GB2409635A

GB2409635A - Vacuum cleaner with reduced noise

Info

Publication number: GB2409635A
Application number: GB0416324A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Seuk-Hyeon Ju
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2003-12-31
Filing date: 2004-07-21
Publication date: 2005-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-21
Also published as: GB2409635B; CN1636487A; SE0401759L; SE527063C2; FR2864437A1; GB0416324D0; FR2864437B1; AU2004202983B2; US20050138755A1; KR100555205B1; CN100466957C; KR20050069221A; SE0401759D0; AU2004202983A1; DE102004035238A1

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner is disclosed for attenuating noise from an air discharge port. The cleaner including cleaner body (10) having a motor drive chamber (11) with an air inlet (11a) and an air outlet (11b). A motor (20) is disposed in the motor drive chamber (11) for drawing in air through the air inlet (11a), and for exhausting air into the motor drive chamber. A motor cover (30) is associated with the cleaner body (10) to cover the motor (20) and partially defines the motor drive chamber (11). The motor cover (30) has air guide ribs (31, 33) for preventing the air exhausted from the motor (20) from directly flowing to the air outlet (11b). The ribs (31, 33) are arranged and oriented to cooperate with each other and so to provide a baffle to the air flow within motor drive chamber (11).

Description

1 2409635 P515229GB Vacuum Cleaner This invention relates to a vacuum

cleaner, and in particular to a vacuum cleaner that is capable of preventing air exhausted from the motor from flowing directly to the air outlet.

In general, a vacuum cleaner has a a nozzle unit connected to a cleaner body, the nozzle unit being movable along a surface to be cleaned. The cleaner body accommodates a dust-collecting chamber in which a dust filter or a cyclonic dust collector is mounted.

The cleaner body also accommodates a motor drive chamber housing a motor for generating a vacuum in the dust-collecting chamber.

A suction port is typically disposed at a leading edge of the motor in the motor drive chamber, and is connected to provide fluid communication with the dust-collecting chamber. Conventionally, an exhaust port is formed at a side of a motor housing, through which the air is exhausted. The air exhausted through the exhaust port is directed to a motor housing enclosing the motor, and is discharged to the outside through an air outlet of the cleaner body.

With this structure and configuration, when the motor is mounted in the motor drive chamber, parts of the motor are covered by the cleaner body and the motor housing.

Accordingly, the air exhausted through the exhaust port of the motor housing is directed to the motor housing, and is discharged to the outside through the air outlet of the cleaner body.

However, when the motor rotates at high speed, noise is generated and is released to the outside together with the discharged air. If the structure of the motor drive chamber, which is configured with the cleaner body and the motor housing, only covers the motor, the air discharge path is relatively short, and noise is not efficiently reduced.

An aim of the invention is to provide an improved vacuum cleaner capable of reducing the noise generated within a motor drive chamber by extending the air discharge path from the motor drive chamber.

The present invention provides a vacuum cleaner for attenuating noise from an air discharge port, the vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body having a motor drive chamber provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; a motor disposed in the motor drive chamber for drawing air into the motor drive chamber through the air inlet; and a motor cover associated with the cleaner body to cover the motor and define part of the motor drive chamber, the motor cover having air guide ribs for preventing the air exhausted from the motor from directly flowing to the air outlet.

Preferably, the motor drive chamber is further defined by the engagement of a lower housing provided with the air inlet and the air outlet and the motor cover, the lower housing being integrally formed with the cleaner body, and the motor cover covering an open upper part of the lower housing.

The air is exhausted from the motor towards the motor cover, and the air guide ribs comprise: at least one first rib for changing the direction of the air flow from the motor so as to flow in a first direction; and at least one second rib for preventing the air flowing in the first direction from mixing with air flowing in a second direction, opposed to the first direction, thereby to extend the air flow path.

Advantageously, the or each first rib is formed to extend downwardly from the motor cover into the motor drive chamber. Conveniently, there are two first ribs, positioned to join one another at a predetermined spacing.

