US2409230A - Suction cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1946. C, H, TAYLOR 2,409,230

SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 3, 1944 A mvENToR l CHARLESHTAYLOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1946 SUC'IION CLEANING APPARATUS Charles H. Taylor, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 3, 1944, Serial No. 533,866

(Cl. 18S- 37) Claims.

My invention relates to a suction cleaner and more particularly to a suction cleaner which is provided with a filter for separating coarse particles ofdirt from the stream of air, and a removable receptacle disposed below said filter for receiving said particles.

One object of my invention is to produce an improved suction cleaner of the type set forth.

A further object of my invention is to produce a suction cleaner in which the clogging of the lter is considerably reduced, thus minimizing the necessity of cleaning or replacement of the screen.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a suction cleaner embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on lines lII-III of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 to '7, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustrating the motion of the dirt-separating screen forming the subject matter of my invention; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view showing a modified form of construction.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, I0 designates a suction cleaner carried by front and rear wheels I2 and provided with a suction nozzle I 4 in which is preferably mounted the usual brush roll or agitator I6. A motor I 8, provided with a shaft I8, drives a suction fan 20. In front of the fan 20 is a wall or partition 22 which is provided with an opening 24 constituting an inlet for the fan 20. The partition 22 is secured to any desired support within the cleaner casing such as to an abutment 26 which is suitably secured to the casing. Behind the fan 20 is another wall or partition 33 provided with air outlet openings 32. The partition 30 supports the bearing 33 of the motor shaft I9. The partitions 22 and 30' thus form a fan chamber 3 I.

Between the fan 23 and the nozzle I4 is a tubular lter 34 for separating the coarser particles of dirt from the air stream moving from the nozzle towards the fan. The filter 34 is preferably made of wire fabric of the desired mesh, but it may be made of cloth or a combination of cloth and wire screening or other porous material. The lter 34 is preferably of a frusto-conical shape and is clamped at its larger end between the flanges of a pair of discs 36 and 38 which are secured to each other and to a disc 40 by rivets or the like 4I The disc 40 is provided with openings 42 registering with the fan inlet 24 in the partition 22. The marginal portions of the discs 36, 38

and 40 are bent or offset to form a pair of channels therebetween for accommodating the inner peripheral portions of a pair of fixed annular bailles 44. This produces an overlapping of the outer peripheries of the discs 36, 38 and 40 and the inner peripheries of the Xed bailies 44 to prevent the passage of coarse particles of dirt to the fan chamber 3I, without preventing free movement of the discs 36, 38 and 4I! relative to the fixed baiiles 44. The disc 46 is mounted on a. reduced portion at the inner end of a sleeve and is held in position by stop collars or the like 46. The sleeve 45 is carried by a shaft 48 which is eccentrically carried by or connected to the shaft I9. The shaft 48 is provided with front and rear balance weights 49. The front or outer periphery of the tubular lter 34 is clamped between two collars 50 mounted on a reduced portion at the outer end of the sleeve 45 and is re tained in position by a stop collar 52. Below and on the high pressure side of the filter 34 is a removable receptacle 53 for receiving coarse particles of dirt separated from the air stream by the screen 34. In order to prevent rotation of the lter 34 with the shaft 48, I connect the discs 36, 38 and 4!! by means of tension springs tothe partition 22. In the preferred form illustrated, two diametrically-opposed spring assemblies 54 and 56 are connected to the partition 22 by rivets or the like 58 and tothe discs 36, 38 and 40 by the rivets 4i which secure the discs 36, 38 and 40 together. The exact structure of the spring assemblies may be varied as long as they serve to permit movement but not free rotation of the lter 34.

Operation 'As the shaft I9 is rotated, the shaft 48 is r0- tated eccentrically of the shaft I9. Since the filter 34 is prevented from rotation with the shaft 48 by the retaining spring assemblies 54 and 56, it gyrates about the axis of rotation of the shaft IS.

This movement of the filter 34 is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7, in which four positions of the filter are shown. It is, however, understood that, in its gyratory movement, the lter will assume an infinite number of intermediate positions. In other words, every point on the surface of the lter moves in a circular path eccentric to the axis of rotation of the shaft 48. In Fig. 4, the filter 34, the rivets 4I and the springs 66 and 62 are shown in the position they will assume when the eccentric shaft 48 is in its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. l.

In this position, the rivets 4i are intheir uppermost position and the springs 69 and 62 are stretched to converge upwardly towards the rivets 4 I. When the shaft 48 has gone through onehalf of a revolution, the parts will appear as is moved through an angle of 90 degrees from either of the positions in Figs. 4 and 6, the parts will assume the approximate position shown in Figs. and '7, and so on. As shown diagrammatically in Figs. 4 to '7, each of the rivets 4l follows the path illustrated by the arrows 64 while the shaft 48 follows a similar path with reference to4 the axis of the shaft I9. The filter 34 thus presents a conical, gyrating surface to the dirt- .Y

laden air stream flowing from the nozzle I4 towards the fan 2U. v n

As. the dirt-laden air is drawn towards and through the filter 34, the coarser particles of dirt in the air stream impinge upon the conical surface of the filter and are thrown ofi by the highspeed gyratory movement thereof. These particles of dirtpcollect in the receptacle 53.

