circular disk. The perforated and

non-perforated regions

45, 46 of the disc 40 may also have different shapes. In particular, the non-perforated area 45 need not be circular or centered on the disk 40. For example, in the case where the inlet duct 21 is eccentric at the disc 40, the non-perforated region 45 may take the form of a ring. In the discussion above, reference is sometimes made to the diameter of a particular element. When the element has a non-circular shape, the diameter corresponds to the maximum width of the element. For example, if the inlet 37 is rectangular or square, the diameter of the inlet 37 will correspond to the diagonal of the inlet 37. Alternatively, if the inlet is elliptical, the diameter of the inlet 37 will correspond to the width of the inlet 37 along the major axis.

The disk 40 is formed of a metal, such as stainless steel, which has at least two advantages over, for example, plastic. First, a relatively thin disk 40 having a relatively high stiffness may be achieved. Second, a relatively stiff disk 40 may be obtained that is less susceptible to damage from hard or sharp objects that are carried by the fluid or that fall onto the disk 40 when the handheld unit 2 is inverted as shown in fig. 7. However, despite these advantages, the disc 40 could conceivably be formed of alternative materials, such as plastic. In practice, the use of plastic may have advantages over metal. For example, by forming the disc 40 from a low friction plastic such as polyoxymethylene, a ring of low friction material (e.g., PTFE) disposed around the top wall 30 of the container 20 may be omitted.

In the above arrangement, the disc assembly 22 comprises a disc 40 directly attached to the shaft of an electric motor 41. It is contemplated that the disk 40 may be indirectly attached to the electric motor, such as by means of a gearbox or drive dog. Further, the disk assembly 22 may include a bracket to which the disk 40 is attached. By way of example, fig. 13 shows a disc assembly 23 with a bracket 70. The bracket 70 may be used to increase the stiffness of the disk 40. As a result, thinner disks 40 or disks 40 with larger diameters and/or larger total open areas may be used. The bracket 70 may also be used to form a seal between the disc assembly 23 and the container 20. In this regard, while a contact seal between the disc 40 and the top wall 30 has been described so far, alternative types of seals, such as labyrinth seals or fluid seals, may be employed as well. The bracket 70 may also be used to block the entire perforated disc center area. In the example shown in fig. 13, the carrier 70 comprises a central hub 71 connected to a rim 72 by radial spokes 73. The fluid then passes through the brackets 70 through the apertures 74 between adjacent spokes 73.

Each

disc assembly

22,23 described above comprises an electric motor 41 for driving the disc 40. It is envisioned that the

disc assemblies

22,23 may include alternative means for driving the disc 40. For example, the disk 40 may be driven by the vacuum motor 12. This arrangement is particularly feasible in the arrangement shown in fig. 1, where the vacuum motor 12 rotates about an axis that coincides with the rotational axis 48 of the disk 40. Alternatively, the

disc assemblies

22,23 may comprise a turbine powered by the fluid flow moving through the

disc assemblies

22, 23. A turbine is generally cheaper than an electric motor, but the speed of the turbine and hence the speed of the disk 40 is dependent on the flow of fluid moving through the turbine. As a result, it may be difficult to achieve high separation efficiency at low flow rates. Additionally, if dirt blocks any of the holes 47 in the disk 40, the open area of the disk 40 will decrease, thereby restricting the flow of fluid to the turbine. As a result, the speed of the disc 40 will decrease and thus the likelihood of clogging will increase. A racetrack effect then occurs in which the disk 40 becomes slower as it jams, and the disk 40 becomes more jammed as it slows. Furthermore, if the suction opening in the cleaner head 4 is temporarily blocked, the speed of the disc 40 will be significantly reduced. Then, dirt may be deposited on the disk 40 in a large amount. When the obstruction is subsequently removed, the dirt may limit the open area of the disk 40 to such an extent that the turbine cannot drive the disk 40 at sufficient speed to throw the dirt away. The electric motor, although generally more expensive, has the advantage that the speed of the disc 40 is relatively insensitive to flow or fluid speed. As a result, high separation efficiency can be achieved at low flow rates and low fluid velocities. In addition, the disk 40 is less likely to be clogged with dirt. Another advantage of using an electric motor is that it requires less electric energy. That is, for a given flow rate and disk speed, the power drawn by the electric motor 41 is less than the additional power drawn by the vacuum motor 12 to drive the turbine.

