Cyclone Chamber Layout for Higher Dirt Capacity and Low Back Pressure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current surface cleaning apparatuses, such as vacuum cleaners, have limited dirt collection capacity and require frequent emptying, which can be inconvenient and inefficient due to the design of the cyclone and dirt collection chamber configuration.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a cyclone chamber with a movable plate at the dirt outlet and an openable bottom wall, allowing for increased dirt collection capacity and easy emptying by positioning the dirt collection chamber under the cyclone chamber and using a vortex finder extension through the dirt collection chamber to reduce back pressure and facilitate airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the height of the dirt collection chamber is increased to increase dirt collection capacity, then the dirt collection capacity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for movable plates and openable walls
Solution Approach 1:
The dirt collection chamber is segmented into multiple sections with movable plates that can be independently opened. This allows the chamber to be divided into manageable sections, each with its own access point, enabling users to empty specific sections without accessing the entire chamber. The segmentation principle resolves the contradiction by organizing the increased volume into modular units that maintain operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Movable plates are incorporated within the dirt collection chamber, allowing dynamic access to different sections. These plates can be shifted or removed to provide access to accumulated dirt, enabling the chamber to adapt its configuration based on usage needs. This dynamic element allows the system to maintain high capacity while providing flexible, simple access mechanisms.
2Quantity of substance
If the dirt collection chamber is positioned under the cyclone chamber to increase capacity, then the dirt collection capacity is improved, but the airflow back pressure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air outlet is extended vertically through the dirt collection chamber rather than horizontally, creating a separate vertical airflow path. This dimensional change allows the airflow to pass through the chamber without being blocked by the dirt accumulation in the horizontal plane, effectively separating the airflow dimension from the dirt storage dimension and eliminating back pressure issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended air outlet acts as an intermediary pathway, providing a dedicated channel for airflow that bypasses the dirt collection space. This intermediary structure allows air to flow freely through the chamber without interacting with the dirt, maintaining low back pressure while enabling the chamber to expand in capacity.
3Productivity
If the cyclone air outlet extends through the dirt collection chamber to reduce back pressure, then the airflow efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extended air outlet structure serves multiple functions: it maintains cyclone airflow efficiency by providing a direct exhaust path, structurally supports the dirt collection chamber, and acts as a guide for the movable plates. By combining multiple functions into a single element, the design achieves high airflow efficiency without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air outlet extension is merged with the structural framework of the dirt collection chamber, creating an integrated component that serves both airflow and structural purposes. This merging eliminates the need for separate support structures, reducing overall complexity while maintaining the airflow efficiency benefits of the extended outlet configuration.
4Ease of operation
If the plate is mounted off centre to permit cyclone chamber opening, then the accessibility is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is deliberately positioned off-centre within the cyclone chamber, creating an asymmetric configuration that provides clearance on one side for access mechanisms. This asymmetric placement naturally creates the opening space needed for user access without requiring precise symmetrical positioning, thereby reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining operational accessibility.
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
This configuration enhances the dirt collection capacity and reduces the frequency of emptying the dirt collection chamber, improving the overall efficiency and usability of the surface cleaning apparatus by allowing unimpeded material flow and maintaining reduced hand weight during operation.
Implementation Method 1
The air is drawn into the vacuum cleaner through a dirty air inlet and conveyed to a cyclone inlet. The rotation of the air in the cyclone results in some of the particulate matter in the airflow stream being disentrained from the airflow stream.
Implementation Method 2
The rotation of the air in the cyclone results in some of the particulate matter in the airflow stream being disentrained from the airflow stream.
Implementation Method 3
This material is then collected in a dirt collection chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A cyclone for a surface cleaning apparatus has spaced apart and opposed first and second cyclone chamber end walls and a cyclone chamber sidewall extending therebetween. At least one of the first cyclone chamber end wall and the second cyclone chamber end wall is openable so as to provide access to the cyclone chamber. An opening extends along only a portion of the perimeter of the cyclone chamber sidewall and is positioned adjacent the second cyclone chamber end wall, the opening defining the dirt outlet whereby dirt exiting the cyclone chamber via the dirt outlet travels in a generally outwardly direction to an exterior dirt collection chamber.