As theA filter gyrates, a portion of the conical surface thereof moves in opposition to the flow of the air through the filter and Vhence the exterior surface Yof this portion is momentarily subjected to increased air pressure. On the other hand, the exterior surface of the opposite portion of the filter moves away from, or in the direction of ow of the air, and the exterior surface of this portion is momentarily subjected to decreased air pressure. The reduced airlpressure on the'exterior of the latter portion causes air momentarily to fiow from within the filter outwardly through this portion. The air flowing outwardly through this portion of the filter blows out dust particles which may have lodged in the pores thereof, as well as larger pieces of dirt which may have been held against the filter surfaceV by exterior air pressure, and thus prevents clogging of the filter. For example, asthe shaft 48 moves to its uppermost position shown in Fig. 4, the upper portion of the filter moves against the air stream While thelower portion of the filter moves with the air stream. Therefore, air from IWithin theA screen now fiows outwardly through the lower portion of the filter. The opposite action` takes place when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6. The rightand left-hand portions of the filter are subjected to the same action when the parts are as shown in Figs. 5 and '7, and other intermediate portionsof the lter will be subjected to the same action as the filter moves through successive intermediate positions.

The air passing through the filter 34 and between the overlapping portions of the discs 36, 38 and 48 and the bafiles 44, flows through the openings 42 into the inlet 24 of the fan chamber 3l From the fan chamber, air flows through the openings 32, around the motor i8, and out through a rear filter 66 and an exhaust opening 68. Ther filter E4 serves to remove the finer particles of dust from the air before it is discharged into the room.

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, the annular baffles 44 and the discs 36 and 38 are replaced by aflexible element 'IIJ which mayor may not be of porous material. The element 'l0 is in the nature of a fiat ring, the inner periphery of which is secured to the outer periphery of the disc 49, as at l2. The outer periphery cf the flexible element 1l! is secured to the cleaner casing, asV at 14. Asv will' be seen from Fig. 8, the flexible ring l0 is made bigger than the space to be closed thereby, so as to permit free movement of the disc 4D. For example, when the shaft 48 is in its uppermost position, the exible element 10 has a fold or wrinkle along its upper portion, while the lower portion of the element 10 is, comparatively speaking, stretched out. By this construction, the cost and weight of the parts 36, 38 and 44 are eliminated and a complete seal is obtained between the high and low pressure sides of the vfilter 34, thus insuring that all of the air drawn by the fan 2! will pass through the filter 34. Except as pointed out, the modified form of invention illustrated in Fig. 8 is constructed and operates in the same manner as that explained in connection with the structure shown in Fig. 1.

While I have shown my Yinvention in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes Aand modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire,- therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a casing, a fan motor unit disposed in said casing for moving air therethrough, a tubular filter movably mounted in the path of iiow of air through said casing, means supporting said filter and driven by the shaft of said fan motor unit for imparting to. said filter a gyratory movement about the axis of said shaft, said last-mentioned means including a gyratory element eccentrically connected to and driven by the shaft of the fan motor unit and on which said filter is movably mounted, and means for preventing rotation of said filter.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a casing,a fan motor unit disposed in said casing for moving air therethrough, a tubular filter movably .mounted in the path of flow of air ,through said casing, means supporting said filter and driven by the shaft of said fan motor unit for imparting to said filter a gyratory movement about the axis ofsaid shaft,A said last-,mentioned'means including a second shaft, eccentrically connected to and driven by a shaft of said fan motor unit and on which said filter is movably mounted, and yielding means for preventing rotation of said filter.

3. Al suction cleaner comprising a casing, a fan motor unit. vfor moving air through said casing, a shaft eccentric to and driven by the shaft of said fan motor unit, a supportcarried by s aid shaft, a'tubular filter carried by said support, a pair of springs, a fixed member positioned within said casing, means for connecting said springs to diametrically-opposed portions of said fixed membenhand means for connecting said springs to diametrically-opposed portions of said support. n 1.,Means Vfor imparting a gyratory. movement to a tubular filterl disposed in the path ofY fiow of a stream of air, said means including a rotating shaft on which said filter is mounted, and yielding means connected to said filter and to a fixed support for preventing rotation of said filter with said shaft.

5. Means for imparting a gyratory movement to a tubular filter disposed in the path of flow of a stream of air, said means including a rotating shaft, an .eccentric shaft driven by said rotating shaft and on which said lfilter is mounted, and yielding `meansyconnected to said filter and toa fixed support for permitting movement of said filter but preventing rotation of said filter with said eccentric shaft. Y l A CHARLES H. TAYLOR,`

Disclaimer 2,409,230.-Uharles H. Taylor, Springfield, Mass. SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS. Patent dated Oct. 15, 1946. Disclaimer filed Dec. 23, 1947 by the assignee, Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Hereby disclaims from the scope of claim 1 any suction cleaner except wherein the filter is movably mounted on and driven by the shaft of the fan motor unit during the normal full speed operation thereof.

[Oficial Gazette Feb. 3, 1948.]

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