Preferably, there are two second ribs, each of which extends downwardly from the motor cover into the motor drive chamber, the second ribs being in a parallel relationship to each other, and extending substantially perpendicular to the or each first rib.

The cleaner may further comprise a partition rib projecting upwardly from the lower housing of the motor drive chamber so as to engage the or each first rib so that the motor does not directly face the air outlet.

Preferably, the or each second rib extends from the motor cover to the bottom of the lower housing. Advantageously, the ribs are arranged and orientated to cooperate with each other so as to provide a baffle to the air flow within the motor drive chamber.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawing, in which: Figure I is a perspective view, in partial cross-section, illustrating a portion of a vacuum cleaner constructed according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the motor housing of the vacuum cleaner shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the main parts the vacuum cleaner of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a vacuum cleaner having a cleaner body 10 having a motor drive chamber 11, a motor 20 disposed in the motor drive chamber, and a motor cover 30 disposed in the cleaner body to cover the motor.

The motor drive chamber 1 1 has an air inlet 11 a, through which air is drawn in by the suction force generated by the motor 20, and an air outlet 1 lb, through which the air in the motor drive chamber is discharged to the outside. The air inlet 1 la and the air outlet 1 lb are disposed on opposite sides of the cleaner body 10, and the motor 20 is disposed between the air inlet and the air outlet.

A motor housing 21 covers the drive part of the motor 20, a leading edge of the motor housing being directly connected to the air inlet 11 a to draw air into the motor housing.

An exhaust port 21 a, formed at one side (for example, the top) of the motor housing 21, provides an exhaust port through which air is exhausted from the motor 20. As shown, the exhaust port 21a is upwardly open, so as to face the motor cover 30.

The motor drive chamber 11 is provided to accommodate the motor 20, and is divided from a dust-collecting chamber (not shown) by the air inlet 1 la. The dust-collecting chamber may accommodate a dust bag or a cyclonic dust collector, both of which are well known to those skilled in the art. The motor drive chamber 11 is shaped and configured to define a predetermined space by cooperation of a lower housing 13, which is integrally formed with the cleaner body 10, and the motor cover 30, which may be a separable element.

The lower housing 13 is shaped to form the bottom wall and side walls of the motor drive chamber 11. The motor cover 30 is connected to cover the open part of the motor drive chamber 11, that is the upper part of the motor 20.

The motor cover 30 has air guide ribs 31, 33 (see Figure 2) disposed adjacent to the motor 20 to prevent air exhausted from the exhaust port 21a from directly flowing to the air outlet 11 b. The air guide ribs include at least one first rib 31 and two second ribs 33. The first rib 31 is integrally formed with the motor cover 30, by extending downwardly therefrom for a predetermined distance. The first rib 31 initially changes the flow direction of the air drawn in through air inlet 1 la. For this, the first rib 31 faces, and is spaced by a predetermined distance from, the air outlet 1 lb. As a result, air from the air inlet 11 a is directed towards the first rib 31 by a housing body portion 30a, and is reversed by the first rib 31 in the direction A, as shown in Figure 1 by the broken lines.

Referring again to Figure 1, the lower housing 13 includes a partition rib 13a, which projects upwardly to engage the corresponding first rib 31. The upper end of the partition rib 13a contacts the lower end of the first rib 31 to seal the space therebetween. Hence, the motor 20 does not directly face the air outlet 1 lb, and the discharge flow path of the air is extended by the baffle deemed by the partitions.

Each second rib 33 directs the air flow so that the air reversed by the first rib 3l in the direction A does not mix with the air flowing in the opposite direction, shown by arrows B. Each of the second ribs 33 extends downwardly from the housing body 30a, and the two second ribs extend parallel to each other. The second ribs 33 extend from the opposite ends of the first rib 31 so as to terminate close to the bottom of the motor drive chamber 11, as shown in Figure 1. Accordingly, the air flow is reversed by the first rib 31 in the direction of the arrow A, and is directed towards the air outlet 1 la by the inner sides 33a of the second ribs 33 (see Figure 2). The inner sides 33a face each other, as best seen in the plan view of Figure 3. After passing around the inner sides 33a, the air flow is reversed in the direction shown by the arrows B by the outer sides 33b of the second ribs 33, and the air is then directed toward the air outlet 1 lb. The operation of the vacuum cleaner will now be described.