The dirt separator 10 has so far been described as forming part of a handheld unit 2, which handheld unit 2 may be used as a stand-alone cleaner, or may be attached to a cleaner head 4 via an elongate tube 3 to be used as a stick cleaner 1. It will be appreciated that the dirt separator could equally be used with alternative types of vacuum cleaner, for example upright, canister or robotic vacuum cleaners.

Although the dirt separator described herein includes a disc assembly 22 for separating dirt, certain aspects of the dirt separator may be used with other types of dirt separators that employ alternative methods of separating dirt. In particular, the flange 60 of the arrangement shown in fig. 10-12 may be used to discourage re-entrainment of dirt in other types of dirt separators. For example, existing dirt separators may include a plate that bisects the chamber. The upper part of the chamber may then be used to separate dirt (e.g. using cyclonic flow) and the lower part of the chamber may be used to collect the separated dirt. The divider plate then hinders dirt collected in the lower portion of the chamber from being re-entrained by the fluid moving around the upper portion. However, it is often difficult to evacuate the dirt from such a dirt separator. With the arrangement shown in fig. 10-12, the flange 60 extends outwardly from the duct 21 attached to the bottom wall 32. The flange 60 effectively divides the chamber 36 into an upper portion for separating dirt and a lower portion for collecting the separated dirt. The bottom wall 32 moves between the open and closed positions so that dirt 50 collected in the lower portion of the chamber 36 can be easily removed. In addition to delivering fluid into the chamber (or, conceivably, from the chamber if an outlet conduit is used), the conduit 21 also serves to support the flange 60 in the chamber 36. Thus, the dirt separator does not require additional support elements to hold the flange in place within the chamber, as compared to prior dirt separators having divider plates. The duct 21 is attached to the bottom wall 32 and is movable with the bottom wall 32. This then helps to encourage emptying of the dirt when the bottom wall 32 is moved to the open position. For example, moving the pipe 21 may push or pull dirt out of the chamber 36. During use, dirt collected in the upper portion of the chamber 36 may become compressed and exert a downward force on the flange 60. As mentioned above, if the flange 60 is completely rigid, the force will be transmitted to the bottom wall 32, which in turn may move the bottom wall 32 in relation to the side wall 31 in the closed position. As a result, the catch 34 used to hold the bottom wall 32 in the closed position may be difficult to release. However, by flexing at least a portion of the flange 60, a downward force applied to the flange 60 will cause that portion of the flange 60 to bend downward. As a result, the movement of the bottom wall 32 is reduced, making it easier to release the bottom wall 32 from the closed position. These aspects and advantages of the dirt separator can be used with other types of dirt separators regardless of the means used to separate the dirt.

Claims

1. A dirt separator for a vacuum cleaner, the dirt separator comprising:

a chamber in which the contaminants separated by the contaminant separator are collected;

a conduit extending within the chamber; and

a flange extending outwardly from the duct and having a flange,

wherein the chamber is bounded by a bottom wall and a side wall, the bottom wall being movable relative to the side wall between an open position and a closed position, the duct being attached to and movable with the bottom wall, and at least a portion of the flange being flexible,

wherein the flange contacts the sidewall and flexes as the bottom wall moves between the open position and the closed position.

2. The dirt separator of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall pivots relative to the side wall when moving between the open and closed positions.

3. A dirt separator according to any preceding claim wherein the duct extends linearly within the chamber.

4. A dirt separator according to any one of claims 1 to 2 wherein the duct includes an end through which dirt-laden fluid enters the chamber, the duct extends upwardly from the bottom wall and the flange is located at or adjacent the end of the duct.

5. A dirt separator according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the duct extends through the bottom wall and the end of the duct is attachable to a different accessory of a vacuum cleaner.