Blade Assembly Vortex Generator for Quieter Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cyclonic vacuum cleaners are noisy due to the power required to generate high-speed airflow and lack user control over particulate movement within the collection vessel.
Innovation Solution
A blade assembly rotatably mounted in the collection vessel generates a vortex, potentially eliminating the need for an external impeller and allowing adjustable blade angles to control air movement, which can reduce noise and improve particulate separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If an impeller is used to generate high-speed airflow into the collection vessel, then suction is produced to draw air into the vacuum cleaner, but the apparatus becomes noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vortex-generating function from the external impeller and relocates it inside the collection vessel through the blade assembly. This separation removes the noisy high-speed airflow generation from the main body, allowing the impeller to operate at lower speeds while the internal blades create the necessary vortex motion, thereby reducing overall noise levels
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly acts as an intermediary between the air flow and the collection vessel walls. Instead of the impeller directly creating high-speed turbulent flow that generates noise, the blades gently guide the air flow to create rotational motion, mediating the energy transfer in a quieter manner while still achieving effective vortex formation
2Productivity
If air is forced to flow at high speed tangential to the collection vessel wall to generate a vortex, then particulates are removed from air, but the apparatus becomes noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly creates localized controlled flow patterns within specific regions of the collection vessel. By positioning blades at specific locations and angles, the patent generates targeted vortex zones that effectively separate particulates without requiring high-speed flow throughout the entire vessel, thereby maintaining separation efficiency while reducing noise
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly enables dynamic control over the vortex characteristics. The blades can be designed with adjustable angles or positions, allowing the vortex strength and flow patterns to be optimized for different operating conditions. This dynamic capability maintains high particulate removal efficiency across varying loads without consistently requiring high-speed operation that would generate noise
3Ease of operation
If the blade assembly is rotatably mounted in the collection vessel to generate vortex, then user control over air movement is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable blade assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it generates the vortex flow, provides user control over air movement characteristics, and can be integrated with the existing motor drive system. By making this single component multi-functional, the patent achieves enhanced operability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the vortex-generating blades with the motor drive mechanism into an integrated assembly. The blade assembly is rotatably mounted on the motor shaft, merging the propulsion function with the vortex generation function. This integration allows user control features to be incorporated without adding separate complex subsystems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces noise levels and enhances user control over air movement within the vacuum cleaner, enabling efficient particulate separation and potentially allowing for smaller, quieter cyclonic vacuum cleaners.
Implementation Method 1
an aerodynamic vortex is generated inside the vacuum cleaner by forcing air to flow into a collection vessel at high speed and at an angle that is tangential to the wall of the vessel. This, together with the shape of the collection vessel, causes the air to rotate and form a vortex
Implementation Method 2
Bagless vacuum cleaners generally work on a cyclonic separation principle, removing particulates from air using one or more vortices
Implementation Method 3
The suction required to draw air into the vacuum cleaner is produced by an impeller, typically located at an inlet side of the collection vessel
Implementation Method 4
Bagless vacuum cleaners generally work on a cyclonic separation principle, removing particulates from air using one or more vortices
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for generating a vortex in a collection vessel of a vacuum cleaner, using a blade assembly rotatably mountable in the collection vessel. By rotating the blade assembly, a vortex is generated inside the collection vessel, and enough suction is created to draw air through the entire system. The use of a blade assembly to generate the vortex may remove the need for an impeller external to the collection vessel, as the blade assembly may be capable of creating enough suction to draw air into the collection vessel. This may allow the vacuum cleaner to operate with lower noise.