Referring to Figure 3, when the motor 20 is driven, air is drawn in towards the air intake port (not shown) of the motor 20. The drawn-in air is exhausted towards the housing body 30a of the motor housing 30 through the exhaust port 21a. The air exhausted through the exhaust port 21a is directed by the housing body 30a, and flows towards the first rib 31. Next, the air flow is reversed by the first rib 31, since the air has nowhere else to go, and is directed along the inner sides 33a of the second ribs 33.

It then flows back towards the air intake port of the motor 20. The air is reversed to flow in the direction of the arrows B in the motor drive chamber 11, which is sealed, and is directed by the outer sides 33b of each second ribs 33 so as to flow towards the air outlet 1 lb, and is then discharged to the outside.

As described above, the air flow path, along which the air exhausted from the motor flows, is forced to follow in a zigzag, or a substantially zigzag, pattern. This path is similar to that formed in a baffle, and so extends the length of the air flow path. Hence, when the motor 20 is driven, the noise of the discharged air is significantly attenuated by the extended length of the air flow path.

The ribs 31 and 33 are integrally formed with the motor housing 30, as shown in Figure 2, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. The ribs may be separately manufactured for assembly into the motor drive chamber 11, and may be connected or sealed relative to the cover 30. In addition, the ribs 31, 33 may be integrally formed with the base of the motor drive chamber 11, that is they can be integrally formed with the lower housing 13.

The ribs 31, 33 are formed so that the air flow path, along which the air is exhausted from the motor drive chamber l l, is extended thus to attenuate the discharge noise as air is discharged to the outside.

Moreover, the direction of the air flow path can be controlled in a simple way, since the air guide ribs 31, 33 are preferably integrally formed with the motor cover 30.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, additional variations and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art once the basic inventive concepts are understood. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims shall be construed to include both the above embodiments and all such equivalents, variations and modifications. In particular, there may be two first ribs 31 which are positioned, opposite to one another at a predetermined spacing. It would also be possible to have only one second rib 33.

Claims

Claims 1. A vacuum cleaner for attenuating noise from an air discharge

port, the vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body having a motor drive chamber provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; a motor disposed in the motor drive chamber for drawing air into the motor drive chamber through the air inlet; and a motor cover associated with the cleaner body to cover the motor and define part of the motor drive chamber, the motor cover having air guide ribs for preventing the air exhausted from the motor from directly flowing to the air outlet.
2. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor drive chamber is further defined by the engagement of a lower housing provided with the air inlet and the air outlet and the motor cover, the lower housing being integrally formed with the cleaner body, and the motor cover covering an open upper part of the lower housing.
3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the arrangement is such that air is exhausted from the motor towards the motor cover, and the air guide ribs comprise: at least one first rib for changing the direction of the air flow from the motor so as to flow in a first direction; and at least one second rib for preventing the air flowing in the first direction from mixing with air flowing in a second direction, opposed to the first direction, thereby to extend the air flow path.
4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, wherein the or each first rib is formed to extend downwardly from the motor cover into the motor drive chamber.
5. A vacuum cleaner is claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein there are two first ribs, positioned to join one another at a predetermined spacing.
6. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein there are two second ribs each of which extends downwardly from the motor cover into the motor drive chamber, the second ribs being in a parallel relationship to each other, and extending substantially perpendicular to the or each first rib.
7. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising a partition rib projecting upwardly from the lower housing of the motor drive chamber so as to engage the or each first rib so that the motor does not directly face the air outlet.
8. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the or each second rib extends from the motor cover to the bottom of the lower housing.
9. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the ribs are arranged and oriented to cooperate with each other so as to provide a baffle to the air 1 S flow within motor drive chamber.
10. A vacuum cleaner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the drawings.