Cleaning and Sterilizing Apparatus Combined with an Ultra-Violet Lamp

Abstract

A cleaning or sterilizing apparatus combined with an UV lamp consisting of an upright compact vacuum cleaner (26) comprising a dust container (27) with a transparent bottom (28) and a suction nozzle (34) incorporated in the bottom (28) and a protective housing (31) which covers the dust container (27) and which incorporates a fan (53) with a centrifugal dust filter (54) and an UV germicidal lamp fixture (14) for destroying micro-organisms on a surface to be cleaned and inside the dust container (27). The dust filter (54), which consists of a cylindrical grating (62) with or without a cylindrical paper filter (63), is mounted to the cylindrical opening (59) of the fan's impeller (53a) and located partly outside of the fan's casing (60) but inside the dust container (27). Rotating at high speed, the fan's impeller (53a) sucks in the air through the dust filter (54), which throws of dust particles outward toward the space inside the dust container (27) preventing clogging, separating particles from the air and obtaining purification of the air.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The invention relates to conventional vacuum cleaners or electrically or mechanically driven brooms (sweepers) which are combined with ultraviolet lamps and more particularly to UV germicidal lamps having germicidal effect for killing or inactivating bacteria, viruses and other primitive organisms during cleaning and UV black-light lamps having black-light effect for improving visibility of white, luminous, fluorescent particles and substances also during vacuum cleaning.BACKGROUND ART[0002]According to the prior art, there are two types of ultraviolet lamps, UV lamp having germicidal effect or UV germicidal lamps and UV lamp having black-light effect or UV black-light lamps, which are relevant to the invention disclosed in the present application. The UV germicidal lamp is low-pressure mercury vapour discharge lamp with a tubular glass envelope, which emits the short-wave ultraviolet radiation with a peak at 253.7 nm (UV-C) for germicidal action in which killin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0025]In one embodiment of the present invention, the UV germicidal lamp fixture is located in a protective housing which is attached, as an independent attachment, at the back of the conventional suction nozzle. Moving forward, the conventional suction nozzle strikes at the furniture and therefore it indirectly protects the lamp inside the protective housing to be damaged. In addition to shock-absorbing arms which are located between the protective housing and the conventional suction nozzle amortize strikes. The protective housing has an inner compartment, which surrounding the UV germicidal lamp fixture. The lamp fixture is attached to the ceiling toward the cleaning surface and therefore the radiation which is reflected from the cleaning surface is directed toward the space between the inner compartment and the protective housing preventing leakage of radiation outside and providing an additional protection. An automatic mechanically releasing arm of an on / off switch connected to the UV germicidal lamp fixture disconnects electricity from the lamp fixture when the protective housing is lifted or when a person who cleans releases it by putting away the hand from the handle (which incorporates the releasing arm of the switch) and therefore radiation outside of the protective housing is avoided.

[0068]In FIGS. 8a-8d (the claim 9) is disclosed another embodiment of the invention in which the tubular UV black-light lamp fixture (3) is attached parallel or transversal to the handling tube (8) of the vacuum cleaner (1) while the compact black-light lamp fixture (9) is attached parallel and longitudinally to the handling tube. The UV black-light lamp fixture (3) is attached from behind the handling tube (8) and therefore located from behind the suction nozzle (4) too. The suction nozzle (4), which is in the front relative to the lamp fixture (3), protects the lamp fixture (3) to be damaged when the suction nozzle (4) strikes directly at the furniture during movement forward. The UV black-light lamp fixture (3) is attached to the handling tube (8) with at least one shock-absorbing connecting element (10), which consists of a plate (11) which one part has a hole (12) for inserting the handling tube (8) in it and another part which is attached through an shock absorber (6a) to the tubular lamp fixture (3) or a socket (13) of the compact lamp fixture (9). The connecting element (10) rotates around the handling tube (8) if it is forced. The shock-absorbers (6a) absorb shocks, which are transferred through the handling tube (8) from the suction nozzle (4), which strikes at the furniture. Shock-absorbers (6a) reduce risks of the lamp fixture's (3; 9) damages. The UV black-light lamp fixture (3; 9) during cleaning illuminates the cleaning area behind the handling tube (8) in each movement of the handling tube (8) forward causing the rest of white, luminous and fluorescent particles or substances (which are not removed) to glow or to be better visible indicating if any need to move the handling tube (8) backward for an addition cleaning. The tubular UV black-light lamp fixture (3), which is located transversal to the handling tube (8), is located toward and parallel to the cleaning surface and parallel to the long side of the suction nozzle (8) illuminating the cleaning surface along the length of the lamp fixture (3) which is transversal to the direction of movement during cleaning. The UV black-light lamp fixture (3) and the compact UV black-light lamp fixture (9) which is attached parallel to the handling tube (8) emitting black light toward the cleaning surface improving visibility.

Problems solved by technology

The suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner, which incorporates an UV germicidal lamp with germicidal effect, strikes often at the furniture and therefore the lamp could be disconnected or easily damaged during cleaning and sterilizing.

If the suction nozzle of the vacuum cleaner is lifted or it is not enough protected, the radiation from the UV germicidal lamp can radiate a cleaning person causing damage to eyes and skin.

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